Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports, with a fan base of more than 2.2 billion and growing. For the inexperienced, basketball can seem like a tough sport, with the game’s nature being very competitive and intense. Is basketball a contact sport? Today’s article will go into depth to answer this question for you.
What is a contact sport?
A contact sport is a sport that involves physical contact throughout the game. That is, both opponents can touch each other during play, at least to some extent, without penalty. Although we can consider basketball as a contact sport, it is not full contact. For example, boxing is considered an exposure. When you watch football or hockey on TV, the teams are constantly in contact with each other during the game.
They bumped into each other, jostled each other for an advantage, and sometimes chased each other with their hands. On the other hand, when a sport involves only random contact and is not part of the way you play the sport then you cannot consider it a contact sport. In most cases, such a sport is considered a limited-contact sport. So is basketball a contact sport?
Is basketball a contact sport?
Now that you know what contact sports are and what is considered contact sports, let’s get back to the main issue. Is basketball a contact sport? And if so, what contact sport is basketball? Basketball is not considered a contact sport because too much contact does not occur often. When too many collisions occur in basketball, the umpires call a foul and the team and player are penalized.
Another reason basketball isn’t considered a purely contact sport is because of the types of injuries that often occur during the game. Although the risk of injury in basketball is high, most injuries that occur on the court are not too serious. However, we can assert that basketball is a limited-contact sport. That means a sport where there is physical contact between players or athletes, but only at random levels.
What Sports are considered Contact Sports?
When talking about contact sports, we have to classify them into three categories according to different levels of contact including full contact, semi-contact and limited contact.
- Full-contact sports are the most physical type of contact sport and are considered true contact sports. Accidental or intentional physical contact is allowed. Those sports are American football, Australian football, rugby, ice hockey and combat sports such as Muay Thai, wrestling, and boxing…
- Semi-contact sports are usually contacted sports that involve body contact between athletes. However, the difference is that it does not allow the opponent to lose consciousness. The sports are karate, kickboxing, taekwondo…
- Limited contact sports are those in which contact between players is incidental as physical contact is not part of the rules but is not entirely illegal either. Sports options include football, baseball, and volleyball…
Common contact patterns in basketball
Although basketball is not considered a contact sport, it is still a very physical game and may be considered by some as a limited-contact sport. Here are some examples of the types of physical contact that occur during a typical basketball game.
- Hand check: This is when a defensive player places his hand on the attacking player’s back or shoulder.
- Elbowing: It is quite common to see players throwing elbows on the field, especially when trying to land a strong bounce. Usually, the referee will call an elbow fault.
- Screens: A player tries to get in the way of a defender to clear the way for the ball handler.
- Posting Up: This happens when an attacking player (usually a striker or center) uses his legs, shoulders and butt to get a better position than defenders. Posting is considered part of the game of basketball, so the bug will not be called unless a player commits the act in a rough manner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get injured while playing basketball?
You can get injured while playing basketball, but it’s very rare for a player to get seriously injured during a game. This happens because when playing sports, players have to come into contact with their opponents. But without wearing any protective equipment, they can easily get injured from physical contact with the opponent. One of the most common injuries in basketball is an ankle sprain because it involves jumping and landing with your foot. An ankle sprain can also happen if you fall and hit your ankle on the ground. Ankle sprains are very common because basketball players jump up and down too much during a game.
Is basketball a physical sport?
Basketball is a very physically demanding sport as it requires players to run up and down the court. Basketball includes movements such as jumping, passing, and dribbling. These are all physical activities that require a lot of players’ energy. If players do not have enough strength to perform these activities, they will quickly get tired. Basketball players have to be agile and agile because they have to try to run faster than the other team’s players. This is very physically demanding because basketball requires quick reflexes and agility, as well as a lot of effort. This is a sport that requires a lot of physical strength as well as strength, speed, agility and endurance.
So, is basketball a contact sport? Yes, that’s right. but that is not full exposure but limited exposure. However, a player who is not allowed to make a rough move will be considered a foul and the player will be penalized for that behavior. However, it should be known that basketball is no more a contact sport than wrestling or boxing. These are full-contact sports where the contacts are made with greater force.
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