Basketball Basics: Faking and Moving Without the Ball

Two important skills in basketball are faking and moving without the ball. Both should be practiced well. Faking In order to be an offensive threat you must be able to elude your guard whether you have the ball or not. A fake is an act designed to throw your guard off balance, so you can drive past him or free yourself for a shot. Do this by faking with your head, eyes, feet, shoulders, and body. The fake drive-and-shot is designed to throw the defensive player off balance and force him back to... Read more »

Defensive Tactics In Basketball Explained

Sinking man-for-man defense was made famous by Coach Hank Iba from Oklahoma State. Used properly, it becomes a strenuous, hardworking, multi-purpose defense. Used improperly, as is so often the case, sagging defense practices result in little more than a rest period for four men while one man gives token effort and attention to the ball handler. The first task is to sell team members on the idea that when they sink or sag it is not a rest period. It is to be considered a strenuous, arm-waving, coordinated,... Read more »

The Techniques Of Passing The Ball

A good passing team is a beautiful sight to watch. A team that can handle the ball and pass well is a tough team to beat. Many coaches will agree that passing is the most important fundamental in basketball. Throwing a ball is not passing! Passing is an art which is controlled by very definite fundamentals. The usual passing situation is one in which an offensive player must get the ball by his immediate defensive man and to a teammate who is also guarded. Preferably the offensive man should be no... Read more »

Basketball Basics: Tactical Defense Explained

Most of us have a tendency to think of tactical situations in terms of offense. The jump ball, out-of-bounds, and free throw line-ups are generally considered to be excellent scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, only one team will have an opportunity to score: the one that gets the ball. One team will be required to take the defensive. Generally each team will have the same number of scoring and defensive chances during the course of a game. It will be necessary to “defense” these situations... Read more »

Basketball Basics: How To Dribble

Dribbling is a very important fundamental of both offensive and defensive basketball. Offensively it is used to advance the ball in the back court, to make a drive-in to the basket, and to free oneself from close or congested defensive areas. Defensively, the dribble has become very effective in stalling tactics, especially when a press is being used. The dribbler may bounce the ball with one or two hands. If he bounces the ball with two hands, he is allowed only one dribble. There is no limit to... Read more »

Early Days Of March Madness

John was working in Springfield, Massachusetts at a YMCA training to become an administrator of the YMCA’s program. His challenge was to come up with a game for a gym class that would be physically demanding and could be done inside during the harsh winter months. His solution was to have two teams with 9 players on each team, use a soccer ball and use peach baskets. Basketball was born. When John Naismith was asked what the team members and their uniforms looked like for the first games... Read more »

Using Concealed Defense Strategies in Basketball

There is nothing more embarrassing to a basketball coach than to spend an entire game attacking a man-for-man defense - then learn the opponents used a zone. Those coaches who have been in the game for any length of time will probably recall just such an affair. The object of concealing the defense is to confuse the opponents so they will attack with the least appropriate offense. There are those who may think this should never happen. Possibly it shouldn’t, but it has happened and it will... Read more »

N C A A And N B A: Interlocked

Several decades ago, the drafting of players by the National Basketball Association was afforded only to those who have already passed and graduated from their collegiate classes. This arrangement was found to be a mutually favorable affiliation between the NBA and universities or colleges. This way, the universities and colleges mainly held only onto players who otherwise went toward the professional basketball league. By the same token, the NBA did not need to fund minor leagues. However, basketball... Read more »

Solutions To Basketball Problems

How should a shooter take cover after his or her long shot? Is it really safe to loosen up on defense after losing possession of the basketball? These are just a few of the challenging situations that put most novice basketball players in a quandary. Even the best players fall into the trap of getting lost in a situation during the game. According to basketball experts, it is significant for coaches and players to thoroughly understand “basketball problems” which are expected to indiscriminately... Read more »

How Basketball Is Played And The Rules You Must Follow

There were many sports made but only one was made by DR. James Naismith a Canadian physical instructor. The game was made and started playing back in the day. Soon it would become a game that would be played all over the world and would be a sport that someday people would be getting paid to play that is how popular it would come to be. The team with the ball has to try and score on the other team by getting the ball in the opponent’s hoop. Once your team has scored the ball is then given to... Read more »