Coaching Youth Basketball - Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 Basketballese or Basketball language
We are now going to create our own language. Most of these are words you can use for as long as you are around the game. An asterisk beside a word means that it is for your and my use only.

MAN-2-MAN DEFENSE OR M-2-M - This is where your players guard one of their players on defense.

ZONE DEFENSE - This is where your players cover a specific area on the floor, rather than a specific player.

THE PAINT - This is the painted or shaded area from the free throw line to the closest baseline.

BASELINE - The out-of-bounds line behind each basket.

3 SECOND AREA - You can not spend more than 3 seconds at a time in the paint, or the other team gets the ball.

THE BLOCK - This is the one foot painted black rectangle on the floor on each side of the basket.

HASH MARKS - These are the little painted lines on the floor around the paint, where players stand during free throw attempts.

TOP OF THE KEY - The area outside the little circle that 1/2 surrounds the free throw line.

3 POINT LINE - This is the area outside of the top of the key and then diagonally toward the closest corners of the court.

***BALL *** - This is what a player yells when they are open for a pass.

DOUBLE DRIBBLE - Where you dribble with both hands at the same time.

WALKING - This is where you have the ball and you move both feet before you start your dribble.

***THE LANE*** - This is a term we will use for a designated area in our fast breaks. The lane is the area right beside the out-of-bounds line that runs down the length of the court. Both sides of the court have a lane.

OPEN LANE - This is where there is a straight path to the basket without a defender in the way.

STRONG SIDE OR BALL SIDE - This is the side that the ball is on.

HELP SIDE OR WEAK SIDE - This is the side of the court where the ball isn't.

FAST BREAK - This is when the other team shoots, we get the ball, and take the ball the length of the court as fast as we can for a quick basket.

OUTLET PASS - This is where you get the rebound and have to go the length of the court. The 1st pass you make to start the ball down the court is the outlet pass.

I know I have given you simple definitions and slightly slanted ones at times, but these will work for everything we need them for. There are a million other words, but you now have the basic ones.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at firepow55@aol.com more chapters to com