I have been playing basketball for about 10 plus years. I thought I would share the basics of basketball for those who are maybe trying to impress that guy or girl, or for anyone looking to know more about basketball.

For starters, there are two teams and of those two teams, there are five players that play on the court at the same time. One team will be on offense while the other is on defense. The team with the ball is on offense. The team without it is on defense. The team on defense is trying to stop the team on offense from scoring the basketball. The team on offense is trying to score the ball.

The teams play on a court. There are two baskets at each end of the court. Each team is trying to score only on one basket. The baskets are ten feet tall. There is a line in the middle that splits up each side of the court. Each side is identical. Each side has a half circle, which is the three point line. Each side also has a rectangle inside the half circle called “the paint.” At the top of the rectangle, there is a line where players shoot free throws. The player shoots free throws when they are foul, which will be explained later.

The way the team on offense scores is by putting the ball in the basket. Each team is trying to score on one of the baskets. When the ball goes through the basket the team is awarded either 1, 2, or 3 points. The team on offense is awarded 3 points when they make a shot outside the half circle. The team on offense is awarded 2 points when they make a shot inside the half circle. The team on offense is awarded 1 point if they make a free throw. The way a player shoots free throws is when they get fouled. A foul is when a player hits another player that alters their ability to play basketball. A referee determines whether a player fouls another player or not.

That was the basics of basketball in a nutshell. Here are some basketball terminologies that are most commonly used. An assist is when a player on offense passes it to another player on offense and that player that just received the pass scores. A jump shot is when an offensive player is jumping and shooting the ball at the same times towards the basket. A block is when a defensive player hits the basketball away from the basket when an offensive player takes a shot. A rebound is when an offensive or defensive player secures the ball after an offensive player takes a shot towards the basket, but misses. A steal is when a defensive player takes the ball away from the offensive player.

Those are the basics of basketball and the basic terminologies used.