Basketball is known as one of the more popular of  many spectator sports. Although it may not be as popular as soccer in terms of worldwide appeal, it can hold its own. Basketball has provided sports enthusiasts with one of the most exciting of sports spectacles. Like most other exciting spectator sports, it pits a team against another, trying to outdo each other and sinking as many baskets in a given period of time.

But if you think that it is all that easy, think again. A player has to learn a number of skills that is required to be effective on the court. Not only that, every player must also know how to play with team mates as basketball is a team game. That is what makes the sport very interesting- how one is able to make full use of his individual talents and skills and apply it into a team game where a player has to work with the other four players.

The simple objective of basketball is for a team to score as many points by shooting a ball through a hoop or basket. The other team must then prevent opponents from scoring by applying defense. This act of offense and defense changes from one team to another in four quarters of 10 or 12 minutes. A team may be composed of 12 players with only five allowed on the court at any one time.

Each player on the court plays a certain position ideal for his skills as well as height. The tallest player in the team is usually made center. The center is tasked to be the main option in scoring since he is usually the one nearest the basket aside from being the tallest and the hardest to guard. The center is also tasked on defense to guard any opposing player from getting near the basket to score. It is also the center who is generally responsible of getting the ball after every missed shot to gain possession.

Aside from the center, there are the forwards who try to help the center with the scoring chores from the inside. There are usually two forwards in a team. One is the small forward who is tasked of scoring points via cuts to the basket. On defense, he is responsible for getting rebounds as well as try to steal the ball from the cutting opponent. The power forward on the other hand in the bigger version of the small forward and usually plays offensively with his back to the basket. On defense, the power forward positions himself usually near or under the basket or guards the opposing teams power forward.

The last two positions of the five-man basketball team are the two guards. One in more popularly known as the point guard who acts as the leader of the team on the court. He is responsible in directing the plays and usually handles the ball most of the time.

In, essence, he is the court general who puts every instruction of the coach into practice. Without a good point guard, the players may not be able to play with purpose and direction. Then there's the shooting guard who is probably the best perimeter shooter on the team. He is tasked to work on the offense from the outside to try and take away defense concentration on the inside. The shooting guard s also tasked in guarding the other team's best perimeter player.