Basketball for Beginners; An A-Z of On-Court Lingo
Basketball is one of America’s favourite sports, and for good reason. The likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and the Harlem Globetrotters have all transcended the sport and helped intertwine it within culture as a whole. The glitz and glamour of a basketball game draws us all in and is a popular post-camp activity for staff. But if you’re from the UK, there’s one problem for us all; what’s even going on?
Here in the UK, basketball is nowhere near as big. We may have played a bit at school, but aside from throwing a ball at a ‘net’, there wasn’t much else taught. Why is it two points instead of 3? What’s a double dribble, or what’s travelling? Why does my PE teacher keep saying I’m doing them?
So, if you’re intrigued at what basketball has to offer (as especially at camp, you’ll find everyone talking about it and ‘shooting hoops’ regularly), then here’s our list of useful basketball for beginners terms to know.
A - Airball: That embarrassing moment where your shot doesn’t even touch the net.
Alley-oop: When a teammate tosses the ball up in the air near the rim for you to dunk it down.
B - Backboard: The board behind the rim.
C - Carry: A dribbling violation when a player has continued their dribble after having their hand under the ball (so, carrying it).
D - Double Dribble: A violation where you’ve used two hands to dribble, or you’ve stopped and then started dribbling again.
E - Elbow: The court area where the lane meets the free-throw line.
F - Free Throw: A free, unimpeded shot that you get to take from the free-throw line after a foul or infringement.
G - Guards: Those who are playing in the guard positions
H - Hoop: It’s the, well, the hoop. In the list of basketball for beginners terms, this is one you really should know already.
I - In the Paint: When you’re located in the key, or paint (explained below).
J - Jump Ball: This is the throw by the ref in the beginning to start the game, also known as the 'tip-off'.
K - Key: The key is the rectangular area between the free-throw line and the rim.
L - Lay Up: A one-handed shot where you run-up to the basket and usually bounce it in off the backboard
M - Midrange: This is the area between the 3 point line and the key, which will score you 2 points.
N - NBA: The main men’s basketball association in America, the National Basketball Association.
O - Offense: When you’re on the attack.
P - Paint: Same as the key. More often called paint because it’s painted a different colour.
R - Rebound: A stat for regaining possession after a shot, which could be defensive or offensive.
S - Screen: A type of play that involves putting a stationary block on a teammate's defender to stop them briefly.
T - Turnover: When a player loses possession to the other team
V - Violation: Breaking the rules but isn’t a foul, such as a five-second violation for not throwing the ball in quick enough.
W - WNBA: The main women’s basketball association in America, the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Z - Zone Defense: Guarding a zone, instead of an opposition player, during defence.
Although this is certainly no definitive list, it’s enough terms for a basketball for beginners crash course. Whether you’re heading on the court for a social one, wanting to catch a game when travelling after camp, or even leading sports at camp, this basketball for beginners list gives you an understanding of some of the shouts that’ll be going on around you.
