The origins of the game of basketball can be traced back to a gentleman by the name of Dr. James Naismith. In 1861, Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada. During his early school days, Naismith would play a game called duck on a rock whereby the child would endeavor to knock the duck off the top of the rock with a toss of another rock. Later on, Naismith would go on to McGill University in Montreal and would later become McGill University’s Athletic Director. He would subsequently move on to YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts and in 1891, the game of basketball began.

Given the cold Massachusetts winters, Naismith needed to find a recreational activity that could be played indoors and he preferred a sport that would develop skill and one that was not exclusively relying on strength. The first game was played with two peach baskets for goals and a soccer ball. Further to his credit, Naismith became a medical doctor specializing in sports physiology and a Presbyterian minister. Naismith was able to see his beloved sport of basketball, gain acceptance in numerous countries through the YMCA since 1893. As well, the sport of basketball was brought forth at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. As we speak, the game of basketball has become a very popular professional sport.

The portable basketball goal includes a mechanism that allows the height of the goal to be adjusted so players can get the most action for their size. Of course, there are different types of mechanisms that can be found in these goals. At the bottom end, you’ll find telescoping poles. These poles work by letting you compress a pin to make the goal lower. While the mechanism is fairly easy to understand and learn, getting accuracy is more difficult. You won’t be able to adjust the height much either, usually just a couple of feet. On the bright side, this mechanism is the least expensive and is most likely to appear in the cheapest portable basketball goals. Another option is the quick-adjust mechanism. Again, this is fairly simply to learn how to use and gives you a little bit more room for adjustments, usually around 2 to 3 feet.

Rim mechanisms known as Action Grip and Power Life are higher level options. These use a squeeze handle that can be found behind the basketball pole. The difference in height possible is about the same as with the quick-adjust method, however. Now if you want accuracy in the rim adjustment then you’ll want the Power Life choice because you can adjust in any increments you want whereas the Action Grip only lets you move the height in six inch increments. Because the Power Lift is a pneumatic device, you’ll usually have to pay more for the feature. Finally, you can find the Rapid-Cam mechanism on the top of the line portable basketball goals. For the most part, you won’t find this on the average basketball system and it doesn’t really do much more than the Power Life but it is built for the heavier portable units.

A better option is a rim that is attached using a dual spring compression mount. Because the spring can absorb some of the force from the dunk during an aggressive game, it is likely to break than the static mount. However, problems are still common with this type of rim mount. You might instead want to look for rims that are mounted using both a static and a flexible component because this combines the stability of the unmoving mount and the absorption of the non-static mount. Many of the brands of portable basket ball goals on the market do allow you to upgrade your rims. You might purchase a less expensive model then later add a higher quality rim. You should check with the manufacturer first and be prepared to use some tools of your own to make the switch. However, this option does give you more choices when purchasing your portable basketball goals.