LESSON 4:

Rules, regulation and

terminologies of basketball
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

RULES OF THE GAME

Rules often change, so players and coaches must keep
abreast of these changes from time to time. The latest
update was approved in April 29, 2012 during the FIBA
Central Board meeting, at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The
FIBA Official Basketball Rules of 2012 which took effect
October 1, 2012 is the latest reference for both athletes
and coaches throughout the world.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

1. TEAMS
Each team shall consist of no more than 12 team members
entitled to play, including a captain, a coach and assistant coach.
Five players from each team shall be on the playing court during
playing time and may be substituted. A substitute becomes a
player and a player becomes substitute when the official beckons
the substitute to enter the playing court, and during a time-out or
an interval of play, a substitute requests the substitution to the
scorer.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL
2. PLAYING REGULATIONS
Playing Time- the game shall consist of four periods of ten minutes. There
shall be interval of play of twenty minutes before the game is scheduled to
begin. There shall be intervals of play of two minutes between the first and
second period (first half), between the third and fourth period (second half)
and before each extra period. Further, there shall be a half-time interval of
play of fifteen minutes.
Status of the ball- the ball becomes alive when: During the jump ball, during
a free-throw, during a throw-in. The ball becomes dead when: any field goal
or free-throw is made, an official blow his whistle while the ball is alive, the
game clock signals sound for the end of the period, the twenty-four second
clock signal sounds while a team is in control the ball.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

3. VIOLATIONS
A violation is an infraction of the rules.
Penalty- the ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a
throw-in at the place nearest to the infraction, except
directly behind the backboard, unless otherwise stated in
the rules. A player is out-of-bounds when any part of his
body is contact with the floor or any object other than a
player, on, above or outside the boundary line.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

3. VIOLATIONS
A violation is an infraction of the rules.
Penalty- the ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at the
place nearest to the infraction, except directly behind the backboard,
unless otherwise stated in the rules. A player is out-of-bounds when any
part of his body is contact with the floor or any object other than a
player, on, above or outside the boundary line. The ball is out-of-bounds
when it touches: a player or any other person who is out-of-bounds, the
floor or any object on, above or outside the boundary line, the backboard
supports, the back of the backboards or any object above the playing
court.
VIOLATIONS

Dribbling- a dribble is the movement of a live ball caused by a

player in control of that ball who throws, taps, rolls the ball on
the floor or deliberately throws it against the backboard. A player
shall not dribble a second time after his first dribble has ended
unless between the 2 dribbles he has lost control of a live ball on
the playing court because of a : shot for a field goal; touch of the
ball by an opponent; pass or fumble that has touched or been
touched by another.
VIOLATIONS

• Three Seconds- a player shall not remain in the opponents’ restricted area for
more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in
the front court and the game clock is running.
• Eight Seconds- whenever: a player gains control of a live ball in his backcourt; on
a thrown-in, the ball touches or is illegally touched by any player in the backcourt
and the team of that player taking the throw-in remains in control of the ball in its
back-court, the team must cause the ball to go into its front court within eight
seconds.
• Twenty-four seconds- whenever: a player gains control of a live ball on the
playing court; on a throw-in the ball touches or illegally touched by any player on
the playing court and the team of that player taking the throw-in remains in
control of the ball, that team must attempt a shot for a filed goal within twenty
four seconds.
VIOLATIONS

• Ball returned to the backcourt- the ball goes into a team’s

backcourt when it: touches the backcourt; touches or is illegally
touched by an offensive player who has part of his body in
contact with the backcourt; touches an official who has part of
his body in contact with the backcourt.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

4. FOULS
A foul is an infraction of the rules concerning illegal personal contact
with an opponent and/or unsportsmanlike behavior.
Personal foul is a player’s contact foul with an opponent, whether the
ball is live or dead. A player shall not block, push, charge, trip, or impede
the progress of an opponent by extending his hand, arm, elbow, shoulder,
hip, leg, knee or foot, nor by bending his body into an ‘abnormal’
position, nor shall he indulge in any rough or violently play.
Double foul is a situation in which two opponents commit personal fouls
against each other at approximately the same time.
FOUL

• Unsportsmanlike foul is a player contact foul which, in the

judgment of an official, is not a legitimate attempt to directly
play the ball within the spirit and intent of the rules.
Disqualifying foul is any flagrantly unsportsmanlike action of a
player, substitute, excluded player, coach, assistant coach or
team follower.
FOUL

Technical foul is a player non-contact foul of a behavioral in nature

including, but not limited to:
• Disregarding warnings given by the officials
• Disrespectfully touching the officials, the commissioner, the table
officials or team bench personnel
• Disrespectfully communicating with the officials, the commissioner, the
table officials or the opponents
• Using language or gestures likely to offend or incite the spectators
• Baiting an opponent or obstructing his vision by waiving his hands near
his eyes.
FOUL

Technical foul is a player non-contact foul of a behavioral in nature

including, but not limited to:
• Excessive swinging of elbows
• Delaying the game by deliberately touching the ball after it passes
through the basket or by preventing a throw-in from being taken
promptly
• Falling down to fake a foul
• Hanging on the ring in such a way that the weight of the player is
supported by the ring, unless a player grasps the ring momentarily
following a dunk shot or, in the judgment of an official, is trying to
prevent injury to himself or to another player.
FOUL

• Charging is illegal personal contact, with or without the ball,

by pushing or moving into an opponent’s torso.
• Blocking is illegal personal contact which impedes the progress
of an opponent with or without the ball.
• Holding is illegal personal contact with an opponent that
interferes with his freedom of movement. This contact (holding)
can occur with any part of the body.
FOUL

• Pushing is illegal personal contact with any part of the body in which a
player forcibly or attempts to move an opponent with or without control
of the ball.
• Illegal use of the hand(s) or extended arm(s) occurs when defensive
player is in a guarding position and his hand(s) or arm(s) is placed upon
and remains in contact with an opponent with or without the ball, to
impede progress.
• Illegal guarding from the rear is personal contact with an opponent,
by a defensive player, from behind. The fact that the defensive player is
attempting to play the ball does not justify his contact with an opponent
from the rear.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

5. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Five fouls by a player- a player who has committed five fouls,
personal and/or technical, shall be informed thereof by an official
and must leave the game immediately. He must be substituted
within thirty seconds.
Team fouls: Penalty- a team is in team foul penalty situation
when it has committed four team fouls in a period.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

Free throws- is an opportunity given to a player to score one point, uncontested, from a
position behind the free throw line and inside the semi-circle.
• When a personal foul is called the free throw(s) shall be awarded as follows:
• The player against whom the foul was committed shall attempt the free throw(s)
• If there is a request for him to be submitted, he must attempt the free throw(s) before
leaving the game
• If he must leave the game due to injury, having committed his five fouls or having been
disqualified, his substitute shall attempt the free throw(s). If no suitable player is
available, any teammate as designated by his coach shall attempt the free throw(s).
• When a technical foul is called, any member of the opponent’s team as designated by
his coach shall attempt the free throws.
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL

CORRECTABLE ERRORS
Officials may correct an error if a rule is inadvertently disregard
in the following situations only:
• Awarding an unmerited free throw(s)
• Failure to award a merited free throw(s)
• Erroneous awarding or canceling of a point(s)
• Permitting the wrong player to attempt a free throw(s)
RULES, REGULATION AND TERMINOLOGIES OF
BASKETBALL
6. OFFICIAL, TABLE OFFICIALS, COMMISSIONERS: DUTIES &
POWERS
• The officials shall be a referee and one or two umpire(s). they shall be assisted by
the table officials and by a commissioner, if present. The table officials shall be a
scorer, an assistant scorer, a timer and a twenty-four seconds clock operator. The
commissioner shall sit between the scorer and the timer. His primary duty during
the game is to supervise the work of the table officials and to assist the referee and
umpire(s) in the smooth functioning of the game.
• The officials, table officials and the commissioner shall conduct the game in
accordance with these rules and have no authority to change them. The official’s
uniform shall consist of an officials’ shirt, long black trousers, black socks and
black basketball shoes. The officials and the table officials shall be uniformly
dressed.