How to Play 21 in Basketball

Video Transcript

"Coach Rudy, I've won championships both as a coach and a player, and we always play twenty-one, either if we're out at the park, or before practice, whatever. Let's talk about how to play twenty-one. You start the game either at the top of the key, the free throw line. That's the first shot of the game. If, wherever you shoot that first shot from, the free throws for the rest of the game come from that position. So, first shot goes, either from the free throw, the top of the key. That shot is worth two points. Alright, if the shot goes in, it's worth two points; if it misses, guys are underneath, they rebound, you must clear each rebound. Which means you must take it out beyond the three, or at least to the free throw line in order to have your basket count. Once you've cleared the ball, shoot the shot, it goes in, that's worth two points. Now you go to the free throw line or the top of the key to shoot free throws. Each free throw you make is worth one point, alright. When you make three in a row, somebody from underneath may check you in a one-on-one situation. If you make the next shot, that's worth two points. The goal of the game is to get to twenty-one. Now, a couple notes. You might want to encourage everyone to play defense. You don't want to be the only guy playing defense while everyone underneath is waiting for rebounds, alright. So, the offensive guy gets the ball, shoots the ball, scores the ball. He gets to eighteen, he makes two free throws, nineteen and twenty, but he misses the third free throw. That means he goes back to thirteen. It's called dropping back. So, if you, if you miss on the free throw that would win the game, then you bus back to thirteen, and you must start back from there, alright. Twenty-one, it's a fun game, free throws are worth two at the beginning of the game, during the rest of the game they're only worth one. If you make three free throws in a row, someone from underneath may check you in an one-on-one. If you miss the free throw that would put you in to twenty-one, you go back to thirteen."