Basketball Ball Movements & Offensive Techniques

Basketball has grown in popularity since the time James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher in Montreal, invented the sport in 1891. Initially, players dribbled a soccer ball up a court and threw the ball into a peach basket to earn a point. The basket had a solid bottom, so players had to retrieve the ball from the basket in order to continue playing. Later the sport developers replaced the solid-bottom peach basket with hoops and metal and rope nets.

  1. Dribbling

    • Dribbling is perhaps the most important movement in basketball. You can stand with the basketball without dribbling, but you can`t take any steps. Dribbling involves repetitively bouncing the ball with only one hand. If you dribble, then hold the ball, that's a penalty. If you dribble the ball with two hands, that's a penalty.

    Shooting

    • There are three ways to score points from shooting; you can get either 1, 2 or 3 points on one shot. If you shoot the ball from outside the 3-point line, which is a semicircle that encompasses the offensive zone, you get 3 points. In the NBA, the 3-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches from the center of the basket. In the NCAA, the line is 19 feet, 9 inches away. Your foot must be on the outside of the line in order to get 3 points. If you are inside the line when you make a basket, you get 2 points. If you make a shot from the foul line after the other team has fouled you, you get 1 point.

    Slam Dunk

    • The slam dunk is perhaps the most exciting play in basketball. You can either dribble up to the hoop before jumping into the air with the ball to guide it directly into the basket, or you can take two steps and then jump into the air. Some of the most exciting dunks in basketball have come after the offensive player jumps over the head of the defender to slam the ball into the basket.

    Alley-oop

    • The alley-oop isn't just fun to say, it's fun to do. And it's exciting to watch. This offensive technique involves the collaboration of two players. One player throws the ball in the air to the side of the basket. The other player jumps up and catches the ball when it is in the air and guides it into the basket.