Basketball is a competitive team game where two teams, usually of five people each, against each other on a flat rectangular court, fight for the same main goal: shooting a basketball up into the opponent’s basket for points. Points are scored when a player makes a basket with a free throw, steals a ball from another team member, or dishes a ball into the basket of the other team. The game was first known as basketball but is more commonly known as “ragtime” and “pony-ball”. The origins of basketball may be traced as far back as 1844, with the first public basketball game played in England.
Today, basketball has developed significantly through the years. Although it is still played by and for many of the same groups of people who played it when it first began, there are now professional leagues with qualification requirements and a professional coaching staff to help improve skills and help train players. Professional basketball games can be seen on television and televised around the world, attracting large audiences. While college programs and recreational pick-up games are also available through schools, colleges and universities.
The object of basketball is to score baskets, with every basket equaling one point. Free throw shots are not allowed, nor are assisting unless the ball passes through one of the three mandatory three-point line areas on the court. Basketball uses a unique style of play unlike any other sport. Unlike normal volleyball or softball, in which play is completely stationary and plays are constantly switching, basketball is a fast-paced, action-filled sport that requires players to move quickly from side to side, jumping, diving, pivoting and shooting. The game is played with two teams alternately on the court, with each team defending their basket and using pucks, shoes, or balls made from foam or rubber to shoot at their opponents.
Each player in a game of basketball holds a basketball in his/her hands and makes several moves while standing still, pivoting, turning and jumping. Every movement in the game is instant and requires the player to use both feet and legs. The sport involves lots of sprinting for the players chasing the ball around the court and being able to dunk it. The sport was invented by Jim Piersci in 1954 in Dartmouth College, and the name is derived from the two Latin words ‘pile’ and ‘quare’. The game is often called the sport of the five-foot block, due to the fact that the players usually stand approximately five feet apart when playing.
While the sport of basketball is similar to that of football, there are many differences, such as the number of fouls that a player is allowed to accumulate during each half of a match, and the exact way in which the ball is distributed. There are also two different types of basketball: basketball and free throw basketball. The basket ball consists of a cylindrical shaped hard plastic ball, and the free throw basket has a long rope with a net at its end. While they look very similar, the major difference between the two is that the basket ball cannot be touched by the competitors, whereas the free throw basket can be touched by the players.
Basketball is one of the oldest sports known to man. It is played worldwide, with men, women and children. Though the game has gained importance in the United States, it is also a huge part of the game in India, Pakistan and China. The sport involves two teams each comprised of ten players; each player acts as a basketball player on the court using a unique skill or blend of skills. A perfect game of basketball involves coordinated ball handling, shooting, rebounding, and playing smart defense.
