Basketball Rules for Carrying

One of the basic rules of basketball requires players to move the ball from place to place by bouncing it on the court. Dribbling is a key skill to have, and the rules that govern a legal dribble are set in the rules of the game. Carrying the ball, very similar to traveling, is a violation and it results in loss of possession. There are other variations on carrying the ball, which include palming or double dribble.

  1. Traveling

    • The basic rule of basketball that concerns carrying the ball is the traveling rule. The player with the ball is allowed just one step without putting the ball on the floor. When going in for a lay-up at the basket, the player is allowed an extra step, but otherwise, it is just one step. When a player is not moving, he establishes one foot as his pivot foot and he can move the other foot in any direction as many times as he wants as long at the pivot foot does not move. When coming to a stop, a player is also allowed to take that extra step as long as he lands on both feet together, in a move known as a jump stop.

    Palming

    • Palming the ball is another form of carrying the basketball. The rules of the game require that the dribbler keeps her hand on top of the ball when dribbling it. In order to increase ball control, players will slide their hand to the side of the ball and dribble by cupping the ball from the side and then taking it to the floor. That is not considered carrying, but when the hand slides under the ball, the violation should be called.

    Double Dribble

    • A third variation on carrying the ball is double dribble. Once a player picks up his dribble, he can not start dribbling again until he gives up possession to someone else and gets it back. If he does, the call is double dribble. There is also a double dribble call when a player dribbles the ball simultaneously with both hands.