Lining a Basketball Court
With the proper equipment, information, and enough space, turning your driveway or backyard into a basketball court and the place everyone wants to hang out can be very easy. After all, playing a pick-up game of basketball in the neighborhood with your friends is a time honored tradition. Everyone, friends and family included, loves to get on the court and have some fun and get some exercise. Just think of all those calories you can burn playing basketball on your new court. Be patient though; lining a full sized basketball court properly can take an hour or two. It's a good idea to find a partner to help you, or it might take even longer.
Materials
- Tape, paint, stickers, or even chalk to mark the court
- Long string to guide you as you go
- A few people to help you
Dimensions
A professional sized basketball court is 94 feet long by 50 feet wide but many high school and college courts are 84 feet long by 50 feet wide. Using you partner(s), your marking agent of choice and your guide string mark off the side lines (84-94 feet) and the baselines (50 feet) first. Next, still using the string as a guide, mark off half court with a horizontal line running from sideline to sideline. Note: if you are using stickers or decals you will still need to take measure to be sure your lines are straight.
Now you are ready to mark off the free throw lines and the “key” areas under each basket. The free throw line is marked 15 feet from the basket, marking the top of the key. The key is 19 feet long from foul line to baseline and 12 feet in width.
Markings Around the “Key” Areas
The key area is marked by dashes or blocks on the either side of the rectangle designating where players can stand during free throw attempts. The blocks, positioned closest to the basket (7 feet from the baseline) are 12 inches wide and 8 inches long. The other three dashes (3 feet in between each) on either side are 2 inches in width and 8 inches long.
You will also want to mark of a semi-circle above the key and few feet below the three point line with a radius of 6 feet, diameter will be the width of the key (12 feet).
The Three Point Line
The distance of the three point line from the basket differs at each level of play and will perhaps be the trickiest part of your task. The three point line is also not equidistant from the basket at each point on the arc. The arc begins on the baseline either with a straight line of approximately 14 feet at each end. In between the distance is 23.75 feet in the NBA and for college and high school the distance in between is 19.75 feet. Be sure to have a partner for this part, it can be especially difficult.
