How to Play Soccer

Basketball is a sport that involves many different movements and skills, and if you want to be good at it, you need to learn all of them. It’s very easy to think that just jumping and doing fancy things on the court will get you to where you want to go quicker, but it’s not true. In order to play basketball well, you have to know how all of those different motions work. Here are the five basic motions that every great player should know.

A. Traveling – One of the most basic motion that all great players know is traveling. When the person that is holding the basketball is moving one or both of his/her feet to either side of the court, a foul is charged. The most common method that a player is called for traveling is after they have made their dribble, and then they shift their pivot foot and move both their big toe and their big ankle in an attempt to get away from the defender.

B. Dribbling – This is a vital skill in jumping higher, pivoting, and traveling. When a player is ducking down in hopes of making a pass or a shot, he must stop himself from rolling or changing directions mid-dribble. If he does, he is going to be hit with a traveling violation. Some people call this a “ball rolling” foul, but even if a player does not try to roll or change directions mid-dribble, it still is classified as a traveling violation.

C. Ball Control – When a team is in a situation where it is defending a lead, ball control is essential. Players on the perimeter have to keep control of the ball so that it doesn’t travel too far. When this happens, the defense can get back in shape quickly and the offense can make quick shots. A player in possession of the ball who loses control of the ball while dribbling will be assessed a technical foul.

D. Air Ball – This is an offensive foul that is normally called when there is an opportunity for a free throw but no one else is guarding the ball. When the defender is defending the ball, and it has not yet made its way to the free throw line, or is traveling too far up the court, a foul is called. This is also considered an in-bounds violation.

F. Pivot Foot – The pivot foot is the player’s strongest foot when it comes to moving in any direction. It is the pivot that turns when a player stops his feet from moving and starts turning. If a player has a good foundation on which to start turning, then he can use his pivot to turn and stop. If he stops turning his feet will stop and turn again. A player in possession of the ball who uses a pivot foot violation will be assessed a technical foul.