What is travelling in basketball? Rules

Basketball is a sport that is enjoyed by people all over the world. There are many different rules that govern the game, and it can be confusing for beginners to understand everything. One of the most confusing concepts for new basketball players is traveling violation. 

This article will explain everything you need to know about traveling in basketball, including what it is, how to avoid it, and the consequences of violating this rule.

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What is Traveling in Basketball? 

In basketball, traveling is when a player holds the ball and moves one or both of their feet without dribbling. This is also not allowed in streetball games. 

If you lift your spin foot, you have to put the ball down before you replace your foot on the ground. In professional basketball, players also call it as “gather step.”

A violation in traveling is called when a player has occupied more than two steps without the ball being bounced. In 2018, FIBA reclaimed the law so that one can hold a “gather step” before catching the two steps. Travel can also be known as via unestablished or carrying pivot foot. If the pivot foot of a player moves or changes, it is contemplated to traveling

Different Traveling Steps

At first it seems if the player take three steps before scoring, it would be a travel violation. But if you look at the book of national basketball association rule book and watch the play again, it’s pretty clear this isn’t a violation. It’s a called legal move.

Euro step

The Euro-step or Euro step is a vexatious move that does not proceed with the allowed two steps that a ball handler may take in performing a dunk or layup; therefore, it does not contribute to traveling. The ball holder takes the first step at an angle toward the basket while selecting up their ball or daises in a jump stop position—the player discarding the second step in the opposite direction to create space from the supporter.

Gathering step

The definition of the gather step, or gathering step, has dusty the definition of traveling and ball control at skillful levels. The term refers to additional steps to gain control of the bounce or progress toward an active shot, ball, or pass. Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry uses this rule to create space for his supporter in shooting what are known as step-back threes (a step backward chased by a three-point pellet on the basket).

What is Pivot Foot? 

A pivot foot is one foot that must remain in the same spot on the floor. The other foot can change in any direction in an era of time, as long as the pivot foot. If the pivot foot put remains leaves or moves the ground, it may result in travel.

Rules of traveling

1. By using a pivot foot, a player must receive the ball with two feet on the ground as a pivot foot. If a player carries the ball in the air, whichever foot touches the ground first is the pivot foot. Suppose a player takes a ball at that time when his hands and ball are in the air, and both his feet are on the ground. It is called a jump stop.

2. There is only one step in the jump stop. A player should be allowed to use a pivot after the jump stop. However, there was a further step before the jump stop.

3. The pivot foot has to be moved when a player is shooting or passing, but the ball has to be released before the pivot foot touches the ground again. A player can also move their pivot foot when the ball. However, the ball has to be removed before moving the pivot foot to avoid traveling.

Examples of traveling in basketball

There are four Examples of Traveling in Basketball

In basketball, traveling is punitive when a player takes a banned step while gripping the basketball. Here are some situations in which traveling rules must be applied.

Example 1: Air Ball

However, in scenarios in the air ball, it is a limited occurrence for a National Basketball Association player to miss the basket entirely. This scenario, called an “air ball,” still happens professionally. 

The national basketball association rule book formulated that a player taking a shot may not be the first to touch the ball if it does not win to make contact with the backboard, hoop, or another player. 

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) states that high school basketball gameplay has no definite rule for air balls, leaving the final decision to the decision maker.

Example 2 Banned movements of the pivot foot: 

A ball holder must remain in one position once they pick up their ball. They can no longer move in parallel space but must strongly desire to pivot on an entrenched pivot foot. For example, if the player holds their left foot, the right foot is now the rooted pivot foot and cannot move from that position. If the pivot foot drags or moves, a player will also receive a traveling call, known as forfeiture.

Example 3

Breakdown to rid themselves of the dribble before landing results in an up and down traveling violation. According to the national collegiate athletic association rule book, with the return to the ground without passing or shooting, the ball must leave their hands before the player returns to the earth when a player jumps in the position of the ball.

Example 4 Standing up or Rolling with the ball: 

This example is commonly known in lower-level basketball competitions, where loose ball scenarios are more frequent. When no team has possession of the ball, it is a present ball. If a player jumps for the live ball and attains control on the ground, they cannot attempt or roll to stand up without first passing the ball to a teammate or other players. 

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Conclusion: what is a travel in basketball?

Although traveling is often called the “crime of basketball,” it can be a difficult concept to understand and even more difficult to officiate. 

In this post, we’ve outlined what traveling is and some steps you can take to avoid traveling calls. We’ve also included some examples of traveling so you can see how the rule applies in different situations. 

Hopefully, this information will help you stay on your feet (and out of trouble with officials) on the court.