What exactly is extension, overhang and a safe play area?

Safe Play Area - The distance from the front of the pole to the front of the backboard.

Overhang - The can be defined in two ways. First, which is how we use the term, is the same as "Safe Play Area." The distance from the front of the pole to the front of the backboard. Others define this as the distance from the baseline to the front of the backboard. This is not always the same so be careful when planning on where to place your pier based on these measurements.

Extension Arm - This is probably the most ambiguous term but is most often referring again, the distance from the front of the pole to the font of the backboard. If you are planning your court off of this, make sure you are clear as this could also refer to the length of the extension arm itself which with some designs is much longer than the distance from the font of the pole to the font of the backboard.

Ok, Now what is it good for?
There is a misconception that it is best to pull the pole back and have the backboard be flush with your playing area. Actually, it's better, especially if you have a deep playing area to pull the pole as close to your playing area as possible so you can take advantage of the safe play area. This allows players to run in for lay-ups without running off of the playing surface and helps to keep the ball in play as well. The exception is if you have a very shallow playing area or if you are going to just be practicing jump shots and not playing 1 on 1 or practicing layups or rebounding.

What's the advantage of a 5' safe play area
This will be the largest safe play area you'll see. The benefit here is that you can get a true regulation overhang (defined as the distance from the baseline to the front of the backboard) which is 4' while still moving the pole outside of the playing area. For those with a large court looking for regulation play, this is must have. Our Adjustable Pro Dunk Diamond and fixed-height Hercules Diamond basketball systems both have 5' safe play areas.

Compare The Overhang / Safe Play Area Of Our Basketball Systems