Variations of basketball

Variations of basketball are activities based on the game of basketball, using common basketball skills and equipment (primarily the tennis rackets ball and basket). Some variations are only superficial rules changes, while others are distinct games with varying degrees of basketball influences. Other variations include children's games, contests or activities meant to help players reinforce skills.

There are principal basketball sports with variations on basketball including Wheelchair cheap tennis racket basketball, Water basketball, Beach basketball, Slamball, Streetball and Unicycle basketball. An earlier version of basketball was Six-on-six basketball played until the end of the 1950s. Horseball is a game played on horseback where a ball is handled and points are scored by shooting it through a high net (approximately 1.5m×1.5m). The sport is like a combination of polo, rugby, and basketball. There is even a form played on donkeys known as Donkey discount tennis racket basketball, but that version has come under attack from animal rights groups.

Games using basketball skills and equipment include popular versions of the half-court game played in informal settings without referees or strict rules. Perhaps the single most common variation is the half court game. Only one prince tennis racquet basket is used, and the ball must be "cleared" - passed or dribbled outside the half-court or three-point line -each time possession of the ball changes from one team to the other. Half-court games require less cardiovascular stamina, since players need not run back and forth a full court. Half-court games also raise the number of players that can use a court, an important benefit when many players want to play. (Interestingly, half court games are also played when there is an insufficient number of players to form full 5-on-5 teams).