PATHFIT 4

SPORTS
A LEARNING MATERIAL

Prepared by:

MARC KENNETH O. DRIJE, LPT

Faculty, College of Teacher Education
CHAPTER II: BASKETBALL

CHAPTER 2
BRIEF HISTORY, NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF BASKETBALL

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
a. trace the brief history of basketball;
b. discuss the
nature of the game;
c. analyze the development of the game basketball; and
d. appreciate the contributions of different countries to the development of the game.

“Basketball is a game easy to play and difficult to master.”

-James Naismith

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GAME

Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian American physical education instructor
at the international YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In December of 1891, the
director of the school, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, asked Naismith to find a physical activity to occupy a
“class of incorrigibles”. Naismith may have had other motivations as well. Naismith wanted to create a
game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could
be played indoors in a relatively small space. And he wanted to keep his football players in shape off-
season. As a kid Naismith played a game called duck on a rock. He took account of the game played as
a kid and made it into what we now call basketball. With the help of his wife he devised a game suitable
for a gymnasium. The object of the game is to throw the soccer ball into the peach baskets nailed to the
lower railing of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could
lug out a ladder and retrieve the ball. Later, the bottoms of the peach baskets were removed.
The first formal rules were devised in 1892. Initially, players dribbled a soccer ball up and down a
court of unspecified dimensions. Points were earned by landing the ball in a peach basket. Iron hoops and
a hammock-style basket were introduced in 1893. Another decade passed, however, before the innovation
of open-ended nets put an end to the practice of manually retrieving the ball from the basket each time a
goal was scored. In 1959, James Naismith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (called the
Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame). Tony Hinkle designed the current orange ball that is in use today. He
introduced it in the 1950’s so that the players and spectators would be able to see it more clearly.

THE FIRST 13 RULES OF BASKETBALL

1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be battled in any direction with one or both hands (never with the first).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it,
allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shat be
allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify
him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the
game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3, 4, and such as described in Rule
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means
without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there,
providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the
opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it.
In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed 5 seconds;
if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall
call a foul on that side.
10. The umpire shall be judged of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when 3
consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
[Link] referee shall be judged of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, inbounds, to which
side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account
of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minutes halves, with five minutes’ rest between.
13. The side making the most baskets in that time shall declare the winner. In case of a draw, the game
may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.

The International Basketball Federation was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina,
Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland. At this time, the organization
only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Federation Internationale de
Basketball Amateur, was thus “FIBA”. Men’s Basketball was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer
Olympics, although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada
in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States,
whose team has won all but three titles, the first loss in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972
against the Soviet Union. In 1950 the FIBA World Championship for men was held in Argentina. Three
years later, the first FIBA World Championship for Women was held in Montreal, Canada with teams such
as the Soviet Union, Brazil and Australia rivalling the American squads.
FIBA dropped the distinction between amateur and professional players in 1989, and in 1992,
professional players played for the first time in the Olympic Games. The United States’ dominance
continued with the introduction of their Dream Team. However, with developing programs elsewhere, other
national teams started to beat the United States. A team made entirely of NBA players finished sixth in
the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, behind Yugoslavia, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand
and Spain. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using
professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being
eliminated in the semi-finals by Argentina. It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania,
finishing behind Argentina and Italy. In 2006, in the World Championship of Japan, the United States
advanced to the semi-finals but were defeated by Greece by 101-95. In the bronze medal game, it beat
team Argentina and fished 3rd behind Greece and Spain. After the disappointments of 2002 through 2006,
the U.S. regrouped, re-establishing themselves as the dominant international team behind the “Redeem
Team”, which won gold at the 2008 Olympics, and the so called “B-Team”, which won gold at the 2010
FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad.

NATURE OF THE GAME

Basketball is a team sport. Two teams of five payers each try to score by shooting a ball through a hoop
elevated 10 feet above the ground. The game is played on a rectangular floor called the court, and there
is a hoop at each end. The court is divided into two main sections by the mid-court line. If the offensive
team puts the ball into play behind the mid-court line, it has ten seconds to get the ball over the mid-court
line. If it doesn’t, then the defense gets the ball. Once the offensive team gets the ball over the mid-court
line, it can no longer have possession of the ball in the area in back of the line. If it does, the defense is
awarded the ball. The ball is moved down the court toward the basket by passing or dribbling. The team
with the ball is called the offense. The team without the ball is called the defense. They try to steal the
ball, contest shots, steal and deflect passes, and garner rebounds.
When a team makes the basket, hey score two points and the ball goes to the other team. If a basket,
or field goal, is made outside of the three-point arc, then that basket is worth three points. A free throw
is one point. Free throws are awarded to a team according to some formats involving the number of fouls
committed in a half and or the type of foul committed. Fouling a shooter always results in two or three
free throws, depending upon when he shot. If he was beyond the three-point line, then he gets three
shots. Other types of foul do not result in free throws being awarded until a certain number have
accumulated during a half. Once that number is reached, then the player who has fouled is awarded a
‘1- and -1 opportunity. If he makes his first free throw, he gets to attempt a second. If he misses the first
shot, the ball is live on the rebound.

Each game is divided into sections. All levels have two halves. In college, each half is twenty
minutes long. In high school and below, the halves are divided into eight (and sometimes, six) minute
quarters. In the pros, quarters are twelve minutes. There is a gap of several minutes between halves.
Gaps between quarters are relatively short. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then overtime
periods of various lengths are played until a winner emerges.

Each team will assign a basket or goal to defend. This means that the other basket is their scoring
basket. At the halftime, the teams switch goals. The game begins with one player from either team at
centre court. A referee will toss the ball up between the two. The player that gets this hand on the ball
will tip it to a teammate. This is called a tip-off. In addition to stealing the ball from an opposing player,
there are other ways for a team to get the ball. One such way is if the other team commits a foul or
violation.

Basketball is a team game. Where in the players are involved with the process of playing the game and
function as one primary skill created to accomplish the passing. Which remains one of the most under-
taught, under emphasized, and under drilled skill in the game.
Players assume the values that the coach places on each aspect of the game. When teaching
passing, it is important that the coach teach not only the skill, but the mentality as well. Too many players
think of passing as something to do when they don’t have a shot as opposed to an unselfish act that is
designed to include other players.

1. DRIBBLING - It is the way to progress with the ball by an individual player, in order to get free from
his opponent or to get in a good passing or shooting position. Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball
continuously, and is a requirement for a player to take steps with the ball.

 To dribble, a player pushes the ball down towards the ground rather than patting it; this ensures
greater control. When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the farthest from
the opponent, making it more difficult for the defensive player to get to the ball.
It is therefore important for a player to be able to dribble competently with both hands. Good dribblers
(or “ball handlers”) tend to bounce the ball low to the ground, reducing the
  travel from the floor to the hand, making it more difficult for the defender to “steal” the ball.
 Additionally, good ball handlers frequently dribble behind their backs, between their legs and
change hands and directions of the dribble frequently, making a less predictable dribbling pattern
that is more difficult to defend, this is called a crossover which is the most effective way to pass
defenders while dribbling.
 A skilled player can dribble without watching the ball, using the dribbling motion or peripheral vision
to keep track of the ball’s location. Not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for teammates
or scoring opportunities, as well as avoid the danger of someone stealing the ball from him/her.

2. PASSING - The ball is the quickest and most effective way to get the ball from player to player. A
pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step
forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

TYPES OF PASS:

Chest Pass - The ball is passed directly from the passer’s chest to the receiver’s chest. A proper
chest pass involves an outward snap of the thumbs to add velocity and leaves the defense little
time to react.

Bounce Pass - The passer bounces the ball crisply about two-thirds of the way from his own
chest to the receiver. The ball strikes the court and bounces up toward the receiver. The bounce
pass takes longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is also harder for the opposing team to
intercept (kicking the ball deliberately is a violation). Thus, players often use the bounce pass in
crowded moments, or to pass around a defender.

Overhead Pass - It is used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the
passer’s head.
3. SHOOTING - Shooting the ball is the quickest and most effective way to get the ball from player to
player. Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket. While
methods can vary with players and situations, the most common technique can be outlined here.
 The player should be positioned facing the basket with feet about shoulder-width apart, knees
slightly bent, and back straight. The player holds the ball to rest in the dominant hand’s fingertips
(the shooting arm) slightly above the head, with the other hand on the side of the ball.

TYPES OF SHOTS:

JUMP SHOT - The jump shot is taken while in mid-air, near the top of the jump. This provides
much greater power and range, and it also allows the player to elevate over the defender.

LAY UP - This shot requires the player to be in motion toward the basket, and to “lay” the ball
“up” into the basket, typically of the backboard.

SLAMDUNK - It is the most crowd-pleasing, and typically highest-percentage accuracy shot

which the player jumps very high, and throws the ball downward, straight to the hoop.