In basketball, each team has five players on the court at one time.  Player substitutions are unlimited but must be made during a dead ball stoppage and be recognized by one of the game officials (called a referee). 

The Game

Basketball is played on a court that has two basketball hoops (the net is 10 feet off the floor, but for younger kids (K-2) may be 8 feet off the floor) on each end.  The court is separated into an offensive and defensive zone by the mid-court line.  The offensive team (the team that has the ball) has ten seconds to advance the ball to the mid-court line (half court);  if it doesn't, possession of the ball is  turned over to the other team.

A player can move the ball around the court by passing to another teammate or dribbling. The team on defense tries to regain possession by stealing the ball, intercepting passes, and rebounding missed shots.  Many youth basketball programs prohibit the defense from stealing the ball from the player handling the ball and allow steals only on a pass.

Each team has a basket to defend, and at halftime, the teams switch baskets. The game begins with two players (one from each team) at center court where a referee tosses the ball between the two (the "tip-off" or a "jump ball"). 

Each game is divided into halves and sometimes into quarters, depending on the level of play:

• Pros: four 12 minute quarters.  No running clock.
  

• College: two 20-minute halves.  No running clock.
  

• Middle and high school: four 8- minute quarters.  No running clock.
  

• Youth level: two 20-minute halves, often with a running clock (the clock stopping only for dead balls in the last minute of each half)

Scoring 

When a team scores, there are a few things to remember:

• A made basket is generally worth two points and the ball is awarded to the opposing team out of bounds under the basket. 

• If a shot goes in the basket from a player with both feet beyond the three-point line or arc, the made basket is worth three points ("three-pointer").

• A basket made from the foul/free throw line is worth one point. 

• A foul committed when the player is in the act of shooting a basket results in two free throw attempts (three if the foul occurs while the player is attempting a three-point basket).  One foul shot is awarded a player when he or she is fouled in the act of shooting but makes a basket despite the foul.

• Fouls which are not committed in the act of shooting do notresult in the taking of foul shots/free throw attempts unless the team committing the foul has accumulated seven fouls ("over the limit"), in which case the player fouled is awarded one foul shot, and, if he makes it, a second "bonus" free throw (a so-called "one and one").  If the team accumulates ten team fouls, the player fouled is awarded two free throws, even if he or she misses the first (a so-called "double bonus"). 

Fouls

Personal Fouls: A foul is committed when a player makes  illegal physical contact with an opposing player.  When the referee calls a foul, play stops.  Some common fouls are:

• Shooting fouls (hitting the arm or hand of a player in the act of shooting)
  

• Pushing/Blocking/Over the Back: pushing a player or reaching over his back to try to gain a better position to rebound a missed shot

• Reaching In: slapping the hand of a player to try to steal the ball (no foul if only touch the ball)
  

• Holding or grabbing a player 

• Excessive contact that allows the player to gain an unfair advantage

• Blocking the path of a defender trying to cover a player (illegal screen)

• Knocking down a defender who has established his position on the floor (called "charging")

The referee will tell the official scorer who is seated at a table along the sideline at center court the number of the player who committed the foul and give a  signal  indicating the kind of foul.  For a list of the referee signals, click here. [1]

Personal Foul Penalties

• If a player is in the midst of shooting while someone fouls him, then he receives two free throws if his shot doesn't go in. If his shot does go in while someone fouls him, he receives one free throw.

•  Three free throws are given to a player who is fouled while shooting for a three-point goal and he misses the shot. If he does make the shot while being fouled, he receives one free throw (which, if he makes it, results in 4 points being scored in one play)

• If a player is fouled when he isn't shooting, play stops and his team takes the ball out of bounds at the nearest sideline.  The team then has  5 seconds to pass it back onto the court and into play.

Foul Terminology

•  Charging: An offensive foul that is committed when a player pushes or runs over a defensive player. The foul results in the ball being turned over to the defensive team on the sideline.

• Blocking: Illegal personal contact resulting from a defender not establishing position in time to prevent an opponent's movement towards the basket.

• Flagrant foul: Violent contact with an opponent (hitting, kicking, punching); This type of foul results in free throws plus the offense being given possession of the ball after the free throws.

• Intentional foul: When a player makes physical contact with another player with no reasonable effort to steal the ball.

•  Technical foul- A foul by a player or a coach engaging in some sort of misconduct that does not involve player contact such as a coach yelling at a game official, a player complaining to an official or questioning a call, or arguing with the official.

• Fouling out: A player who accumulates five fouls in a game (six at the professional level) has "fouled out" and is automatically disqualified from further participation. 

• Team Fouls: A team that accumulates seven fouls in a half is "over the limit,"  resulting in free throws being awarded to the player fouled regardless of whether he or she was in the act of shooting.  For fouls 7, 8, and 9, the player is awarded a one-and-one (one foul shot, followed by a second free throw attempt if the player makes the first).  Once a team reaches 10 team fouls, the other team shoots two free throws the rest of the half.

Violations

• Traveling- Taking more than a step and a half without dribbling the ball, resulting in the ball being turned over to the other team.  In recognition of the lower skill level of younger players (K-2), referees are often given discretion on whether to call a violation; if he does, he will explain the violation to the player and the violation does not result in a turnover.

• Carrying/palming- When a player dribbles the ball with his hand too far to the side or under the ball.

• Double dribble- dribbling the ball with both hands on the ball at the same time or picking up the dribble and then dribbling again, resulting in a turnover. As with traveling violations, double dribbling violations are called at the discretion of the referees for games involving young players (K-2); if a violation is called, the referee will explain the violation to the player and no turnover will result.

• Backcourt violation- Once the offense has brought the ball across the mid-court line, they cannot go back across the line while they have the ball. If they do, the ball is awarded to the other team on the sideline to pass inbounds.

• Time restrictions- A player passing the ball inbounds has five seconds to pass the ball. If he does not, then the ball is given to the other team. Other time restrictions include the rule that a player cannot have the ball for more than five seconds when being closely guarded and, in some states and levels, shot-clock restrictions requiring a team to attempt a shot within a given time frame. 

Positions

•  Center: Usually positioned nearest the basket and the tallest player on the team. Offensively, the center's goal is to get open for a pass and shoot towards the basket from close range. They are also in charge of blocking defenders to make space for teammates to attempt shots and grabbing rebounds of shots missed by their teammates (offensive rebounds).  Defensively, the center keeps opponents from shooting by blocking shots and passes. They also retrieve a lot of rebounds of missed shots by the other team.

• Forward: Two players positioned closer to the basket than the guards but further away then the center.   A power forward is usually the bigger, stronger of the two forwards  positioned close to the basket in order to rebound and score from close range.  The small forward is usally a player taller than than the two guards but smaller than the power forward; he plays both inside (driving to the net for lay-ups or playing near the basket to grab rebounds) and outside (taking jump shots). Defensively, they try to prevent opponents (usually other forwards) from running to the goal and scoring or rebounding.

• Guard: Usually the shortest and quickest players who are usually really good at dribbling fast, seeing the court, and passing.  Offensively, it is their job to set up plays and shoot from the outside or drive to the basket for lay-ups.  Defensively, guards are responsible for stealing passes and preventing opponents from running to the hoop and guarding the other team's guards when they are attempting outside shots.  The point guard is usually the player who runs the team on offense ("plays the point"); the shooting guard is generally the team's best long-range shooter, the one who takes jump shots from outside and most of the team's three-point attempts.

Rule differences

Parents need to remember that the rules of basketball are often modified from those that govern at the college and professional level in recognition of the lower skill levels of youth players.  Here are some of the major rule differences to watch out for:

• The number of time outs per half may be less.

• Zone defenses  (defensive schemes in which defensive players are responsible for an area or zone of the court) may be banned in favor of strict man-to-man defenses in which each player guards a player on the opposing team

• Pressing defenses and fast breaks may be prohibited, either for the entire game,  or for the first three quarters, requiring the defensive team to set up at half court before the offensive team takes the ball up the court after a made basket, rebound or turnover.

• Jumping to block a shot may be banned (arms extended straight up okay).

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