Variations of basketball

Variations of basketball are games or activities based on or similar to the game of basketball, in which the player utilizes common basketball skills. Some are essentially identical to basketball, with only minor rules changes, while others are more distant and arguably not simple variations but distinct games. Other variations include children's games, contests or activities intended to help the player practice or reinforce skills, which may or may not have a competitive aspect. Most of the variations are played in informal settings, without the presence of referees or other officials and sometimes without strict adherence to official game rules.

Closely-related games

Different roster sizes

An actual competitive game of basketball can be played with as few as 2 people. The game may be referred to by the number of people on each team; a 6 player game may be referred to as "3-on-3" or "3-v-3" ("v" stands for "versus"). Each team's roster is typically the same size, but an odd number of players may force 1 team to play with 1 less player. Sometimes the odd player will be designated as a "switch" player, so that the offensive team always has the extra player (defense is generally considered easier to play than offense, mitigating some of the handicap of being 1 player short).

Roster sizes above 5 players per team are uncommon even in informal games, as the court generally becomes too crowded to allow movement and space to develop between players.

Half court

Full court games are usually only commence if there are 10 players, and it can be difficult to reserve a full court for only 2 teams. Basketball is therefore frequently played in a half court setting, essentially doubling the number of players that can play on a court at once, and this mode of play is frequently required in busy locations like public gymnasiums or health clubs. It is sufficient for most aspects of practice, other than transition plays and pressure defense which specifically require a full court, and is often used in coaching situations; a common sight at games is a coach with a small chalk or dry-erase board with a printed half court diagram, suitable for drawing up plays during a timeout.

In half court games, only one basket is used, with the requirement that the ball be "cleared" whenever possession of the ball changes. To clear the ball, the team acquiring possession must pass or dribble the ball across the half court line (or three-point line, see below) before attempting a shot. This simulates the time that would be required for the offensive team to advance the ball into the frontcourt, gives the defense a chance to take position, and provides all players with a visual and mental cue that their roles have reversed, making the half court game an excellent simulation of the full court game.

Slight variations on this basic clearance rule are common, and some situations may not require the new offensive team to clear the ball upon every change of possession. A clearance is almost always required after a defensive rebound, but it may not be required in turnover situations such as a steal or blocked shot; this simulates, to an extent, the fast break that might take place after a turnover.

The origin of the half court game is unknown, but some form of it is likely almost as old as basketball, simply because it allows a small number of people to play without quickly becoming exhausted from running the length of the court after every change of possession. In modern times, the three-point line is more commonly used as the clearance line, as it is a shorter distance from the basket and allows a clearance in almost any direction, rather than directly opposite from the end line. When the half court variation was invented, however, the three-point line probably did not exist (it was invented in 1961 and was not widespread until the 1970's), and so the name "half court" has stuck.

Street

In street (also known as pickup or streetball) games, an arbitrary number of points by one team is set as the game's end point. Free throws are not used, and fouls are called, by the fouled player, only when a violation is flagrant or prevents a score. Fouls are almost always called by the player with the ball; off-ball fouls or fouls called by the defense are frowned upon or not even considered unless the foul committed is especially egregious.

Streetball can also refer to a specific style of play that focuses more on the individual talents of the players. Some aspects of the style might fall afoul of traditional rules; showboating and taunting are not uncommon, and sometimes players engage in exaggerated dribbling that would probably be considered a carrying violation in competitive leagues. Nevertheless, the style is popular, with some games even being shown on ESPN.

One famous location for street games is Rucker Park in New York City; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Connie Hawkins are just a few of the NBA stars and "playground legends" who have held court there.

"Make-it-Take-it"

In the half court game, a "make-it-take-it" convention (also "buckets" or "winners out") is followed in some regions, whereby the scoring team retains possession of the ball. Because free throws are not generally used, baskets made in pick-up games generally count as one point. However, some courts have begun to add the three-point goal to their pick-up scenario. Some courts keep scores inside the three-point goal as one point and scores beyond it two, while others use standard basketball scoring rules: two points for scores inside the three-point goal and three points for scores outside.

Twenty-one

Twenty-one is a game that can be played with two or more players. Each player has his own score, with the winner being the first to reach 21 points. The game begins with one of the players starting with the ball, with the objective of scoring. All other players attempt to stop the score; no player has any teammates at any time in the game. The player with the ball may shoot at any time, and may collect his own rebound and shoot again. On a defensive rebound, the rebounder takes possession and must clear the ball by dribbling it beyond the three-point line before taking a shot. Whenever a basket is scored, that player receives two points and goes to the free throw line, where each made free throw tacks on another point to their score. The player is allowed to shoot free throws until he wins the game or misses, at which point another player must rebound the ball, and the sequence starts again.

Common variations include:

Using the three-point line
First made free throw in the game worth 2 points; all others worth 1
Limit on the number of successful free throws in a row (usually 3); the scorer then receives the ball and a free clearance and play resumes
Declaring a winner at less than 21 (usually 11), if one scorer gets to that number and all other scorers have zero
Resetting a player's score back to zero if they get to exactly 13 points; if 13 is hit as a result of a made free throw, the player gets a chance to make another free throw and avoid the reset by bringing the score to 14
Resetting a player's score back to some level (13 is common) if their score exceeds 21, or the situation will cause the score to exceed 21 (i.e. when free throws following a made basket will leave the total at 20 points, or if the free throw that would give the player 21 is missed)
Requiring a player to win by a certain number of points (usually 2 or 3); this can require extending the game past 21
Players can "tip" the ball by jumping in the air, receiving a rebound, and shooting it back into the hoop before landing. Doing so will set the original shooter's score back to zero. If the shooter is at zero when tipped he or she is out of the game.
Some people set tip limits, most of the time it is 13. A tip limit means what when a player gets over 13 and then gets tipped, his score goes back down to 13. If the player score is exactly the tip limit and he is tipped, it will go back down to zero.
Most people don't play by taking it back to the three pointline, and the rebounders can just shoot the ball from wherever they want.
When there are only two players, and the one shoots the ball and hits the rim, and the other player gets the rebound, he must take the ball back before shooting again.
Two Bounce is another way to play, where after a shot is attempted, the next player in line picks up the ball after it at least bounces twice, and shoots from there. There is no defense involved.

Distantly-related games

Spin-offs from basketball include BASEketball, which has some elements of baseball, korfball, which was born in the Netherlands and is played by mixed teams, netball, which was informally called "women's basketball" but now includes men's teams, slamball, and ringball. when the shooter is at zero and the ball is tipped in the shooter is out of the game.

Activities

H-O-R-S-E

A common, less athletic game for smaller groups of players is H-O-R-S-E (pronounced as "horse"; occasionally other words are used but the game is identical). The game may be played with as few as 2 people, and as many as desired. The only skill required is shooting; no player is allowed to defend.

With 2 players, the first player may shoot from anywhere on the court. There is no penalty if the first player misses; the second player then gets to shoot from anywhere on the court. If either player makes their shot, the next player must make the same shot from the same position; if the next player misses, they get a "letter" from the word "horse". The first player is again free to shoot from another spot on the court; however, the player may not shoot from a spot where a shot was already made in the same game. A player is knocked out of the game once they have enough letters to spell out the word "horse". The last player remaining wins.

The game is essentially the same with 3 or more players but the rules may vary slightly. In some cases, all players must make the same shot as the first player or receive a letter, until the turn returns to the first player. In other cases, a miss by the second (or any following) player still results in a letter for that player, but the court then becomes open again and the next player immediately following the player who misses is allowed to shoot again. In some variants, control of the ball will cycle indefinitely until one player gets a letter. In these variants, the person who made the original shot could wind up with a letter.

Often, the shots in H-O-R-S-E are trick shots that are rarely, if ever, taken in a real game; although unlikely, if the shot succeeds, the opponent is much more likely to miss and therefore receive a letter. Elaborate routines and "call" shots, such as "off the backboard" or "left-handed hook shot," are frequently allowed, and the shooter's actions must be followed exactly for the next player's shot to be considered good.

Variants include:

-Two attempts at their final shot before the player is eliminated.

-An "insurance" shot that is taken when a player reaches the last letter. If made, it allows the player to stay in the game with one letter less than the maximum.

-Tipping: The player who's turn is immediately after the shooter may tip the ball back into the basket on a miss, giving the shooter an extra letter. (If the tip is missed, the next player may try, and so on. The letter is given to the last player to miss.)

-"Proving your shot": This occurs when someone is down to the final letter, and they must make the shot to stay in the game. If they miss, then person who originally made the shot must make the shot again from the same spot to prove that the shot was skill and not luck. If he makes it, the other player is out, but if he misses, the other player stays where he is. After this takes place, they continue to play by giving the ball to the player after the one down to the final letter.

Knock-out

This common practice game requires two basketballs and can accommodate any number of players. The object is to make a shot before the player in front of you makes his or hers, elimanating him or her from the game. No points are scored; the sole object is to be the last player standing.

Players line up single-file at either the free-throw or three-point line. The first two are each given a ball. The second player can shoot as soon as the player in front of her has released the ball.

If a player misses his initial shot, he can grab the rebound and try to put it back in. As long as he makes his follow-up before the player behind him puts hers in the basket, he's still in the game. Because there are two balls in play, a common strategy is to aim to knock the other player's ball away from the goal and buy time to make a shot (hence the name). For this reason it also called bump.

As soon as a player hits a shot, he passes it back to the next player waiting and moves to the back of the line. The game proceeds this way until there is only one player left.

This game is also called 'Lightning' in some areas.

Shooting practice

It is very common for players to practice shooting, especially free throw shooting, during or after practice. Coaches sometimes integrate free throw shooting into other aspects of practice. For instance, a player may be required to shoot a free throw, run a quick wind sprint, then return to the free throw line to shoot again. This is intended to condition the player to game situations, where the player may be required to shoot a free throw immediately after running up and down the floor.

Around the World

Around the world is a basketball variant played by two or more players. In this game, a series of shots must be made in and around the key, allowing a player to advance to the next position. The first player to make a shot at each position advances until he reaches the end where he wins the match.

Play typically starts at the edge of the key on one side of the basket. If the shot is made, the player advances to the next position mark on the key. When a player has made shots on every position mark, they then advance to the corner of the free throw line. When a free throw is made, the player then advances down the other side of the key back toward the basket.

After the player has moved around the key, a shot must be made from directly under the basket. After that the player must make a shot from the center of the three point line.

If at any point a shot is missed, a player may 'chance', meaning he gets to take a second shot. If the second shot is made, the player advances as normal. If the player misses the second shot, then the player must go back to the start. The player has only one chance the whole game.

At any point a player may decide not to take the next option, and cease play. If a player exhausts his options or chooses to stop, play proceeds to the next player. The sequence of positions and shot options (chance) vary drastically between players and regions.

Some games require you to start with a layup, then once you go "around the world" you end with a layup on the opposite side that you started on, instead of having you shoot a three pointer.

Another game similar to this is called School. There are three different "layers" around the hoop similar to around the world. The first shot, which is the easiest, is called "Preschool" and it goes up to the hardest and farther away, which is called "College Senior" (unless you choose to go higher or lower). After the first six shots (which is close and the first layer) they move back to the second layer, and after those six shots, they move back to the final layer.

Another game which is similar is played exactly like Around the World, except you start directly in front of the hoop and move a step backwards after each shot, usually ending at half court.

One Shot Conquer

The game begins at the starting line, which is usually the foul line (though it is occasionally moved to around the three point perimeter). The first player takes a shot from the starting line. If he makes it in, he gets one point. If he misses, he runs after the rebound. He then must shoot the ball from where he picked it up. How ever many shots it takes him to make the ball in, that is how many points he gets. If it takes him 4 shots, he gets four points, etc. Some games set a limit as the maximum number of points you can get in a round, so it doesn't get too out of control.

If the ball bounces far away from the rim where it is impossible to make it in or goes far behind the hoop, he can choose to do one of two things.

He can take the shot from where he stand, which is called a "Risk"

or

He can take that shot from the starting line, with a one shot penalty added to his score.

Also if you are playing this outside, the court may be on a slant, and the shooter may let the ball roll closer to the hoop before picking it up. To prevent this type of cheating, some gamess feature a set limit on when the ball must be picked up.

In terms of rebounding the ball, the player must take the shot from where his feet were when he picked up the ball. He cannot knock the ball forwards closer to the hoop in an attempt to pick it up. If this is done, he has to take the shot from where he first touched it. Also, the player can jump in the air and catch the ball, and then shoot from where he landed.

Once the first person finishes, the next person goes. Once everybody goes one time, the first round is complete, and the game proceeds for another four rounds. At the beginning of the fifth round, whoever has the most points goes first, second most goes second, etc. and it goes in order from highest to lowest in points.

If there is a tie after the final round, those people go into overtime (aka extra rounds), one round at a time, to see the final outcome.

Every five rounds (and overtime, if it was necessary) is considered a set. It varies how many sets there will be for each game.

After five rounds (or overtime), whoever has the most points is eliminated. Then you play another set, with everyones scores back to 0, etc. You keep doing this until there is only two people remaining, and then you ultimately get the winner.

To save time and have more games be played, some people play with out elimination, meaning that whoever has the least points after five rounds (or overtime) wins, regardless of how many players.

The game is very similar to golf. Also, making it in in only one shot each round for any set is called a Golden Game.

Bull in the Ring

Bull in the Ring game variant of basketball requires a group of people, but 2 players actually playing. This game is a half-court game.

To start, the players not participating will form a ring along the 3 point line.

The two players will decide who goes first by any means (rock paper scissors, coin toss, free throw, etc.) and the game will start. The player who starts with the ball gives the ball to someone that is forming the ring. The person in the ring that is given the ball must try to pass the ball back to the offensive player. The offensive player can pass to anyone that is forming the ring. The person forming the ring that receives the ball must pass it back when they see it fit. While the offensive player must try to score, the defensive player must try to defend the player or steal the ball.

When the defensive player manages to steal the ball, they switch positions. The match will end only when one of the player scores. When a player scores, they win and return to the ring. The winner goes while the loser stays on the court. The loser picks another player and must win. This cycle continues until all players have played at least 1 match and all the players have decide stop playing.

Points in the Bank

This game has many different names, but Money/Points in the Bank and 7-Up are the most popular.

Before the game starts the players decide on a shooting line, the elimination number (if you are playing 7-Up, this number would be 7), and the order in which they will shoot.

Then, the first person shoots from the shooting line. If it goes in, one point is added to the bank. Everytime a shot goes in, another point is added to the bank. (The bank and everybodies scores starts off empty and at 0)

If someone misses though, the bank is emptied and they get all the points added to their score, and then the next person shoots.

Once the last person goes, the first person goes again, and the cycle continues.

When someone empties the bank for a second (or third, etc.) time, those points get added to their scores. Once a players score reaches the elimination point, they are out of the game.

The game continues until only one person remains.