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Official Basketball Rules

Guide to the Official Basketball Rules

The official basketball rules either for the National basketball association or for the NCAA College Basketball Leagues across the USA is very interesting and necessary to learn.

Like any other sport, especially a sport that has such a fanatical fan base as the National Basketball Association or college games, the sport of basketball is steeped in rules and regulations.

Just think what the game must have been like in the early days of Dr. Naismith and the Colgate Red Warriors where travelling was rarely called and the rules were very lackadaisical indeed!

Rules are Important

Please have a look at some but not all of the rules and regulations for a game of organized basketball. Understand as well that the organized game of basketball where a referee or two are in total control will be the games that are to be very well-played with adherence to all the rules of the game of basketball being followed to the “t”!

If you find yourself in a pick-up game of basketball and you are used to the rules of the game then you will have little issue with following these deeply ingrained rules. The bottom-line and the main point of following the rules of basketball can be an essential factor in the success or failure of your game.

Future of Game Reliant on Set of Rules

In the end if you make it as far as a college scholarship offer and we hope you do then following the rules will be no problem. If you do not follow the rules of basketball and are then known as a chronic rule breaker you will find yourself riding the pine in most of the games that are not blow-outs.

Play by the rules and develop your game into an art that brings both team wins and personal goal setting and goal exceeding happiness.

Official Basketball Rules

We have interjected a few words of wisdom so that you can really get to know the most important aspects of certain rules and regulations of the game of basketball!

Rule No.1 – Court Dimensions – Equipment

The court measurements are mandated by the governing body of whatever league you are either playing in or watching live or on the television or nowadays the Internet!

Rule No. 2 – Officials and their Duties

The zebras and their duties are to make sure the rules of basketball are followed. They do this by using a whistle whenever there are certain points in the game that need to be heard even over the roaring crowd of a Celtics game! That’s loud!

Rule No. 3 – Fouls and Penalties

Fouls and penalties such as travelling, walking, palming the ball and hacking an opposing shooting or passing player are found in this section. If you intentionally reach out and hack an opposing player while in the act of shooting you will be or should be charged with a shooting foul.

It is then up to the referee to decide whether the foul was hard enough and intentional enough to warrant both the scoring of the basket (goal) and a two shot free-throw opportunity. This can be a potentially very bad turnaround for the opposing team depending upon how the game is going.

Other Rules and Regulation

Rule No. 4 – Players, Substitutes and Coaches

Rule No. 5 – Definitions

Rule No. 6 – Scoring and Timing

Rule No. 7 – Putting Ball in Play – Live/Dead Ball

Rule No. 8 – 24-Second Clock

Rule No. 9 – Out-of-Bounds and Throw-In

Rule No. 10 – Free Throw

Rule No. 11 – Violations and Penalties

Rule No. 12 – Basketball Interference – Goaltending

 

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