HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL THEOFANIS ARMYRAS

1: LEARNING THE RULES

STEP 1: Get a ball and a hoop  In order to play basketball you are going to need a ball of the appropriate size and a net that it fits through, set at a challenging-enough height.

STEP 2: Split into teams For a full-court game, basketball is played by two teams of five players each. While it's also common to play half-court ball with teams of three, however many people you've got playing, it's important to have an even number of players on each team

STEP 3: Scoring points In basketball, depending on where the shot is taken on the floor, one to three points can be scored with a shot by an offensive player

STEP 4: Move the ball  Having the ball means that you have to either be stationary, with one foot planted on the floor to pivot from, or you have to be dribbling the ball, bouncing it up and down on the floor. If you are planted, you can pivot around on one foot, but that foot has to remain planted if you're not dribbling. You can still jump to shoot or pass, but when you come back down you need to have gotten rid of the ball.

2: DRIBBLING AND PASSING

STEP 1: Stand correctly Crouching in a low position helps you guard and protect the ball while you dribble. In a proper dribbling stance, you should be crouching, flexing your what? and shoulder-width apart, standing on the balls of your feet.

STEP 2: Bounce the ball with your fingertips  it's important to dribble with your fingertips, not the palm of your hand, so you can control the ball properly and control it securely. With some practice, you'll be able to get a good feel for how much force to put on the ball to get it to pop right back to your hand.

STEP 3 : Try and keep the ball about waist-high  Try dribbling at the height of your waist, no higher. Defenders can easily pick off the ball, if you dribble all the way up to your chest.

STEP 4 : Keep your head down  Keeping your head up and looking around, instead of looking straight down at the ball as you bounce it, is a critical aspect for dribbling successfully. If you practice dribbling without looking at the ball, (and) your skills will improve immensely.

STEP 5: Start moving  Walking as you dribble, at a comfortable lope, can help you at the start. Jogging comes next, when you're comfortable dribbling and walking. You will eventually start trying to do short sprints while you dribble.

STEP 6 : Practice making different kinds of passes An essential part of basketball is learning how to make crisp and accurate passes. Getting comfortable making passes that go straight to your teammate without making them move for it is something that you should try to do.  Make chest passes  Make bounce passes

3 : Shooting

STEP 1 : Square up with the basket each time you shoot  Every time you want to shoot, it's important to "square up," which means you need to point both sets of toes so they're pointing straight at the hoop, then align your hips so you're aiming your front-side parallel with the hoop. Your shots will be more accurate when you square up.

STEP 2 : Balance the ball on your dominant hand  The hand with which you shoot is your dominant hand, the hand you write with and the hand it feels most comfortable to dribble with. Your power will come with your shooting hand, but stabilizing the ball and balancing it can be done by using your other hand.

STEP 3 : Roll the ball off your hand  Extend your shooting elbow straight up and forward, rolling your wrist forward, as if you were trying to reach into a cookie jar on a high shelf. Continue extending your shooting arm, up and out, toward the hoop. Let the ball pop forward when your arm extends to the end, rolling backward as you release it.

STEP 4 : Push off with your feet, jumping straight up  To get extra power from your shot, crouching down and popping up with your legs as you shoot is a great idea. Don't jump forward, toward the hoop, jump straight up. Free-throws are generally taken without jumping, and it isn’t necessary to jump to shoot. However, it's difficult to get the ball into the hoop using arm strength alone, so most of the shots you will take will be "jump shots."

STEP 5 : Shoot constantly, from everywhere  Just shooting around is one of the best parts of basketball practice, so there's little excuse to skip it. Try shooting from all around the court, inside the key, from different angles. Try dribbling around while you shoot, so you're killing two birds with one stone.

4 : Playing defence

STEP 1 : Learn your role on defence  When you're playing defence, your goal is to keep your opponents from scoring. Your job to is be annoying, sticky, and disruptive to the other team's ability to pass and score points.

STEP 2 : Learn the correct defensive stance  To learn to play sticky defense, learn to get low and get wide. The correct defensive stance is done by crouching, with your feet more than shoulder-width apart and putting your arms straight out at your sides, extending and making yourself as wide as possible. You will also need to be standing on the balls of your feet and making sideways movements to guard the player with the ball. Moreover, you need to have your eyes locked on the ball.

STEP 4 : Stay on your feet as much as possible  It's very easy to pump-fake, going up for a shot and pulling it back down as soon as you take off into the air, leaving you vulnerable and useless as a defender. Training yourself to stand up very straight when you see your opponent pull it down to shoot, and throwing your arms straight up in the air 90 degrees can help overcome this problem. This will be just as disruptive as a jump, and you'll still be locked down ready to play defence, if need be.

STEP 5 : Grab rebounds  Don't let opponents have a second chance, if they have taken a shot that's failed.When the ball bounces free, jump near the hoop and try to catch it. If it's up for grabs, be the one to grab it.

STEP 6 : Avoid fouls  Charging into a defender will earn you a foul on offence, but most fouls that happen are called on the defence. In your attempts to be a disruptive presence on the court, you have to learn where the line is and avoid crossing it, or you're going to get a foul called.