Dribble
Bouncing the ball. The only legal way to move with it.
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Rules in 15 minutes
Don’t get lost down the Google rabbit hole. You don’t need the full rundown of all 105 pages of the FIBA rulebook, just enough to play social or recreational basketball for fun and fitness.
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The written and unspoken rules of basketball for beginners, with videos, emailed to you.
The basics, scoreboard style
Tap a card to flip it. Nine rules in plain English. The free Quick Guide goes deeper.
Want the official and unspoken rules, with videos? The free Quick Guide has 8 fundamental FIBA rules and 8 unspoken rules beginners break all the time.
Meet the lingo roster
Every lingo term gets a jersey. Search the roster so you can talk the talk without feeling left out.
Pass
Getting the ball to a team mate. Chest, bounce and overhead are the usual ones.
Crossover
Switching the dribble from one hand to the other to change direction.
Pivot
Stepping with one foot while the other stays planted.
Possession
The team that has control of the ball has possession.
Turnover
Losing the ball to the other team without getting a shot up.
Assist
The pass that sets up a basket.
Screen
Standing your ground (legally) so a team mate can get free of a defender.
Fast break
Attacking quickly before the defence has set up.
Layup
A shot close to the basket, usually after driving in.
Jump shot
A shot taken while jumping.
Form shooting
Practising your shooting technique close to the hoop, nice and slow.
Free throw
An unguarded shot from the free throw line after a foul. Worth 1 point.
Three-pointer
A shot from outside the 3-point line. Worth 3 points.
Swish
The ball goes in without touching the rim. The best sound in basketball.
Brick
A shot that clanks off the rim. It happens to everybody.
Air ball
A shot that touches nothing: no rim, no backboard. Also happens to everybody.
Rebound
Grabbing the ball after a missed shot.
Block
Stopping a shot by getting a hand to the ball.
Steal
Taking the ball off the other team.
Intercept
Catching a pass that was meant for the other team.
Man-to-man
Each defender sticks to one attacker.
Zone
Defenders guard an area of the court instead of a person.
Box out
Using your body to get position for a rebound.
Foul
Excessive contact that disadvantages the opponent.
Travel
Taking too many steps without dribbling.
Double dribble
Dribbling with both hands at once, or starting a second dribble after stopping.
Charge
An offensive foul: running into a defender who has set their position.
Out of bounds
When the ball, or a player holding the ball, touches the boundary line or anything beyond it. The ball goes dead.
Shot clock
The 24 seconds a team has to attempt a shot.
Inbound
Throwing the ball in from the boundary line. You get 5 seconds.
Backcourt violation
Once a team has gotten the ball across the halfway line, they can’t take the ball back over it.
The key
The rectangle under the hoop. Also called the paint or the keyway.
Free throw line
Where free throws are taken from, at the top of the key.
Three-point line
The big arc around the keyway. Shots made inside it are worth 2 points, outside are 3.
Baseline
The boundary line behind the hoop. Also called the endline.
Sideline
The boundary lines down the long sides of the court.
Halfway line
The line across the middle that splits the court in two.
Frontcourt
The half of the court your team is shooting in.
Backcourt
The half of the court your team is defending.
Rim
The hoop. Also called the basket.
No players match. Try a different word.
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