How to Play Basketball Knockout

The game of basketball is a lot of fun and there are many skills challenges that can be played. Such skills challenges include ball dribbling, shooting and passing. Most sports fans and basketball players have heard of the game of H-O-R-S-E in which each player gets a letter if they miss a shot until they are out of the game and a winner is declared. Well there is another fun game which I love playing called Knockout. Here is how to play:

Items needed: 2 basketballs and a shooting foul line.

Rules: In the game of knockout, all you need to play is at least 2 people and there is no maximum amount of people that can play. I have played knockout with around 30 people playing in 1 game and it was so much fun.

The first step is for everyone to line up in a single file line behind the free throw line. Then one person takes a foul shot and tries to make it in. If the person misses he or she has to try and grab the rebound as fast as possible and score as fast as possible. The rebound shot does not have to be a lay-up nor does it have to be another foul shot. Any shot will do that a person is good at that will help them get the ball in the basket.

The person behind the person in line that has just shot the ball then shoots the foul shot immediately following the foul shot of the person in line before them. The goal of the 2nd person in line is to get their basketball in the hoop before the person in line before them gets it in the basket. If this happens, then the 1st person in the line who shot the ball first is out of the game and the 2nd person in line goes to the back of the line.

If the 1st person makes his basket in before the person after him in line makes it in, then the 1st person in line passes his basketball to the 3rd person in line. Then the 1st person goes to the back of the line. The 3rd person then tries and makes a basket in before the 2nd person in line makes his basket in.

Knockout is so much fun and it is easy to play. All ages can play knockout as well.

A little twist that some people like to play is a feature called “bumping” the other ball. When a person “knocks” or bumps the other person’s ball, they are taking their own basketball and hitting it against the other person’s ball and trying to make the other person chase the ball. This gives someone an advantage because it allows them more time to hit the shot to make the basket in and stay in the game or knock the other person out of the game.

If no one is eliminated, then both players go to the back of the line. If no one is eliminated, then there should be no pause in the game. A player who is next in line to shoot does not have to wait for the person behind them to get the ball to shoot.
Knockout is a very fun game and I hope you get a chance to play it one day.