Page Type: blog

OCBC Arena

The OCBC Arena is one of the most professional basketball courts in Singapore. Feel the soft bounce of the rims and the hardwood of the court while playing with your friends. Worth a try if you’ve never played on a professional basketball court!

With well-maintained facilities such as shower rooms and air-conditioning, it would be hard to find another basketball to compare against this. 

At $40 per hour for a full court, it would be ideal to share the court between 4 to 8 teams of friends (if you’re playing half courts 4 v 4).

Total: $120

Total: $80

However, do note that there may be time slots blocked from the public to allow our Singapore national basketball players to train. 

Rates: From S$30 per hour

Public Booking Hours: Mon to Sun – 7:00AM to 10:00PM

Location: Hall 1, OCBC Arena

Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS)

Located right beside Geylang East Swimming Complex, Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) is frequently used for many national basketball competitions. The area holds 3 full courts with access to toilets and nearby food courts. With a public swimming pool right next to it, you could even opt for a swim if you wish.

If you’re looking to host a full basketball event, BAS has every piece of equipment you’ll ever need. From bibs to a scorer’s table, they can provide you access to them (for a price, of course). They even have professional referees to officiate your basketball games. However, the booking process may be confusing as you’ll need to fill up a word document.

Their booking prices range from $46* to $100/hr. (Excluding cleaning fees $50-$100 per session) 

Total: $350

Total: $250

Rates: From S$46* per hour (excluding cleaning fees)

Public Booking Hours: Mon to Sun – 8:00AM to 10:00PM

Location: 601 Aljunied Avenue 1, #01-04 (next to Geylang East Swimming Complex) Singapore 389862

*Lower than usual rate

CCAB

Centrally located in the middle of Singapore, MOE (Evans) Sports Hall, also better known as CCAB, is convenient for all. Popular among basketball players in Singapore, basketball courts (both indoor and outdoor) are hard to come by. 

Shower facilities and water points are found on campus for all to use. Cost of bookings cannot be found as it is currently closed due to COVID-19.

Rates: Unknown due to COVID (Do let us know if you have a hint!)

Public Booking Hours: Mon to Sun – 8:00AM to 10:00PM 

Location: 21 Evans Road, Singapore 259366

We’ll be adding on to this list!

Basketball Shorts should maximise on-court performance. Lightweight, breathable fabric, fitting on the waist and loose through the legs. These are the key ingredients to keep your game at the top. 

Fit & Cutting

Just like any pair of shorts, you’d want it to fit you well. In basketball, you will be moving and changing directions so having it too tight-fitted wouldn’t help. 

Look for a pair of shorts that is slightly above your knees and doesn’t hug your legs tightly, allow you to move freely.

Material

The material of the basketball shorts will determine how fast it dries and how breathable it is. Also, it determines the overall weight of the clothing.

Small tip: the stretchability of the material also helps in your game, especially when it gets rough. When your basketball shorts material is too rigid, any pulls/grabs from your opponent throws you off your step and can be easily taken advantage of.

Waistband

The quality of the waistband would be the top priority to ensure that the basketball shorts endure continuous use/washes.

Color

This is where the biggest tip would be at. When it comes to pickup  basketball games, it is an advantage to be in striking colors/patterns. 

Your team will be able to spot you easily and the ball will naturally gravitate towards you more when you’re open. 

North

1. 440 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 (Last visited: 15/8/2021)
2. 548 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 (Last visited: 23/8/2021)
   
3. Woodlands Mega Park Basketball Court (Last visited: 17/7/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
4. Woodlands Crescent Park (Last visited: 20/7/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
5. Woodlands Admiral Garden  (Last visited 30/7/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
6. Block 754 Woodlands Cir (Last visited: 26/6/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
7. Aurora Hall (Last visited: 15/7/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
8. Fu Shan Garden (Last visited: 26/6/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
9. 646 Woodlands Ring Rd (Last visited: 7/8/2021) by Jia Jun @jiajunlee___
10. 574 Woodlands Glen (Last visited: 5/10/2021 by @nicooooooo_94)
11. Sengkang Neighbourhood Park (Last visited: 15/10/2021)
12. Block 760 Yishun Avenue (Last visited: 16/10/2021) by @nicooooooo94
13. 880 Woodlands Street 82 (Last visited: 11/10/2021) by @yanfenglahsial
14. 488 Wellington Sembawang (Last visited: 4/11/2021)
15. 156 Rivervale Crescent (Last visited: 3/12/2021)
16. Kebun Baru Community Centre (Last visited: 28/01/2022) by Secret
17. East Canberra Sports Hardcourt (Last visited: 29/01/2022) by Alleng Ng
18. 122A Edgedale plains (Last visited: 19/2/2022)
19. Compassvale 299 (Last visited: 19/2/2022) by Yo
    
20. 156 Rivervale (Last visited: 2/24/2022)
21. 226A Compassvale Basketball Court (Last visited:  26/2/2022)
    
22. Serangoon NEX Court (Last visited: 25/2/2022)
    
23. Blk 226D, Compass vale walk, Sengkang. (Last visited 28/2/22)
    
24. 322 Sembawang Close, Singapore 750322 (Last visited: 3/3/20220 by XY
    
25. Blk 589B Sembawang Montreal drive (Last visited: 6/3/2022) by Sharky

South

1. Tanjong Pagar Basketball Court (Last visited: 8/9/2021) by anonymous
2. 1G Cantonment Rd (Last visited: 20/9/2021)
3. Potong Pasir CC Basketball Court (Last visited: 30/10/2021)
4. Want to add to the list? Submit your court below!

East

1. Kembangan Community Centre (Last visited: 7/14/2021) by anonymous
2. Bedok CC (Last visited: 1/1/2020) by anonymous
3. 424 Bedok North Ave 1 (Last visited: 21/8/2021) by Fun Yew @thefunyew
4. 5 Haig Road (Last visited: 22/8/2021) by anonymous
5. Aljunied Cres, HDB (Last visited: 22/8/2021) by anonymous
6. Behind Punggol Plaza (Last visited: 17/9/2021) by noob
7. 604 Elias Road (Last visited: 20/9/2021)
8. 546 Hougang Street 51 (Last visited: 8/10/2021)
9. 31 Marine Crescent (Last visited: 24/10/2021)
10. Hougang Neighbourhood Park (Last visited: 24/10/2021) by Mark
11. Block 101 Simei Street 1 (Last visited: 31/10/2021)
12. 4C St George’s Ln, Singapore 322004 (Last visited: 12/12/2021)
    
13. 230 Stadium Blvd, Singapore 397799 (Last visited: 28/11/2021 by @jmra.visuals)
    
14. Block 4C St George Road (Last visited: 5/5/2021)
    
15. 156 Rivervale Crescent (Last visited: 31/01/2022 by Jackie)
16. Upper Boon Road, Singapore 380017 (Last visited: 6/2/2022) It stated for renovation, most likey reopen at April
17. 430D Fernvale Link, Singapore 794430 (Last visited: 3/3/2022) by hw
18. Fernvale Link 412A (Last visited: 10/3/2022) by Frez
19. 211 Punggol Field, Singapore 822208 (Last visited: 10/3/2022)
20. 295 Punggol Central, 821 Punggol Rd, Singapore 829169 (Last visited: 10/3/2022)

West

1. Keat Hong Community Centre
2. Block 705 Choa Chu Kang (Last visited: 3/2/2022)
3. Choa Chu Kang CC
4. KJE Basketball Court
5. South View LRT Basketball Court (Last visited: 6/8/2021) by anonymous
6. Limbang Park (Last visited: 5/8/2021) by anonymous
7. Phoenix Vineyard (Last visited: 31/7/2021) by anonymous
8. 224 Bukit Batok St 21 (Last visited: 18/6/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
9. Teck Whye LRT Basketball Court (Last visited: 21/6/2021) by Ivie @ivi3_24
10. 176 Boon Lay (Last visited: 8/6/2021) by Ray @rayyyyy24
    
11. Blk 453 Choa Chu Kang Ave 4 (Last visited: 19/8/2021) by James @jphoto95
12. 213 Petir Road (Last visited: 31/8/2021) by anonymous
13. Blk 262A Boon Lay Drive (Last visited: 5/9/2021) by ZhuoFan
14. Fajar court (Last visited: at least 1 year ago)
15. Blk 751 Jurong West (Last visited: 4/10/2021)
16. Boon Lay CC (Last visited: 31/10/2021 by @yougo
17. 621 Senja Road (Last visited: 3/2/2022)
    
18. Block 812 Jurong West 640812 (Last visited: 2/3/2022) 
    
19. Blk 139 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 Playground (Last visited: 12/3/2022)
20. Want to add to the list? Submit your court below!

Central

1. 134 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 (Last visited: 14/10/2021 by @yh._.yg)
2. 170 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4, S560170 (Last visited: 14/12/2021 by Moozhuoqian)
   
3. Bishan CC (Last visited: 3/3/2022)
   
4. 112 Bishan Street 12, #01-02, Singapore 570112 (Last visited: 3/5/2022) 

As with everything in this world, it has its purpose and meaning. 

The game of basketball serves many different purposes for every individual. Cardio workout. Self-improvement. Form of discipline. Relaxation. Socialise. And many other more.

Playing with people who share a similar purpose will bring you closer to the game and have a great time playing. Sharing the love for the game with a community is what pushes you to play day in and day out.

Personal story

From the young age of 6, I started playing basketball. Brought to the court by my oldest brother, we used to shoot hoops on hours. Using the underhand shot, I would throw up shots. I would even grab rebounds to pass it back to my brother.

As I grew older, I would go down by myself and wait for pockets of time to take shots while the bigger boys were playing. Soon, I joined them to play pick up games. Basketball was fun.

Slowly evolving through the years of playing, I played my first ever 5 on 5 competition when I was 12. I remember going through somewhat of training and joined a U12 basketball league. Every Sunday, my parents would bring me to the indoor court to play in this league. There were referees, scoreboards and most importantly, opponents. Basketball was a competition.

After years of playing in my condominium’s basketball court, my brother gathered my friends and I to form a basketball team to enter a youth’s basketball league. It was our first and only season together. We named ourselves after the condominium; Northvale.

During one of our games, the referee came over to our bench. After the final whistle, my mother came over to me to tell me that the referee was a basketball school coach! He was interested to coach me and requested me to transfer over to his team. Basketball was my way into secondary school.

Playing in a team with many other skilled basketball players, things were simple. Three times a week, we would train together as a team. On our off days, we would scour the area for different basketball courts after school to play pick up games. Weekends were filled with basketball competitions. And the cycle repeats itself for those 4 years. Basketball was life.

After the glory days of those 4 years, I slowly drifted away from the game and it has lost its purpose in my life. Going through my 3 years of tertiary education and 2 years of National Service have shaped my life very differently from the past 8 years of my life. Basketball wasn’t life anymore.

In my next 2 years, I studied abroad in Australia. It was coming back to me. I felt the drive and the urge to play. Taking regular trips to school to play ball, it was a new experience for me. At that point, I’ve lost touch of the game. It was a new starting point for me. Basketball was fun again.

Coming back from Australia, I got my first job. The job was tough and I was struggling to manage work. Stress was piling and my days and nights were no different from each other. One day, my friend called me out to play at Cairnhill Community Centre. I followed through and left work early. The games were light-hearted and friendly. And I even managed to catch up with my old friends! Basketball was to relieve stress and reconnect with friends.

One day, it started raining. We couldn’t go back to our usual basketball court and we didn’t know where else to go. This weekly basketball game was what we were looking forward to every week! We searched the web for nearby sheltered basketball courts but there was nothing readily available. This is where it all came together.

OwnYourCourt’s vision is to connect and create a community of basketball players in Singapore. Be it casual or competitive, we are here to find your people. Our mission is to locate on ALL basketball courts in Singapore.

Basketball is our passion.

What is Zone Defense?

Each player is assigned to a specific area on the court to protect and defend. When an opponent enters his “zone”, he must proceed to pressure and defend him. Instead of following the opponent across the court as he moves around, he will allow his teammates to take over after the opponent has left their “zone”.

What are the top 3 advantages of Zone Defense?

Congested Lanes

With the lanes constantly occupied with defenders, it is difficult for the offense to penetrate the lanes. Due to this, teams will tend to take shots further away from the basket, resulting in a lower percentage of scoring. This tactic works well against a poor shooting team.

Exploit your opponent’s weakness (poor shooting percentage from the mid-range to 3 point line) by deploying a zone defense.

Less Fatigue

With only a specific area to cover, the defensive effort is shared between teammates, making it less tiring to cover gaps and stop the ball. Defenders can rely on their team to pressure and trap the ball if anyone drives the ball into the lanes.

Team Defense

Combined effort and communication is a must in zone defense. The decision to trap the ball and pressure is key to a successful zone defense. There may be situations that more than just 2 players are involved in blocking/stopping the ball, putting very high pressure on any offense.

What are the top 3 disadvantages of Zone Defense?

No control over the tempo of the game

With the zone defense, there will be less pressure on the ball and more focus on protecting the inside paint. Offensive players can take more “free” outside passes without any pressure to drive the ball. As compared to the Man-to-man defense, zone defense gives more freedom of passing in the perimeter.

Weak against strong shooting teams

The focus of the zone defense is to protect the lanes and defend against strong individual offensive players more effectively. However, strong shooting teams tend to do well against the zone defense due to its exploitable strategy. Shooters can find open spots in the corners of the court to “stretch” the defense, forcing the zone to break.

Difficult Execution

Zone defense is a full team defensive effort. A high level of understanding and communication is required by the team to execute flawlessly. Any missteps or gaps by players can be easily spotted and taken advantage of. Positioning of the zone defense is key to protecting the rim at close range. With sufficient experience and practice, the zone defense can be a weapon to be used in game.

What is Man-to-Man defence?

Man to man defence is a defence formation where each defensive player is primarily focused on 1 assigned offensive player on court. Assignments are usually based on your position. (e.g. Point guard defends point guard) However, exceptions may be made based on your defensive skills; the most hardworking defender may be assigned to the most talented scorer on the other team.

Highly recommended to use against a high percentage long-range shooting team.

What are the top 3 advantages of Man-to-Man defence?

Consistent & High-Pressure Defence

With each player having an assignment, the man-to-man defence comes with high energy, pressure-cooking, directed defence. Full court man-to-man defence can be used to force opponents to exhaust energy to advance the ball down the court. The key is the timing of this pressure to have an element of surprise in your defensive playbook.

Control the offence direction and speed

As a team, you are able to dictate the ball in a certain area of the court through this tactic. All defensive player on the court has to communicate and understand what to achieve and work together to achieve that goal. If their opponents are great shooters, defenders can run them off their shot and force them to drive into the lanes (which help defence is allowed to cover).

Dynamic defence

Switching, sticking or double-teaming. Man-to-man defence allows for these scenarios to play out differently each time.

What are the top 3 disadvantages of Man-to-Man defence?

Exploit the weakest link

Individual defensive experience is heavily weighted in man-to-man defence. Opposing teams can take advantage of the weaker defensive players by isolating the player.

Less congested lanes

With lesser players protecting the paint, there are more pockets of opportunities in the paint. This allows for more cutting action and post plays. 

Fatigue

Man-to-man defence is generally more tiring as players must follow their assigned man closely. By slipping up on their man, an open shot will be present.

Arguably the most important position on the basketball court. The point guard. The floor general. The mastermind. An elite point guard is easily spotted on the court but hard to define what makes them elite. 

Players like Magic Johnson, Steve Nash and Kyrie Irving are on the list of greatest point guards of all time. However, they all have different strengths on the court which makes them an elite point guard.

In this Venn diagram, you can see there are some similarities that make them top of the NBA league of their era.

Ball handling

With great ball-handling skills, the player will be able to weave himself out of tough situations and create opportunities for his teammates at ease.

Scoring threat

All players on the basketball court must have a scoring threat. Especially if the player has possession of the ball; the point guard. With a high percentage of the ball being in the hands of the point guard, the player must have a high percentage of scoring ability to keep defenders on alert and create space for their teammates.

Court vision

The ability to see the court from a bird’s eye view is key to seeing the positioning of teammates and defenders. Just like chess, the point guard can direct his teammates and conduct plays to attack the basket. Making their opponents feel like they are playing checkers while he is playing chess.

Basketball IQ

Basketball IQ is the glue that ties everything together. With his ball-handling skills to shake his defender off, scoring threat to create an opportunity for his teammates and court vision to understand the situation, basketball IQ will allow the player to execute his ideas and concept flawlessly.

The point guard works as the brain of the team. He processes information on the court and calls out plays to counter-attack. Information like player tendencies, player current fatigue status’ and opponent team’s plays.

Basketball IQ require technical analysis of the game, experience on live court games and a combined analysis of both teams on the basketball court.

Over the years, the game of basketball has evolved and many changes were made to match the different levels of play. Basketball started with only 13 rules (in 1892) ! Today, there are multiple subsections that fall under these overarching 13 rules. 

Let’s find out what are some basketball rules that we might not know.

Goaltending

Once the ball hits the rim, players are allowed to tap/swat/hit the ball away (even though it might still be in the cylinder)

Scoring in your own basket doesn’t count

If a player intentionally scores on his own basket, no points will be awarded and it is considered a violation.

Faceguarding

Obstructing the vision of an opponent by waving/placing hands near their eyes.

Closely Guarded Player

A closely guarded player must pass, shoot or dribble the ball within 5 seconds

Reference: FIBA Rulebook

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the basketball off the ground with one hand continuously. Dribbling is used to move around the court while maintaining possession of the ball.

In basketball, dribbling is used to:

• Drive towards the basket
• Create space between you and your defender
• Advance the ball to another area of the court

There are many variations of a dribble. Starting from the basic dribble to more advanced dribbles such as the Shamgod. We have compiled a list of dribbles for you:

Simple Moves

• Crossover
• Spin move
• Behind the back
• Between the legs

Advanced Moves

• The Shammgod
• In n’ out dribble
• Jolt dribble

Summary

In a basketball game, a combination of moves may be stringed together to put your defender on the back of their heels. Dribbling the ball is not always the best decision in the game. Holding the basketball gives you options to either shoot, pass or dribble. It is important to understand the power of “not dribbling” when getting possession of the ball before you start to learn how to dribble. 

Your dribble moves should never be pre-decided. They should be reactive to your defender and the situation you are in. Practising your dribble moves is only the first step. Next, it would be to put them into in-game situations to keep you reactive and not predictive. 

No matter which move you choose, it is important that they are used appropriately in the right situations. Flashy dribble moves do not create space or get you closer to the basket. However, if used effectively, you may keep your defenders guessing.

Keep balling.