Six on Six Basketball Rules

Six on Six basketball, or basquette, as it was formerly known, is a type of basketball which was played by women during the early to mid part of the 20th century. Rather than following the conventional rules of having five players on the court, basquette used six players on each side. This game was slowly phased out as women began to play the game which was largely the same as male basketball in college. (NCAA female basketball still has some varying of the rules such as using a smaller basketball.) Though finally eliminated in 1993 in Iowa, basquette has made a comeback since 2005 with the advent of a "granny league" in the same state.

  1. 6 Players

    • The main difference between the game played in the NCAA, NBA and WNBA, is that basquette, or six on six basketball, has six players on each team on the floor. These players are divided into forwards and guards. The forwards must stay in the front court, and the guards must stay in the back court. Only the forwards on each respective team can shoot the basketball. It should be noted that in the Granny Basketball version, there are two guards, two forwards and two centers, each of which have their own areas on the court. Each type of player must stay in their designated area.

    Dribbling

    • There is some variation to the rules of dribbling in six on six basketball. For instance, some leagues allow unlimited dribbling as long as the player (guard or forward) is on their side of the court. Other rules call for no more than two dribbles. If the guard takes two dribbles, they must pass to another guard or forward. If a forward takes two dribbles, they must shoot the basketball and try and score.

    Scoring

    • The scoring in six on six basketball is a little different as well. Back when basketball was first invented, there as no "three point shot." In basquette, or in the current form of Granny Basketball, players score one point from the free throw line, two points from the field and three points for an underhanded shot from anywhere on the court.

    Timing

    • Basquette is a 32-minute game, with four, eight-minute quarters. The clock runs continuously even when play is stopped. A team receives one time out per quarter, which does stop the clock. There are no ties in the game. If there is a tie at the end of regulation, then an additional four-minute period is played. This continues until a winner is determined.