Today basketball is one of the most popular and spectacular team sports. Its goal is for the players of the rival parties to move around the court, guided by special rules, and throw as many balls as possible into the baskets installed on the shields.
Basketball playground
The field in this sport is a flat rectangular surface with a hard surface. There should not be any obstacles or shells around the perimeter.
Any game platform for official sports has its own standards, which are registered in the code of the corresponding federation. The International Basketball Association is called FIBA. She has the right to change the size of the field, the layout, the height of the boards, etc. According to FIBA standards, the size of the basketball court should be 28 meters in length and 15 in width.
One of the main association requirements for the field is a flat and hard surface. The coverage of the site must comply with generally accepted standards and not have bends, cracks and other obstacles. It is important that the field is a rectangle in an approximate proportion of sides of 2 to 1. Previously, the size of the basketball court (standard until 2011) was about 30 meters in length and 15 in width.
It is worth noting that since the end of the 60s, according to the regulations, all official competitions should be held indoors. Until this time, tournaments could be organized in the open.
Basketball court dimensions
On the playing field there are two shields with baskets and the corresponding marking. At the edges there may be a fence in the form of a high fence (net) or wall.
The size of the basketball court for public use should be at least 26 meters long and at least 14 wide. Such playing fields can have another 2 meters of reserve for races. Thus, platforms with dimensions of 30 by 18 m are allowed.
According to the regulations, a deviation of 1-2 meters is allowed, but official competitions cannot be held at such sporting grounds. The sizes of a basketball court at a school or university can vary from 12 to 16 m in width and from 20 to 28 m in length. The fact is that municipal and amateur halls do not fall under the jurisdiction of FIBA.
For mini-basketball, the dimensions of the court are 18 meters long and 12 meters wide. The main difference between this type and the main one is the sports equipment, which is suitable only for young children.
For official tournaments, the size of the basketball court should be: 15 m wide and 28 m long. Measurement is taken from the inner edge of the lines that limit the playing space of the field. The height of the hall should not be less than 7 meters, but on professional venues it is customary to raise the level of the ceiling and the curtain board to 12 m and above.
Another important requirement is luminescence. It is necessary that its sources do not interfere with the movement of players and the ball, and the light covers the entire surface of the field, together with shields.
Marking the court in basketball
The playing field can be divided into five components, which are outlined by a special contour:
1. Bounding lines. Held along the perimeter of the entire site. The lines that go along the width are called the front lines, and those that are along the field length are called the side lines.
2. The central zone, which is a circle. Measurement is carried out on the outer edge. It is placed in the middle of the field relative to all 4 of its sides.
3. The center line. She goes parallel to the front straight. Drawn from one sideline to another.
4. The three-point line is a semi-ellipse. In fact, the entire basketball field is a zone of long-range shots, except for the area near the opponent’s shield.
5. Free throw line. It is applied to the surface parallel to the front line. Its length is limited by the penalty area.
All contours and lines should be the same color. In most cases, white paint is chosen. The line width according to the standard is 5 centimeters. The contour should be clearly visible from anywhere in the site.
Layout: common lines
The basketball court should be away from spectators, the bench, billboards and other obstacles at a distance of 2 meters or more. Sideline and frontlines limit the playing field. The first is the width of the rectangle, and the second is its length. At the point of intersection of lines there should not be any recognition contours, as in football. The front side of the site can be from 12 to 16 meters, and the side - from 18 to 30 m.
The central line divides the field in length into two equal zones. It is carried out through the midpoints of the lateral straight lines and should protrude beyond their edges by 15 centimeters on each side.
The central circle is located in the middle of the site relative to each of the bounding lines. Its radius to the outer boundary of the circle is 1.8 meters.
Line marking
Before the official competitions, the FIBA Commission pays special attention to checking the penalty area. The layout of the basketball court with the dimensions specified in the regulations must strictly comply with international standards and rules adopted in 2011.
By these standards, the three-point zone should be limited to two parallel lines that begin and end at the same front line. The extreme point should be at a distance of 6.25 meters from the center of the opponent’s basket. The distance between the intersection points of the three-point and the front lines is 1.575 m.
The free throw area consists of limited areas, which are semicircles with a diameter of 3.6 meters. It is indicated on the site by a dashed line from the inside and a solid one from the outside (side to the enemy). The center of the zone is located in the middle of the penalty line, the length of which is 3.6 m. Throws are made from this area after violations of the opponent. It should be noted that the penalty line should be at a distance of 5.8 meters from the edge of the front line.
There is one designation in the markup - the throwing area. From this zone, players carry out penalties earned on the opponent. The first line of the area should be from the front at a distance of 1.75 meters. It limits the plot to a width of 85 cm. Next comes the neutral zone with a diameter of 0.4 meters. Next is two more penalty areas 85 cm wide. Each of the lines should be 10 centimeters long.
Team Bench Area
The basketball court, in addition to the playing field, also includes areas for coaches and substitutes. Bench areas should be located on the same side as the scorer's table.
Limited to lines of 2 meters or more. The zones of the benches can be either a rectangle or a square.
It is important that the spare area is located at a distance of 2 meters or more from the site, as well as at least 1 m from spectators and billboards.
Optimum coverage
A specialized basketball court is a flat, hard surface on which players can move around without obstacles. Therefore, the coverage is so important for the field. It must be durable and flexible, as the site is constantly undergoing stress in the form of impacts.
The coating can be made of different materials, but the most common are rubber and parquet. It is important that the site is durable and resistant to many factors. Therefore, the most commonly used rubber coating, as it is versatile and waterproof. On the other hand, parquet is considered more environmentally friendly and reliable.
The coating is laid in two stages: first, a basketball court layout is made, then installation works are based on it.
Supports and shields
The layout and dimensions of the basketball court also depend on the structures to which the baskets are fixed. Supports should be 2 meters from the front line. They are painted in contrasting colors with the walls and the platform itself. Supports must be encased in protective material to a height of at least 2.15 meters.
The panels are made of wood or monolithic glass with a thickness of 3 cm. Dimensions - 1.8 by 1.1 meters. They are installed at a height of 2.9 m from the site. Marked in the center by a rectangle with such sides: horizontal - 59 cm, vertical - 45 cm.