What does it mean by Scrimmage in Basketball?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Scrimmage is the interplay between two football teams that begins with the snap of the ball and continues until the ball is dead. In Basketball, a coach might use a five-on-five basketball match to forge strong bonds between new players, assess developing abilities, or run play-by-play drills. It typically occurs during pickup games amongst teammates or when playing another squad.

Coaches also used the Scrimmages drills in order to evaluate the team and find the best combination. There is a huge difference between players showing out their skills in a practice match and in a competitive match.

Types of Scrimmages

There are two basic types of scrimmages coaches use during the training sessions. The first type is when the coach makes a single team with two separate teams to play with each other. The second one is when two different teams are made to play against each other. The first type is the most common one in which one can see players playing with each other in a single team. This develops a good team environment and players get used to each other.

The second type is a kind of high-intensity training. Coaches usually try the second type when a new season is about to start. More than often, teams are invited from the outside to play the scrimmages. The main purpose of that is to find out the weak spots in the team. It helps in developing new plays and fixing whatever needs to be fixed.