Hello, before we start understanding the Basketball Terms, let us first know what is this Basketball Game?
We all have watched playing two teams as opponents trying to score maximum point in this game. So, the Basketball, game played between two teams of five players each on a rectangular court, usually indoors. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through the opponent’s goal, an elevated horizontal hoop and net called a basket.
Basketball Vocabulary Words for Kids
Following is a list of common terms related to the basketball sport:
- Assist: A pass to a teammate that leads directly to a goal
- Air ball: A shot at the basket that misses everything and doesn’t touch the rim, backboard or net.
- Alley Oop: When one player jumps and catches a pass from another player and simultaneously dunks the ball or shoots it in before landing.
- And One: When a player gets fouled while shooting and the ball goes in. The player then gets one free throw.
- Backboard: A board behind the basket, off which the ball may rebound
- Basket: A container used to hold or carry things
- Block: To stop the movement of an opponent, or stop an opponent’s pass or shot
- Bounce: To rebound after hitting a surface
- Bounce pass: A pass that bounces off the floor before it reaches the receiver
- Bank Shot: When a player shoots the ball and it bounces off the backboard and into the hoop.
- Block Action: A statistic that occurs when a defensive player stops an offensive player from making a shot by blocking the ball with his or her hand(s).
- Block Area Of Court: The area just outside of the key in which the rectangular blocks are painted. Also referred to as the post.
- Box Out: When a shot goes up, players use this technique, which involves widening their stance and arms and using their body as a barrier to get in better rebounding position.
- Carry: This penalty, which results in a turnover, occurs when a player holds the ball excessively at the apex while dribbling.
- Chest pass: A two-handed pass thrown from chest height
- Center: In position near the basket to capture rebounds and block shots.
- Change Of Pace Dribble: Slowing down and speeding up dribble to get past an opponent.
- Charging: An offensive player fouls by illegally contacting a stationary defense player.
- Chin It: After receiving a rebound, the ball is under the chin with elbows and fingers pointing up.
- Clear Out: To make room for the ball handler.
- Charge: This penalty, which results in a turnover, occurs when an offensive player with the ball runs into a stationary defensive player and knocks him or her over.
- Double-dribbling: Violation of dribbling the ball with two hands, or stopping and restarting the dribble
- Draft: The annual process by which NBA teams select local or foreign players for their teams
- Dribble: To bounce the ball repeatedly with one hand while running or walking
- Drive: A fast, strong dribble directly to the basket in an effort to score
- Exceed: To go beyond what is allowed
- Foul: A violation resulting from illegal contact with an opposing player
- Free throw: A free shot was taken from the free throw line as the result of a foul
- Free: A free shot given to a player after a foul or a technical foul. The player shoots from the 15-foot free throw line while the rest of the players line up along the outside of the key.
- Fast Break: An offensive action where a team attempts to advance the ball and score as quickly as possible after a steal, blocked shot or rebound.
- Flop: When a player attempts to draw a foul on an opposing player by acting, fabricating or over-exaggerating the extent of contact.
- Foul Trouble: A player runs up too many fouls in one game.
- Front Court: The offensive area running from mid-court to the end-line.
- Full Court Press: Opponents are guarded over the full range of the court.
- Game clock: A scoreboard clock that shows the time remaining in each period of a game
- Guarding: Following an opponent to stop him from driving, shooting or passing easily
- Jump Ball: The ball tossed into the air by the referee between two opposing players in order to start the game.
- Hoop: The round metal rim from which a basketball net is suspended
- Jump shot: A shot taken while a player is jumping through the air
- Lay-up: A shot taken close to the basket that is usually banked off the backboard and into the basket
- MVP: Most valuable player’s award, given to the best player in a game
- Man To Man: A defensive strategy in which each player on the defensive team guards one person on the opposing team.
- No-look pass: A pass thrown without looking towards the receiver
- One And One: When a team has reached the initial foul limit, or the bonus, the next player to get fouled will receive one free throw. If the player makes the free throw, he or she shoots an additional free throw. This occurs in youth, high school and college basketball only.
- Outlet: An offensive strategy in which a player who gathers a defensive rebound passes to a teammate in an attempt to quickly begin the next possession.
- Overhead pass: A pass thrown from over the head, to clear a defender or for added power
- Overtime: A five-minute extra period that is played when the game is tied after four quarters
- Personal foul: A foul that involves illegal physical contact such as blocking, charging, elbowing or holding
- Possession: To be holding, or be in control of, the ball
- Paint: The painted area that makes up the free throw lane. Also referred to as the key.
- Post: The area just outside of the key in which the rectangular blocks are painted. Also referred to as the block.
- Press: A defensive strategy where the defenders guard the opposing team the full length of the court instead of waiting on the opposite side for the offense to come across.
- Post Up: An offensive strategy in which a player gets the ball in the post area with his or her back to the basket.
- Over And Back Violation: An offensive teammate returns a ball from the front court to the back court.
- Perimeter: The part of the court that extends beyond the foul circle.
- Pick: An offensive player sets up a screen.
- Referee: Officials who call violations and fouls, give penalties, signal field goals, and stop and start play
- Rebound: Get control of a ball that has come off the rim or backboard after a failed shot attempt
- Reverse Pivot: Turning on the pivot foot while taking a step back.
- Rocker Step: A jab step followed by a step back in preparation for shooting or driving the ball.
- Starting Lineup: The five players that begin the game.
- Stride Stop: Stopping on one foot, and then the other.
- Screen: An offensive strategy in which a player without the ball stands in the way of a defensive player. The offensive player must remain stationary during the process, or a moving screen will be called and the result will be an offensive foul and a turnover.
- Swish: A made basket where the ball avoids the rim and touches nothing but the net, creating a “swish” sound.
- Set shot: A shot taken with both feet on the floor in a set position
- Three-Point Play: Two points on a field goal immediately followed by a free-throw point.
- Three Point Shot: From outside the three-point line, an attempt at earning a field goal is made.
- Top Of The Key: The arc that runs beyond the free-throw lane.
- Technical foul: A foul called against a player or coach for unsportsmanlike conduct such as arguing with a referee
- Three-point line: A semi-circle painted on the court, from outside of which a successful shot earns three points
- Time-out: Clock stoppage requested by a coach for a short meeting with the players
- Transition: A team switches from offense to defense, and visa versa.
- Trap: Two defense players team up on the ball handler.
- Travel: A penalty, which results in a turnover, where an offensive player moves his or her pivot foot illegally or takes three steps without dribbling the ball.
- Turnover: When the offensive team loses possession of the ball by way of an offensive foul, steal or out-of-bounds violation.
- Zone Defense: A defensive strategy in which players guard a specific zone or area of the court instead of a specific player on the opposing team.
Keep exploring EnglishBix to learn vocabulary words related to different sports.
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