In basketball, a travel violation occurs when a player holding the ball takes an improper number of steps without dribbling the ball. According to the official rules, a player is allowed to take two steps after picking up the ball. If they take more than two steps, it’s considered traveling.
Here are the key points to understand about traveling:
1. Pivot Foot: When a player stops and establishes a pivot foot (the foot they keep in place), they are not allowed to lift that foot and take an additional step unless they start dribbling again. If the pivot foot is lifted before the ball is dribbled, it’s a travel.
2. Two Steps: After a player picks up the dribble, they can take two steps before they must either pass, shoot, or start dribbling again. If they take more than two steps, it’s traveling.
3. Exceptions: In some situations like catching the ball while jumping, players are allowed to land and then take two steps. However, they are not allowed to pivot on the spot once both feet are down; they must pass or shoot.
4. Jump Stops: If a player jumps and lands on both feet simultaneously, they can choose one of the two feet as the pivot foot and take two steps from there.
A travel violation results in the loss of possession of the ball to the opposing team. Referees typically call a travel when the player takes more than the allowed steps or moves their pivot foot incorrectly.
