Understand the score. Learn the language. Discover the story.
Start with eight ball sports, including separate baseball and softball guides. These are introductory explanations; your league’s rules determine age divisions, game length and local variations. Sources reviewed September 24, 2026.
League, club or tournament?
League: organized competition across a season. Club: an organization that may field several teams. Tournament: a competition event. Governing body: an organization responsible for rules or administration within its scope. These words describe different roles.
Recreation and travel: program models, not universal skill ratings. Compare each program’s age rules, schedule, selection process and costs.
KNOW THE GAMEBasketball
How scoring works
Standard NBA scoring: free throw 1; field goal inside the three-point line 2; field goal beyond it 3.
Game length & format
NBA regulation has four 12-minute quarters. Other leagues and age groups use different periods and clocks.
Who plays where?
NBA means National Basketball Association; WNBA means Women’s National Basketball Association. Both are professional leagues. College and school competitions are separate.
Words you’ll hear
- Free throw
- An unguarded scoring attempt awarded under the rules.
- Field goal
- A basket scored during play rather than from a free throw.
- Overtime
- An extra playing period used to resolve a tie.
Rules & scoring source ↗
KNOW THE GAMEBaseball
How scoring works
Teams score runs by legally advancing runners around the bases to home. The team with more runs wins.
Game length & format
Major league regulation games are scheduled for nine innings. Each half-inning normally ends after three outs; youth games may be shorter.
Who plays where?
MLB means Major League Baseball, professional baseball. Little League is a youth organization, while travel baseball describes a competition model rather than one national league.
Words you’ll hear
- Inning
- A division of a game giving each team a turn to bat, subject to game-ending rules.
- Out
- A batter or runner is retired; three outs end the team’s turn batting.
- Home run
- A hit on which the batter legally completes the circuit of bases and scores.
1947 · A moment in historyJackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, breaking the modern major leagues’ color barrier.
Read the historical source ↗ Rules & scoring source ↗
KNOW THE GAMESoftball
How scoring works
Teams score runs by legally completing the bases and reaching home. The objective is to finish with more runs.
Game length & format
USA Softball regulation games generally use seven innings. Time limits, run-ahead rules and youth formats can change the ending.
Who plays where?
USA Softball is a governing organization, not one local league. Fastpitch and slowpitch are different forms of softball; travel and recreation describe program types.
Words you’ll hear
- Fastpitch
- A form of softball using a faster underhand pitching delivery.
- Slowpitch
- A form using an arcing underhand pitch under its own rules.
- Run-ahead rule
- A rule that can end a game early when a specified lead and inning threshold are reached.
Rules & scoring source ↗
KNOW THE GAMESoccer
How scoring works
A goal counts when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar, with no preceding offence by the scoring team.
Game length & format
The standard match uses two 45-minute halves plus added time. Youth formats are shorter; competition rules determine tie-breaking.
Who plays where?
MLS means Major League Soccer; NWSL means National Women’s Soccer League. FIFA is an international governing body, not a league. IFAB maintains the Laws of the Game.
Words you’ll hear
- Goal
- One unit of scoring.
- Added time
- Time allowed for playing time lost during a half.
- Extra time
- Additional periods used in some knockout competitions; different from added time.
1863 · A moment in historyThe Football Association was formed in England, a key milestone in the development of association football.
Read the historical source ↗ Rules & scoring source ↗Additional rules source 1 ↗
KNOW THE GAMEVolleyball
How scoring works
Indoor rally scoring awards a point on each rally. Common USAV sets go to 25, with a deciding set to 15; a two-point lead is required.
Game length & format
Match formats vary by competition. Indoor and beach formats should be checked separately, especially for youth events.
Who plays where?
USA Volleyball is a national governing body. A club is an organization that fields teams; a tournament is an event, not necessarily a league. Indoor and beach have distinct formats.
Words you’ll hear
- Rally
- The sequence of play beginning with the serve and ending when play stops.
- Set
- A scoring segment of a match; the word also describes a ball-placement technique.
- Deciding set
- The final set played when teams are tied in sets in a match format that requires a winner.
1895 · A moment in historyWilliam G. Morgan developed the game in Holyoke, Massachusetts, initially calling it Mintonette.
Read the historical source ↗ Rules & scoring source ↗
KNOW THE GAMETennis
How scoring works
A standard advantage game progresses love, 15, 30, 40, then game. At deuce a player must win two successive points. No-ad and tiebreak formats differ.
Game length & format
Points build games, games build sets and sets build matches. Match length and tiebreak rules depend on the event.
Who plays where?
USTA means United States Tennis Association. ATP and WTA organize professional tours; a tour is a series of events rather than a single local league.
Words you’ll hear
- Love
- Zero points.
- Deuce
- A tied score at 40-all in an advantage game.
- Break of serve
- Winning a game while the opponent is serving.
Rules & scoring source ↗
KNOW THE GAMEGolf
How scoring works
In stroke play, the lowest total number of strokes, including penalties, wins. Match play is decided by holes won rather than the total strokes for the round.
Game length & format
Events specify the number of holes and rounds. Junior and introductory programs may use shorter courses and rounds.
Who plays where?
The PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour stage professional competition. USGA and The R&A govern the Rules of Golf; they are not interchangeable with the professional tours.
Words you’ll hear
- Par
- The expected score for a scratch player on a hole under normal conditions.
- Birdie
- One stroke below par on a hole.
- Bogey
- One stroke above par on a hole.
Rules & scoring source ↗Additional rules source 1 ↗
