Rules
Why a Basketball Court Has a Key
Understand the basketball key, its court markings and the rules they signal, so you can follow lane positioning and…
The reading list
All stories
Browse explanations of rules, tactics, formats and sporting customs. Each piece takes one question at a time and keeps the game in view.
Tactics
A Fast Break or a Set Offence? How Basketball Uses Time and Defensive Shape
Compare a basketball fast break with a set offence to see how pace and defensive shape create different chances, and…
Formats
The Round Robin: Everyone Meets the Field
A round-robin schedule lets every entrant face every other one, making results easier to compare and giving organisers…
Traditions
Why Players Shake Hands Before the Match
Why players shake hands before the match: learn what the ritual signals, when it fits, and how it marks the shift from…
Spectatorship
Watching a Match Without Knowing Every Rule
Watching a match without knowing every rule gets easier when you follow one player, identify each side’s aim and spot…
Our point of view
A game has more than one kind of score
Rules, rituals and playing spaces tell their own stories. We make those details easier to notice without treating one way of watching sport as the only way.