How To Play Basketball

Basketball is a team sport that was invented by James Naismith in 1891.  Basketball is not America's past time, but it is a game that is played by little kids as well as adults, and is played by both men and women.

Each team consists of five players that play both offense and defense.  The goal of basketball is to score more points than the other team.  A player can score when he or she makes a basket.  To make a basket a player must shoot the basketball into the basketball hoop.  A basket counts as two points if a player is anywhere in bounds between the basket and the three-point line and three if the player is behind the line.

A player can score one point if he or she is shooting a free-throw, which only happens when a player from the opposite team commits a foul, which could consist of a bump, slap, push, or other roughhousing deemed illegal.  A player then stands behind the designated free-throw line and the time is stopped.  When this occurs, none of the players can defend the player shooting.  The remaining players stand along what is called the key.  The key is the rectangular box that extends away from the basketball hoop.

The position of a guard is usually played by a person who can dribble the basketball well, because they are often in control of how fast the game is played.  One dribbles the ball with one hand until he or she picks it up, at which point he or she must pass the ball to a teammate or shoot the ball.  There are usually two guards on the court at the same time.

There is usually one center who is often tall, stocky, and strong but doesn't handle the ball very often.  He or she usually shoots lay-ups, which are baskets shot very close to the hoop.

The other two positions are forwards, which are more balanced positions, like the guards and the center.  Players pass the ball back and forth while the defense tries to steal the ball.  The defense can attempt to steal the ball by getting in the way of a pass or by taking the ball from a stationary player.  If the defense does steal the ball or gets a rebound, all the players must travel to the other end of the court, and play resumes with the defense playing offense and the offense on defense.