Answer:
NATURE AND BACKGROUND OF BASKETBALL
Basketball
is ateam sport, wherein the objective is toshoot aball through abasket horizontally positioned to score points while following a set of rules. Usually, twoteams of five players play on a marked rectangularcourt with a basket at each widthend. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. A regulation basketball hoop consists of a rim ! inches in diameter and " feet highmounted to abackboard. A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through thebasket during regular play. Afield goal scores two points for the shooting team if aplayer is touching or closer to the basket than thethree#point line, and three points$known commonly as a
3-pointer
or
three
% if the player is behind the three#point line.&he team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time$overtime% may be issued when the game ends with a draw. &he ball can be advancedon the court by bouncing it while walking or running $dribbling% or throwing $passing% it toa team mate. t is a violation to move without dribbling the ball $travelling%, tocarry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling $double dribble%.(ariousviolationsare generally called )fouls). *isruptive physical contact$apersonal foul% is penalized, and afree throw is usually awarded to an offensive player if he is fouled while shooting the ball. Atechnical foul may also be issued when certaininfractions occur, most commonly forunsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a player orcoach. A technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw, and the opposing teamis also retained possession of the ball.Basketball has evolved many commonly used techni+ues of shooting, passing,dribbling, and rebounding, as well as specializedplayer positions and offensive anddefensive structures $player positioning% and techni+ues. &ypically, the tallest membersof a team will play )center ), )power forward) or )small forward) positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed play )point guard)or )shooting guard).hile competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play.
