Basketball - Throwing a Ball Through a Netted Hoop

         Basketball is a team sport played by two teams of five players each. It is played on a rectangular court. The players try to score by shooting a ball through a hoop elevated 10 feet above the ground. This tutorial covers the very basics of how to play basketball.

             Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 to engage players in an indoor sport during winters that keep them fit. He designed a sport loosely based on his childhood game Duck on a Rock where players have to hit a stone, called a duck in the game. The duck was protected by other players and placed high on a rock.

Basketball - Objective

         The main objective of basketball is to make a goal and score points. A goal is made by shooting the ball through the basket or hoop. The goal post or basket for a team is in the opponent’s court. Each team should not only try to make a goal and prevent the opposite team from taking control of the ball but should also try to protect the basket in their court and prevent the opponent from making a goal.

Basketball - Team Size

            Each team may have twelve players entitled to play the game. Five players from a team can play at any time in the court and they may be substituted at any time during the play. Each team may have a coach and an assistant coach. Each team may have a group of fewer than five non-players with different responsibilities. They are usually a manager, doctor, physiotherapist, statistician, and interpreter.

Playing Overview

         There are many variants of basketball, some play indoors and some outdoors, some play on larger grounds, and some teams have more players. We can play the fun game on any flat surface but FIBA, the organizing body has laid down some guidelines for a basketball court.

Court Design

         A standard international basketball court is an indoor, rectangular court with dimensions 50 feet × 94 feet.

Courts at schools may be smaller. The court is divided into two symmetrical halves, one for each team. Various markings are painted on the court. There’s a circle at the center, free throw semi-circles, restricted areas, and three-point lines are marked on either side of the court. A no charge semi-circular area is marked just below the basket.

Equipment

 Basket

        A hoop or basket with a net around its circumference and of 18-inch diameter is firmly hung horizontally from a rectangular backboard of 3.5 feet height and 6 feet width on either side of the court. The rim of the hoop is 10 feet above the ground. The backboard in various international competitions is transparent for better visibility.

Ball

       Basketball is an orange-colored and rough-textured spherical ball with black contours usually made of leather or composite tough materials.

Terms

·        Offending team − The team possessing the ball is the offending team.

·        Defending team − The team that doesn’t possess the ball and tries to get control of it is the defending team.

·        Shot clock − Shot clock indicates the amount of time allotted to an offending team to make a goal. If the team cannot make a goal it is a shot clock violation and the ball is given to the opposite team to inbound it. The clock usually is set for 24 seconds in FIBA and NBA matches. The clock is set back to the full limit when the ball touches the basket or passes through the basket. In some cases, after a foul, the shot clock is usually set to a lower number, 14 in NBA and FINA matches.

·        Key − The painted area of 16 feet wide in professional basketball courts.

·        The basketball gun − This ball gun shoots the basketball back to the player. It is used while training.

·        Dunk shot − A player takes a dunk shot when he/she jumps and pushes the ball through the basket.

·        Free throw − When a player is granted a free throw he/she can try to make a goal from 15 feet without any obstruction from the opposing team. Free throws are also granted to opposing team when a player makes technical fouls.

·        Penalty situation − A team falls in penalty situation if it commits five fouls in one-quarter. Penalty situation grants free throws for the opposing team after a foul.

·        Held ball − Sometimes a player is surrounded by too many opponents that he cannot pass the ball to any of his teammates. He holds the ball tightly and sometimes even one of his opponents might also hold the ball at the same time. To take control of the ball, one of them should snatch it by force. This situation is called a held ball.

·        Jump ball − A referee may call for a jump ball to deal with a held ball situation and bring the ball back into play. The referee also starts the game with a jump ball. A ball is thrown vertically in the air between two opponents. Anyone among them pushes it to a teammate.

·        Point guard, Shooting guard, Small forward, Power forward, Center − These are various positions of team members. It is not necessary for them to take a particular position, and a team may choose to discard team positions. It is sometimes used to attract attention and to satisfy viewers.

How to Play?

         The ball is tossed in the air to start the game. One of the players deflects it to a teammate. It is dribbled and passed among the teammates to protect the ball and to make a goal. The basket or the hoop is placed horizontally at the height of 10 feet on a back board. Each team tries to protect the goal on their side while trying to make a goal on the opponent’s side of the court.

        The opposite team tries to get the ball, take control of it while bouncing and tries to grab it while it is passed among the team mates to prevent a goal. When a player commits a foul, the other team gets a chance of free throw or to inbound the ball. Each goal carries two points and each free throw one point. The team with the higher score wins the game. Players may be substituted when a substitute asks for it.

Rules of the Game

·        Any player possessing the ball cannot stay inside the foul ring of the court with his back to the basket for more than three seconds

·        No player should touch the ball, basket or its rim while the ball is passing through the basket.

·        Players are allowed to make a brief contact with an opposing player trying to pass the ball or make a goal, but cannot obstruct them.

·        Players making more than five fouls are removed from the game.

·        Fouls as per the situation, grant free throws to the opposing team and the ball is handed over to them.

·        Players cannot carry the ball with them and walk or run. This is called traveling

·        When a player is surrounded by opponents, within one-meter radius, trying to get hold of the ball, he/she cannot have the ball for more than five seconds. Such player is considered to be close guarded.

·        Players of the team possessing the ball shouldn’t stay in the restricted area of the opponent’s team for more than three seconds.

·        They should shoot the ball before the shot clock clicks.

Basketball - Tournaments

    Coach Forrest C. (Phog) Allen led a movement to include basketball in the Olympics in 1936. Basketball is widely played across the world. About 215 various national basketball organizations are members of FIBA. Many of these federations organize basketball championships and the winners take part in international events.

Some of the popular international championships are listed below −

• FIBA Basketball World Cup
• FIBA women’s World Championship
• NCAA women’s Championship
• NCAA men’s Championship
• WNBA Championship
• NBA Championship
• FIBA Asia Championship

1. NCAA − National Collegiate Athletic Association
2. WNBA − Women's National Basketball Association

Badminton - Game with Rackets in which a Suttlecock is Hit Back and Forth Across a Net

                 Badminton is a game played between two or four players. Both teams have to make points in order to defeat the other team. This is a small tutorial that explains the basic rules of how to play this game.

                 Badminton, prominently known as Shuttlecock, is an age-old game that has its origin about 2000 years ago in parts of Europe and Asia. Badminton was mostly played by the higher society of England as a pastime and the game was mostly practiced by hitting the shuttlecock forward and backward. Rules similar to that of today’s Badminton were written in 1893 and the modern game was popularized in England.

Objective

           The objective of badminton is similar to that of other racket games. This game can be played in three variants; singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. A shuttlecock is shot with a wired metal rimmed racket across the net, called a serve, to the player(s) on the other side of the court who try to send it back.

         Each player tries to land the shuttlecock on the opposite teams while intercepting it on their side. The cock has to fly over the net and reach the other side once a player hits it. The shuttlecock volleys among the players to make a rally, and they hit it with their rackets till it lands on the court or till one of the players commits a fault.

Team Size

        Size is no barrier for forming a badminton team. In university level or junior college level, teams can either be of single gender or mixed. Players from a school can form many teams and participate in the tournament. Two players of the same or different gender can form a team and participate in doubles, while single players can participate in singles tournaments.

Playing Overview

         Badminton is usually played outdoors as the shuttlecock drag is higher and it is difficult to play in windy weather conditions. As a recreational activity Badminton can be played outdoors.

Court Dimensions

     Badminton court is rectangular and is divided into two equal symmetric halves by a net suspended from two vertical posts fixed at either side of the court. Courts are marked for singles and doubles, as they differ in their dimensions; the doubles court is larger in breadth than a singles court and has a shorter serve-length dimension.

      A center line parallel to the length of the court divides each side of the court into two equal halves. A net is suspended from poles at the center on each side of the court on double sidelines. The bottom of the net is at a height of 5 feet 1 inch from the ground at the edges and 5 feet at the center.

Badminton Racket

     Modern Badminton Rackets are light in weight and don’t weigh more than 100 grams. The frame of the Racket can be made of common metals like steel or aluminum. Sometimes rackets are made of alloys, tough carbon fiber, ceramic, or boron. Its length does not exceed 680mm and width does not exceed 230 mm.

Shuttlecock

      Sixteen feathers fixed in a cork base enveloped in a thin leather sheet make a shuttlecock. Interestingly, the best Badminton Shuttlecocks are made from feathers from the wing of a goose. The shuttle weighs between 4.74 to 5.50 grams.

Badminton Accessories

        The commonly used Badminton Accessories are Grip, Badminton Clothes, Socks, Wrist Band and Head Band.

Grip

   A grip made of cloth or synthetic fiber absorbs sweat and provides you a drier feel.

Badminton Clothes

   Comfortable T-shirts and shorts, that don’t hinder your movement are ideal to play Badminton. A cotton round-neck or a collar t-shirts with a pair of light shorts are usually preferred.

Socks

  Wear a pair of thick cotton socks as they help to absorb sweat. They also prevent your feet from slipping inside your shoes. Avoid wearing Nylon socks that don’t absorb sweat.

Wrist Band

  If you perspire a lot, you may consider getting a wristband that prevents your sweat from flowing to your racket handle.

Head Band

 Wear a Head Band if you wear spectacles. It prevents your lenses from getting wet and also stops the sweat and hair from getting into your eyes while playing.

Terms:-

 Attacking clear − An offensive player makes this stroke when he shoots the shuttlecock deep into the opponent’s court.

Backcourt − Back one-thirds of the court before the boundary lines on either side of the net.

Backhand − The stroke that returns shuttlecock to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a left-handed player.

Base position − A singles player try to return to the center of the court during the play; it is also called the Base position of the player.

Baseline − The line that marks the boundary at the breadth of court.

Carry − If the shuttle gets stuck for a while in the wires before getting released, the stroke the player makes with the racket is called a carry, sling, or throw and is considered illegal.

Drive − A fast shot when the shuttle flies straight over the net but close to it.

Drop shot − A clever shot when the player rapidly drops the shuttle close to the net to the opponent's court.

Feint − Any pretend shot or movement also called as "balk" that unsettles an opponent before or during the serve.

Flick − A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation that changes the course of a soft shot into a fast one and surprises the opponent.

Forecourt − The front one-thirds of the half court on both sides of the net, between the net and the short service line.

Forehand − The stroke that returns a racket to the right side of a right-handed player and to the left side of a left-handed player.

Game − A game is finished when a player or team scores enough points to win a single contest; it is a part of a set.

Hairpin net shot − The trajectory of the racket is hairpin shaped when a player lifts it from falling close to the net and sends it to the other side where it drops sharply close to the net.

Half court shot − A low shot to the midcourt, usually used in a doubles game.

High clear − A deep shot by a defending player to the opponent’s court.

Kill − The shuttlecock is shot very fast; so that, it cannot be returned.

Let − A minor violation of the rules when the referee allows players to replay the rally.

Long Service Line − In singles it is same as the boundary line at the breadth. In doubles, the line is 2.5 feet inside the singles line. The server should not go past this line.

Match − A series of games where a winner emerges at the end.

Midcourt − One third middle part of court between the net and the back boundary line on either side of the net.

Net shot − A shot hit high from the forecourt close to the net that just flings the shuttlecock over the net and drops it sharply.

Passing shot − Any shot passing the shuttlecock to the opposing player or team.

Push shot − A slight wrist movement that gently shoots the shuttlecock.

Service court − The area into which a service must be delivered; this is different for singles and doubles.

Short service line − The line marked at 1.98 meters from the net in service courts where the player plays in a singles game.

Singles sideline − The side boundary of a singles court.

Smash − A hard-hit overhead shot into the opponent’s court that pushes the shuttlecock downwards very fast.

Wood shot − A shot with the frame of a racket.

Short Serve − This kind of serve is mostly used in Doubles. The shuttlecock barely clears the net and lands close to the serve line.

Long Serve − This kind of serve is mostly used in Singles. The shuttlecock reaches far and deep into the court.

Getting Ready and Serving

    The game starts with a toss. The referee tosses the coin and one player calls ‘Head’ or ‘Tail’. Player or team that wins the toss has an option to choose a side of the court, or an option to serve or receive first. If the player chooses his/her preferred side of the court then, the opponent player or team can choose to serve or receive first and vice versa.

Winning a match

·        The best of three games make a match.

·        The team or player scoring 21 points faster, wins a game.

·        If the score of both the teams is 20 (20-all), then the team that gets a 2 point lead wins the game.

·        If the score of both the teams is 29 (29-all), then the team that reaches 30th point first wins the game.

·        The winner of a game also wins the right to serve first in the next game.

Fouls

·        Players should hit the shuttle only from their side of the court.

·        Players should not touch the net or slide under it.

·        The racket of a player should not land on the opposing team’s side.

·        The shuttle should never hit players, even outside the boundaries.

·        In Doubles, the shuttle shouldn’t hit a player or his clothing or his racket before his teammate hits it.

List of some prominent tournaments that are being organized for Badminton −

• Olympics
• BWF World Championships
• Thomas & Uber Cups
• Sudirman Cup

Kabaddi Sport Game - Individual brilliance is exhibited when a player raids the opponent's court

      

           Kabaddi originated in India that teaches you a traditional way of self-defense. Another beauty of this game is that it needs neither costly playing equipment nor a big playground. The basic purpose of this tutorial is to introduce the basic playing fundamentals and rules of kabaddi.

           Kabaddi is a popular team sport, which needs skill and power, and conflates the characteristics of wrestling and rugby. It is originated in India 4000 years ago. It is widely played across the Indian subcontinent. Originally it was intended to develop self-defense. It is a simple and inexpensive game and does need a massive playground nor expensive equipment.

   Kabaddi is known by various names, i.e., Chedugudu or Hu-Tu-Tu in southern India, Hadudu (for Men) and Chu - Kit-Kit (for women) in eastern India, and Kabaddi in northern India. It is far more popular in the villages of Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

Objective

       The main objective of this game is to grab points by raiding into the opponent's court and touching as many opponent players as possible without getting caught on a single breath. Each player, chanting “Kabaddi! Kabaddi! Kabaddi” enters into the opponent court and try to touch the defense players nearest to him, while the opponents make tactical coordinated efforts to catch that player.

Team Size

       Every team consists of 12 players, of which seven are on court, and five in reserve. The two teams fight for higher scores, alternating defense and offense. Participants from various countries form teams for major tournaments or championships conducted across the globe. Two teams compete with each other for higher scores, by touching or capturing the players of the opponent team.

Participating Countries

       Since Kabaddi originated in India, the neighboring countries could easily access it and learn the game. Over the years, Asian countries have dominated this game and they are considered to produce world’s best players in Kabaddi.

     Apart from India, millions of people from countries like Sri Lanka, Japan Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Nepal, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Kambodia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Oman, South Korea, Thailand, Iran and Pakistan participate in Kabaddi. Most of these Asian countries also have their own Kabaddi Confederation bodies.

     Kabaddi is gaining popularity in countries like Argentina, Sierra Leone, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Australia, England, Italy, Kenya, Norway, Scotland etc. and have also formed their Kabaddi federations. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States have also picked up the game and it is rapidly gaining popularity amongst the citizens.

    Kabaddi is a game of excess physical work. Apart from excessive physical work, it requires excess stamina and good tactics. You should know the way to get into other team’s area and come back successfully without getting obstructed by your opponents. But before heading towards the game let’s know the basic necessities that you will require to play this game.

Necessary Requirements

The Court

   The court measures 12.5 meter length and 10 meter wide. A mid line is drawn in the court, splitting into two halves. The depth of the court is 1 foot in which sand is filled by removing mud.

Teams

    Total numbers of player in each team is 12. Only 7 players are allowed in to the playing court. Rest 5 will be kept as reserved. During the game only the leader is allowed to give instructions to the other players in his team.

Play Duration

    The playing duration is different for different genre. For men’s there will be two sections of play, each bearing a time line of 20 minutes. In women’s and children’s category of match the two sections and each half is of 15 minutes each. After the end of one session, the team is allowed to take a 5 minutes break.

Officials

   There are different types of officials present in the game. Let’s know about them in detail. Six officials are nominated to conduct a Kabaddi Match. Among them, two are umpires, one is a scorer, one is an assistant scorer and one is a referee.

·        Referee − He has the power to warn, declare point against or disqualify a participant from match. He has the authority to overturn the decision given by umpire.

·        Umpire − Generally the decision of the umpire taken as final.

·        Scorer − The scorer fills the scores data, timings, time-outs.

·        Assistant Scorers − They record those players who are out and those who are survived.

Marking of Lines

     In the 12.5×10 meter playground, the outer lines, known as Boundary lines, are marked with colored sands. Playing areas are marked with one meter space from each side of the 10 meters boundary line.

      To separate the territory of each team, a middle line is drawn in such a fashion that it divides the whole court in to two equal 6.5×8 metre sections. The position of baulk lines can clearly be seen from the above picture. They are positioned at a distance of 3.75 meters on the either side of the middle line. On the either side of the middle line, bonus lines are drawn which are present at a distance of 1 metre from it.

Toss and Decide

Tossing of coin is done to determine which team will go first. Sometimes tossing is done with an unbiased dice also.

Raiding

     After winning the toss, the team takes turn and sends players, often known as raiders into opponent team’s sections. The sole aim of the raider is to tag the members of the opposite team and run back into his team side. Each player he touches on the opponent’s side gives his team one point.

·        The team with the maximum score at the end is declared as winner.

·        If a match end in a tie, then two 5 minutes durations are given.

·        If the tie still exists after (20+20+5+5) 50 minutes of play, then the team that scored first will be declared the winner.

The raider needs to repeatedly yell the word “Kabaddi” soon after crossing the mid line and he needs to keep it yelling till he safely returns to his zone. It is worth noting that, under no circumstances the raider should stop yelling the word “Kabaddi”. In case if he does so, he should return to his zone as soon as possible. This will yield no point to his team but will earn a point to his opponent team for successfully defending him.

Raiding should be done in proper order by the team. That means in a sequence, each team needs to send its all players to the opposite side. The opponent team can earn a point by not letting the raider return to his section.

Defense

      In case your team lose the toss, it will be raided by the other team. Then it is the responsibility of your team to stand in front and defend. You should not tag yourself by the raider. Doing such will fetch a point to the raider’s team. To avoid yourself from being tagged, you should run as far as possible from the raider, till he becomes breathless of saying “Kabaddi”.

   If he tags you, wait till the raider becomes breathless and as soon as the raider stops saying kabaddi, grab him with your team mates before he touches the middle line. You cannot pull the cloths or hairs of the raider. Rather you can grab him only at his limb or torso.

    Alteration between the raiding and defending goes on between the two teams for 20 minutes. After the end of first session players take 5 minute break. After that switching between the two teams take place to either side of the court. The team which gathers maximum point at the end of two sessions wins the match.

 Knowledge about the game is not enough. Physical force is just 50% of the basic need that a game demands; another 50% is the tactics required to use your physical force efficiently. So let’s discuss about some necessary game tactics that you need.

Raid Mechanisms

The attacking style is known as raid mechanism. One difficult thing in kabaddi is that the raider will be one, while the defender will be many. So the raider must have skilled tactics to tag the opponents and come back safely towards the middle line.

The whole game of kabaddi can be changed in couple of minutes with the help of few good raiders. Therefore it is utmost necessary to understand the raiding mechanism very carefully. The raiding depends upon number of factors. Some of the important ones are −

• Entry
• Cant
• Footwork
• Settling path of attack
• Tactics
• Retreat

A right entry can give a raider a safe exit. The defenders always pre-plan about every move that a raider is going to make. The most important part for a raider is to judge it in advance and make a right entry. After the entry the raider must act quickly enough to finish it come back before he becomes breathless in doing cant.

Cant

     The most unique feature of kabaddi is its cant. Beginners often find themselves in difficult position in doing this. The rule says you have to chant the word “kabaddi” as soon as you enter the defending zone and should continue till you come back to your side by crossing the middle line. If the player fails in this at any moment during his raid, he will be out of the match. So indirectly the duration of cant can be used as an I-measurement tool of kabaddi.

Entry

     A raider can use right, left, or central zone for his entry into the court. However; his entry depends upon the following factors very strongly −

• The position of the raider at the time of his act as team’s defense system.
• The direction of attacking side.
• His moving direction.

Footwork

       The movement of the foot of the raider during his raid is most important. The footwork however depends upon the following factors −

• Position of the body
• Stance of the raider
• Speed with which he moves
• Agility
• Style of movement

Necessary skills

       A man needs skills to have mastery upon techniques. There are broadly two categories of skills that a kabaddi player needs to learn are offensive skills and defensive skills. For example, during a raid, a raider must try to touch the antis with the maximum use of his limbs. It will make easy for him and for his team to score points. Some touches that are legal in kabaddi are

• Foot touch
• Toe touch
• Thrust
• Squat leg
• Kicks
• Touching of hand through upper limbs