Variations of basketball


Variations of basketball are games or activities based on, or similar in origin 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.

Basketball variations

Main basketball variations include:
  • FIBA rules
  • NBA rules
  • NCAA rules
Other variations include:
  • Deaf basketball, basketball played by deaf people. Sign language is used to communicate whistle blows and communication between players.
  • Streetball, variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules usually featuring less fouls than usual.
  • Water basketball, a water sport played in a swimming pool.
  • Wheelchair basketball, basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing an able-bodied sport.
  • Donkey basketball, variation on the standard game of basketball, played on a standard basketball court, but in which the players ride donkeys
  • Fantasy basketball, where players take the role of general managers of the fantasy teams they create
  • Hotshot, a basketball shooting game
  • Piterbasket, a team sport closely resembling basketball. The game was initially created for kindergarten children, but is now played by adults and handicapped athletes. Piterbasket was created by Anatolij Nesmejanov in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2002. In 2010 in Kaunas, Lithuania held the world's first international piterbasket match.
  • Rezball, short for "reservation ball," is the avidly followed Native American version of basketball, particularly a style of play specific to Native American teams of some areas.
  • Super Shot, a mini-basketball game found in many arcades
Different roster sizes
A competitive game of basketball can be played with as few as the team of 2-on-2, 3-on-3, 4-on-4, or 5-on-5.
Each team's roster is typically the same size, but an odd number of players may force one team to play with one less player. Sometimes the odd player will be designated as a "switch" player, so that the offensive team always has the extra player. Roster sizes above five 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.
  • Three-on-three basketball remains competitively played by amateurs. FIBA has created a formalized version of three-on-three, originally known as FIBA 33 and now called 3x3 basketball.
  • Six-on-six basketball: was a form of basketball played in the twentieth century mainly among high school girls.
  • Twenty-one basketball, game that can be played with two or more players. Each player has their own score, with the winner being the first to reach 21 points. 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. 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 one point to their score. The player is allowed to shoot free throws until he misses, or until he has made 3 in a row, at which point the ball is put back in play, and the sequence starts again. Twenty-one is nearly always played in a half court game.

    More distantly related games

Spin-offs from basketball that are now separate sports include:

Ringball

Ringball is a traditional South African sport that stems from basketball and has been played since 1907. The sport is now promoted in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, India, and Mauritius to establish Ringball as an international sport.

Korfball

Korfball started in the Netherlands and is now played worldwide. Korfball is a mixed gender team ball game, similar to mixed netball and basketball.

Netball

Netball is a limited-contact team sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop. Netball was formerly called "women's basketball" but now includes men's teams as well.

Pearl ball

Slamball

Slamball is full-contact basketball, with trampolines. Points are scored by playing the ball through the net, as in basketball, though the point-scoring rules are modified. The main differences from the parent sport is the court; below the padded basketball rim and backboard are four trampolines set into the floor which serve to propel players to great heights for slam dunks. The rules also permit some physical contact between the members of the four-player teams.

Other basketball variations

H-O-R-S-E

The game of H-O-R-S-E is played by two or more players. The order of turns is established before the game starts. The player whose turn is first is given "control", which means they must attempt to make a basket in a particular way of their choosing, explaining to the other players beforehand what the requirements of the shot are. If that player is successful, every other player must attempt that same shot according to its requirements. Players failing to duplicate the shot acquire a letter, starting with H and moving rightward through the word "Horse". After all players have made an attempt, control moves to the next player, and the game continues on in this fashion. If a player who has control misses their shot, there is no letter penalty and control moves to the next player. Whenever any player has all of the letters, they are eliminated from the game. The last player in the game is declared the winner.
If the players want a shorter or longer game, they can change the length of the word that dictates how many missed shots are needed to get eliminated. Other variations include a requirement that the shot that dictates what other players must make can involve saying something, or making some particular movement. In other versions a player gets a second try on their final shot before getting eliminated from the game, often called “Farmer’s Chance”.
The NBA All-Star Weekend H–O–R–S–E Competition was a contest in which players from the National Basketball Association played the game against each other.

Airball

This game can be played by as many players as needed. The first shooting line is the foul line.
Each player has an order for when it is their turn to shoot. The first shooter takes their shot from the foul line. If they miss the ring and backboard or Airball on the shot, then they are eliminated, and this is applied to any shot by any player during the game.
If they miss the shot but hit either the ring or backboard then the next player in line must retrieve the ball after it has bounced once but before it bounces twice, then take the shot from wherever they retrieved the ball. If the ball bounces twice, the player is eliminated.
If the shot is made, then the shooter must retrieve the ball before it bounces twice, they then take another shot, if they make 3 shots in a row, then they are able to eliminate another player by hitting them with the ball. The remaining players are able to run away from the shooter but must stop and remain frozen, when the shooter has retrieved the ball after the 3 shot and yelled "STOP". The shooter must then take 7 steps and throw the ball from wherever they have reached. Any player who is touched by the ball is then eliminated. The game is then restarted from the Free Throw line from the next player in line. The game is continued until there is only one player not eliminated. Last player standing is the winner.
Some special techniques used are to start running away from the ring once a shooter has made two shots to ensure that if a 3rd is made, it is more difficult to hit them with the ball. The shooter can negate this by purposefully missing the 3rd shot in the hope the next shooter is too far away to retrieve it. Another technique is to throw the ball very hard at the ring to enable a difficult return for the next shooter.

Fives

This game is played by 2 or more players. The shooting line is typically the top of the key, but can be moved to the foul line for younger players. Before the game starts, select an order of play. All players should remain behind the shooting line, out of the line of play.

The first player shoots from the shooting line. If the shot is missed, the player must retrieve the rebound, and shoot from the spot that the rebound was retrieved. The other players are not permitted to interfere with either the ball or the player. The player continues to shoot until a basket is made to a maximum of 5 shots. When the first player has made the shot, the next player begins shooting, again from the shooting line. This player must make the basket in the same number, or fewer shots than the preceding shooter. The next player then shoots, again from the shooting line and must make the basket in the same number, or fewer shots than the player that immediately preceded him\her in shooting.

If a player takes more shots than the player that immediately preceded him\her, a point is added to that player's score. Additionally, if a player is unable to make a basket in 5 shots or less, another point is added to that player's score.

When a player reaches 5 points, he\she is eliminated from the game. When a player is eliminated from the game, the player immediately following that player has up to 5 shots on his\her turn. The game continues until all but one player has been eliminated. The last player standing is the winner.