There are so many terms in basketball that it can be very confusing for a new coach. In this second of a two-part post, I will try and break down some of the more common ones.

In some definitions, there may be a term used that you also don’t understand. Most likely, it is explained in a different definition. I have put the definitions in alphabetical order, to make them easier to find. If you come across any I have missed, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Half Court Offense – when a team takes the time to develop a play in its frontcourt, such as the give-and-go or a screening play; opposite of fast break.

High Post - an imaginary area outside either side of the foul lane at the free-throw line extended.

In The Paint – being in the foul lane area which is painted a different color.

Inbounds – the area within the end lines and sidelines of the court; also the act of bringing the ball into this area by means of a throw-in.

Incidental Contact - minor contact usually overlooked by officials.

Jump Ball - 2 opposing players jump for a ball an official tosses above and between them, to tap it to their teammates and gain possession; used to start the game (tip-off) and all overtime periods, and sometimes to restart play. Once the game has begun, the alternating possession arrow is used to determine possession on a jump ball situation.

Key - the area at each end of the court consisting of the foul circle, foul lane and free-throw line; named for the shape it has in the FIBA court.

Layup – a shot taken after driving to the basket by leaping up under the basket and using one hand to drop the ball directly into the basket (layin) or to bank the ball off the backboard into it (layup).

Leading the Receiver – when a passer throws the ball where he thinks a receiver is headed.

Live Ball – a ball is live when it is released by a shooter or thrower, or legally tapped by a jumper during a jump ball; the game clock starts only when the ball becomes alive; compare with live.

Loose Ball – ball that is alive but not in the possession of either team.

Low Post – an imaginary area outside either side of the foul lane close to the basket.

Man to Man Defense - the defensive style where each defensive player is responsible for guarding one opponent.

Off the Dribble – a shot taken while driving to the basket.

Offense - the team with possession of the ball

Offensive Rebound - a rebound of a team’s own missed shot.

Officials - the crew chief, referee and umpire who control the game, stop and start play, and impose penalties for violations and fouls.

Open – when a player is unguarded by a defender.

Out of Bounds – the area outside of and including the end lines and sidelines.

Overtime or OT – the extra period(s) played after a regulation game ends tied.

Pass - when a passer throws the ball to a teammate; used to start plays, move the ball downcourt, keep it away from defenders and get it to a shooter.

Period – any quarter, half or overtime segment.

Perimeter - the area beyond the foul circle away from the basket, including 3-point line, from which players take long-range shots.

Personal Foul – contact between players that may result in injury or provide one team with an unfair advantage; players may not push, hold, trip, hack, elbow, restrain or charge into an opponent; these are also counted as team fouls.

Pivot - the foot that must remain touching the floor until a ball handler who has stopped dribbling is ready to pass or shoot.

Playmaker - the point guard who generally sets up plays for his teammates.

Possession - to be holding or in control of the ball.

Possession Arrow – used to determine which team’s turn it is to inbounds the ball to begin a period or in a jump ball situation.

Post Position - the position of a player in the low post or high post

Rebound - when a player grabs a ball that is coming off the rim or backboard after a shot attempt; see offensive rebound and defensive rebound.

Receiver – the player who receives a pass from the ball handler.

Regulation Game - four 10-minute quarters in the FIBA rules or two 20-minute halves in US college; a game that ends without overtime periods.

Release – the moment that the ball leaves a shooter’s hands.

Roster – the list of players on a team.

Screen/Screener – the offensive player who stands between a teammate and a defender to gives his teammate the chance to take an open shot.

Shot Clock - a clock that limits the time a team with the ball has to shoot it; 24 seconds in the NBA and FIBA; in US college, 35 seconds for men, 30 seconds for women. The clock is reset if the shooting team hits the rim

Shooter – a player who takes a shot at the basket.

Sidelines - the 2 boundary lines that run the length of the court.

Squaring Up – when a player’s shoulders are facing the basket as he releases the ball for a shot; considered good shooting position.

Starting Lineup - the 5 starters who begin a game; usually a team’s best players.

Substitute – a player who comes into the game to replace a player on the court.

Team Fouls - each personal foul committed by a player is also counted against his team; when a team goes over the limit, its opponent is awarded free-throw opportunities.

Technical Fouls or T’s - procedural violations and misconduct that officials believe are detrimental to the game; penalized by a free-throw opportunity to the non-offending team (2 free-throws and possession in FIBA).

Three Point Shot - a field goal worth 3 points because the shooter had both feet on the floor behind the 3-point line when he released the ball; also counts if one foot is behind the line while the other is in the air.

Throw In – the method by which a team with possession inbounds the ball.

Timeout - when play is temporarily suspended by an official or at the request of a team to respond to an injured player or to discuss strategy; there are full timeouts (100 or 60 seconds in NBA, 120 seconds in WNBA, 75 or 60 seconds in US college, FIBA) and 20-second timeouts (30 seconds in US college).

Tip Off - the initial jump ball that starts the game.

Transition – the shift from offense to defense.

Travelling – a floor violation when the ball handler takes too many steps without dribbling; also called walking.

Triple Team – when three teammates join efforts in guarding a single opponent.

Turnover – when the offense loses possession through its own fault by passing the ball out of bounds or committing a floor violation.

Weakside - the side of the court away from the ball.

Zone Defense - a defense where each defender is responsible for an area of the court and must guard any player who enters that area; compare with man-to-man defense.

There are so many terms in basketball that it can be very confusing for a new coach. In this first of a two-part post, I will try and break down some of the more common ones.

In some definitions, there may be a term used that you also don’t understand. Most likely, it is explained in a different definition. I have put the definitions in alphabetical order, to make them easier to find. If you come across any I have missed, please do not hesitate to let me know.

4 Point Play – a 3-point shot followed by a successful free-throw(which was caused by someone fouling the shooter).

Alternating-Possession Rule – the possession arrow changes direction after each subsequent jump ball situation, alternating which team gets possession for the throw-in.

Assist – the last pass to a teammate that leads directly to a field goal; the scorer must move immediately toward the basket for the passer to be credited with an assist; only 1 assist can be credited per field goal.

Backboard – the rectangular structure, 6′ x 3 1/2′, to which the basket is attached.

Back Court – the area from the midcourt line to the end line furthest from the offense’s basket.

Ballhandler – the player with the ball; usually the point guard at the start of a play.

Bank Shot – shot where the ball is first bounced (or banked) off the backboard at such an angle that it then drops into the basket.

Baseline – the boundary line behind each basket; also called the endline.

Basket – attached to the backboard, it consists of a metal rim 18″ in diameter suspended 10′ from the floor, from which a 15-18″ corded net hangs, and through which points are scored; also used to refer to a successful field goal.

Blind Pass – a pass from a ball handler who does not see his receiver, but is estimating where he should be.

Blocked Shot – the successful deflection of a shot by touching part of the ball on its way to the basket, thereby preventing a field goal.

Blocking – the use of a defender’s body position to illegally prevent an opponent’s advance; the opposite of charging.

Boxing Out – a player’s attempt to position his body between his opponents and the basket to get rebounds and prevent the opponents from doing so.

Charging – an offensive foul which occurs when an offensive player runs into a defender who has established position.

Court – the 94′ x 50′ area bounded by 2 sidelines and 2 end lines containing a basket at each end, on which a basketball game is played. The dimensions may be smaller in some gyms.

Crossover Dribble – when a ball handler dribbles the ball across his body from one hand to the other.

Cylinder – the imaginary area directly above the basket where goaltending or basket interference can occur.

Dead Ball – any ball that is not live; occurs after each successful field goal or free-throw attempt, after any official’s whistle or if the ball leaves the court; it stops play which is then resumed by a jump ball, throw-in or free-throw.

Defense – the act of preventing the offense from scoring; the team without the ball.

Defensive Rebound – a rebound of an opponent’s missed shot.

Double Team – when two teammates join efforts in guarding a single opponent. See also Triple Team.

Dribble/Dribbling – when a player repeatedly pushes, pats, taps or bats the ball toward the floor with one hand to cause the ball to bounce back up to either of his hands; used to advance the ball or keep control of it.

Drive to the Basket – to move rapidly toward the basket with the ball.

Dunk – when a player close to the basket jumps and strongly throws the ball down into it; an athletic, creative shot used to intimidate opponents.

Elbow – the point in the key where the sideline of the foul lane and the free throw line meet

End Line – the boundary line behind each basket; also called the baseline.

Established Position – when a defensive player has both feet firmly planted on the floor before an offensive player’s head and shoulder get past him; the offensive player who runs into such a defender is charging.

Fake or Feint – a deceptive move to throw a defender off balance and allow an offensive player to shoot or receive a pass; players use their eyes, head or any other part of the body to trick an opponent.

Fast Break – also called the run-and-shoot offense, it begins with a defensive rebound by a player who immediately sends an outlet pass toward midcourt to his waiting teammates; these teammates can sprint to their basket and quickly shoot before enough opponents catch up to stop them.

Field Goal – when the ball enters the basket from above during play; worth 2 points, or 3 points if the shooter was standing behind the 3-point line.

Flagrant Foul - unnecessary or excessive contact against an opponent.

Floor Violation – a player’s action that violates the rules but does not prevent an opponent’s movement or cause him harm; penalized by a change in possession.

Forwards – the 2 players on the court for a team who are usually smaller than the center and bigger than the guards; often a team’s highest scorers.

Foul - actions by players which break the rules but are not floor violations; penalized by a change in possession or free-throw opportunities; see personal foul or technical foul.

Foul Lane - the painted area 19′ x 16′(FIBA) 19′X 12′(US college) bordered by the end line and the foul line, outside which players must stand during a free-throw; also the area an offensive player cannot spend more than 3-seconds at a time in.

Foul Line – the line 15′ from the backboard and parallel to the end line from which players shoot free-throws.

Foul Shot – an unguarded shot taken from the foul line by a player whose opponent committed a personal or technical foul; it is worth 1 point.(also known as a free throw)

Free Throw – an unguarded shot taken from the foul line by a player whose opponent committed a personal or technical foul; it is worth 1 point.(also known as a foul shot)

Free Throw Line – the line 15′ from the backboard and parallel to the end line from which players shoot free-throws.

Free Throw Line Extended – an imaginary line drawn from the free-throw line to the sideline to determine the location for certain throw-ins.

Front Court - the area between the midcourt line and the end line closest to the offense’s basket.

Full Court Press – when defenders start guarding the offense in the backcourt.

Game Clock - shows how much time remains in each of the four 12-minute quarters of an NBA game or two 20-minute halves of a college game.

Guards - the 2 players on each team who are the smallest on the court; they usually handle setting up plays and passing to teammates closer to the basket.

Guarding - the act of following an opponent around the court to prevent him from getting close to the basket, taking an open shot or making easy an pass, while avoiding illegal contact.