Half court basketball is played with 1 basket. This is a video of a game I played with Theo.
Here are some general guidelines for half court basketball.
1. CHECK IT UP to begin play. This lets both teams know that you are ready. So if you are on defense, and someone on your team is not ready yet, DON'T check it up until your team is ready.
2. Agree on scoring. In this game, Theo and I played to 11. We play 2 points for each basket and 3 points for shots made from behind the 3 point line. MOST half court games that I played in my life had each basket worth one point. Often time the winner must win by at least 2 points, but that is up to you to decide before you begin the game.
3. Winner's outs or loser outs? Before the game begins, you can decide who gets the ball after a made basket. Winners - the person who made the basket gets the ball again. Losers - The other team gets the ball after a made basket, just like in full court basketball.
**If you are a beginner in basketball, loser's outs is a better choice because it allows both players a chance at the ball.
4. Taking it back - since there is only one basket, both teams can't be on offense at the same time. When possession of the ball changes (rebounding a missed shot or stealing the ball), the defensive player must "Take It Back" prior to becoming an offensive player. In our game, that means you have to bring the ball behind the 3 point line and then you are the "Offensive" player. If you get the ball on defense and score without taking it back, the basket doesn't count.
**Many people play that you take it back past the foul line, since many courts may not have a 3 point line.
5. Keep saying the score! When you check it up, it is good practice to announce the score so everyone is in agreement. It is easy to forget the score and saying it a bunch will help everyone stay on track and help have a fair game.
6. Fouls - Since there is no referee in half court basketball you call your own fouls. If you are fouled, you simply just announce, "Foul" or "I Got That." Self -efereeing your games is an important part of half court basketball. There are no foul shots in half court basketball. If you are fouled when you have the ball, you simply check it up and you keep possession of the ball. If you are fouled in the act of shooting and the ball goes in, the basket counts as if the foul didn't happen.
7. When to check it up - Checking it up is done whenever there is a stoppage in play. This could be after a made basket, if the ball goes out of bounds, if a player is injured and the game is starting back up, or if there was a time out for any reason.
8. Pass it in - In half court basketball, if you are playing with more than one person on a team (example 2 on 2, 3 on 3, etc.) you must pass the ball to a teammate to begin play after checking it up. In this game, we were playing one on one, so that was not necessary.
I hope this helps you understand a bit more about how to play half court basketball.
