Three Lines Basketball

Bring Play To Your City

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Group Size: 
Large group (10 or more)
Age Group: 
Grades 3-5
Age Group: 
Grade 6+
Length of Activity: 
10 minutes or more
Developmental Goal: 
To develop teamwork and communication.
Equipment: 
Basketballs
Equipment: 
Cones
Before You Start: 

Skills Practiced: Dribbling, catching, shooting, pivoting, guarding and rebounding.

Equipment Needed: One basketball, three cones, one basketball hoop and marked boundaries.

  • Place three cones across the half-court line. 
  • Explain the rules of the game and the rules of basketball.
  • Ask the players to explain the game back to you.

 

How To Play: 
  • Have every stand in three single-file lines, one behind each cone. 
  • The first player in each line steps forward past the cone and turns and faces the next player in line. 
  • The three people that have stepped out are a team of three and will play defense.
  • They will be playing in a half-court game against the next players in line behind each cone, who form another team of three.
  • Other players in line wait their turn to play while cheering. 
  • The defenders get ready as the first offensive player, behind the middle cone, starts with the ball. 
  • This player passes the ball to one of her/his teammates to start the game.
  • The object of the game is to be the first team to score. 
The following rules apply:
  • If a player shoots and misses, either team can rebound the ball and shoot again immediately.
  • When a point is scored the team that made the basket stays on the court to play the next three people in line. 
  • The team that scored starts on defense. 
  • The team that did not score returns to the end of their respective line.
  • If a foul is called, the player who has been fouled gets to throw the ball in from out of bounds. 
  • If a game is taking too long, count down from ten, nine, eight etc. 
  • The last player holding the ball takes a free throw shot. If the player makes the shot, her/his team stays on the court. 
  • If the player misses, her/his team returns to the end of the line and the other team stays on the court.
  • If a team wins three times in a row they have earned three claps and return to the end of the line.
Variations: 
  • Players cannot dribble, in order to move the ball they must pass.
  • When players on defensive rebound the ball, they must pass it one time before they can shoot the ball.