Find Basketball Opens
01The objective
Put the ball through the opponents' hoop (3.05 m high) more often than they do through yours. Move the ball by dribbling (bouncing while walking/running) or passing — never by running with it held.
Create a good shot
Screens, cuts and passes bend the defence until someone is open. 24 seconds is plenty — panic shots are turnovers in disguise.
Protect the paint
Stay between your player and the basket. Steals and blocks are bonuses; position is the job.
Own the miss
Most possessions end in a miss — whoever grabs the rebound owns the next attack. Box out first, jump second.
02Where the points live
03The two clocks
04Violations — lose the ball, not blood
- TravellingMoving your pivot foot, or taking more than two steps after picking up your dribble. Catch, two steps, shoot or pass — that's the budget.
- Double dribbleDribbling again after stopping, or bouncing with two hands at once. Once you hold it, your options are shoot or pass.
- 3 seconds in the keyOffensive players can't camp in the paint for 3+ seconds. Step out, step back in — fine.
- 8-second & backcourtYou get 8 seconds to cross halfway; once across, passing it back over the line is a backcourt violation.
- Out of boundsLast touch before the ball crosses the sideline decides who throws it in. The lines themselves are out (unlike tennis).
- GoaltendingBlocking a shot on its way DOWN toward the rim, or touching it on/above the cylinder — the basket counts anyway.
05Fouls & free throws
Illegal contact
Hitting, holding, pushing or moving into a shooter. Non-shooting fouls = throw-in; fouls on a shooter = free throws (2, or 3 behind the arc).
Basket + bonus
Fouled while scoring? The basket counts and you get one extra free throw. Cue the celebration.
The bonus
From a team's 5th foul in a quarter (FIBA), every further foul gives the opposition two free throws, shooting or not.
Five and done
Five personal fouls (six in NBA) and your game is over — a sub replaces you.
Hard or cynical
Excessive contact or stopping a fast break without playing the ball: two free throws AND the ball. Two of these = ejection.
Behaviour, not contact
Dissent, taunting, hanging on the rim: one free throw to the other team plus possession. Keep it for the highlight plays.
063×3 and pickup — what changes
- 3×3 (Olympic format)Half court, one hoop. Baskets worth 1 (inside) and 2 (behind the arc). First to 21 or best score in 10 minutes; 12-second shot clock. After a defensive rebound, "clear" the ball behind the arc first.
- Pickup rulesUsually win-by-2 to 11/15/21, "make it, take it" (scorer keeps possession), and call-your-own fouls. Ask the local rules before you check in.
07Quick FAQ
How many steps is a layup, really?
Two, after you gather the ball at the end of your dribble. The rhythm is: last bounce → step → step → up. The "gather step" nuance is what makes pros look like they take three.
What's a charge vs a blocking foul?
Both punish contact between a driver and a defender. If the defender was set (feet planted, outside the no-charge semicircle) before the driver took off, it's a charge on the attacker. Arriving late or shuffling sideways into contact = block on the defender.
Can I dribble, stop, then dribble again if I never passed?
No — that's the double dribble. Once you end your dribble, only a shot, a pass, or losing the ball (deliberately off the rim doesn't count) resets your right to bounce it.
Is dunking legal in amateur leagues?
Completely — but hanging on the rim afterwards (beyond safety) is a technical foul. Also check your venue: some community gyms ban dunking to protect equipment.
08What's new · latest regulations
A fresh edition of the FIBA Official Basketball Rules came into force on 1 October 2024, with more refinements rolling through 2025 — most visible in how fouls are graded.
Flagrant & disruptive fouls
FIBA is retiring the single "unsportsmanlike" label for graded foul types by severity — clearer lines between hard, cynical and dangerous contact.
Replay for goaltending
Officials can now use instant replay to review goaltending and basket-interference calls, not just buzzer-beaters and fights.
Last-2-minute throw-in line
In the final 2:00 of Q4 or overtime, an advanced throw-in after a timeout is taken from a marked line on the scorer's-table side.
