Three points are awarded if the shot was made from outside a semi-circle, which is a distance of 23.9 feet at the top, and 22 feet at the sides from the basket. One point is awarded for a successful free throw, or foul shot, attempted by the player who was fouled by an opponant. Penalties are given for two types of offenses, fouls and violations. The most common violations are traveling, or moving with the ball without dribbling, double dribble, which is using two hands to dribble the ball, or stopping the dribble and then continuing, and goaltending, or interfering with a shot as it moves downward into the basket. Most violations are punished by giving the ball to a member from the other team, who throws it in from out of bounds.
Fouls are more serious offenses.
Since basketball is not considered to be a contact sport, pushing, pulling, tripping, charging, and holding are all against the rules. The offending team is penalized by either giving the other team the ball out of bounds, or by awarding free throws to the player who was fouled. A free throw is an unhindered shot at the basket, from a line 15 feet from the basket. A free throw is worth one point. Two free throws may be awarded, if the player was fouled in the act of shooting, and misses the basket.