by Noel Robertson

Created on: April 27, 2010   Last Updated: April 28, 2010

Basketball is an amazing sport.  It can be played by anyone of any age.  All you need is a ball, yourself, and a friend to play with.  A normal game of basketball has 5 players on each team (ten total).  The game starts with all of the players in a circle and two players (one from each team) in the middle of the circle.  The referee blows the whistle and throws the ball into the air in between these two players.  Once the ball is thrown up in between these two players they both try to tip the ball to one of their team mates.  

There are 3 different positions on defense and 4 different positions on offense .  For defense the positions are: Low post, High post, and Middle.  For offense the positions are: Point guard, Left wing, Right wing, and Down low.  When you are on offense the Left and Right wings stay outside the 3 point line on either side and the point guard stays in the middle.  The Down Low position is one of the most important jobs though.  The person who plays down low is usually a big person (tall, bulky).  Once the other team passes the ball into this guy he should be able to score every time.  When you are on defense the 2 Low Posts (one on each side of the key) guard the one Down Low man who weaves back and forth between the two sides.  The High Posts guard the wings and or the Point Guard, and the middle man doesn't let anyone into the key without harassing them and heavily guarding them.

If a person is fouled (getting hit anywhere on the body while shooting) he gets free throws.  The number of free throws is determined by seeing what the points would have been if the player had made the shot.  If a player is fouled at the three point line he gets three free throws.  If the shot would have been two points the player would receive 2 free throws.  If the player makes the shot and is fouled 1 free throw is awarded.  Scoring is simple.   When a basket is made within the three point line it counts as two points.  If a basket is made outside the three point line it counts as three points.  The game consists of four eight minute quarters with time outs. HAVE FUN PLAYING BASKETBALL!

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