Basketball History: Origin of the Sport

In contrast to other sports, basketball has a clear origin. It is not the evolution from an ancient
game or another sport and the inventor is well known: Dr. James Naismith.

Naismith was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, Ontario, Canada. He graduated as a physician at
McGill University in Montreal and was primarily interested in sports physiology.

In 1891, while working as a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training
School (today, Springfield College) in the United States, Naismith was faced with the problem of
finding in 14 days an indoor game to provide "athletic distraction" for the students at the School
for Christian Workers (Naismith was also a Presbyterian minister).

James Naismith and the original basketball elements, a soccer ball and a peach basketAfter
discarding the idea of adapting outdoor games like soccer and lacrosse, Naismith recalled the
concept of a game of his school days known as duck-on-a-rock that involved accuracy attempting
to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it.

Starting from there, Naismith developed a set of 13 rules that gave origin to the game of
basketball.

Of course it was not exactly as we know it today. The first game was played with a soccer ball and
two peach baskets nailed 10-feet high used as goals, on a court just half the size of a present-day
court. The baskets retained their bottoms so balls scored into the basket had to be poked out with a
long dowel each time and dribbling (bouncing of the ball up and down while moving) was not part
of the original game.

The sport was an instant success and thanks to the initial impulse received by the YMCA
movement, basketball's popularity quickly grew nationwide and was introduced in many nations.
Although Naismith never saw the game develop into the spectacular game we know these days, he
had the honor to witness basketball become an Olympic sport at the 1936 Games held in Berlin.

These are James Naismith original thirteen rules of basketball:

The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
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 running at good speed.
The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first
infringement of this rule by any person 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 substitution shall be allowed.
A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule
5.
If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive
means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays
there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the
edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.
When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person
touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is
allowed five 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 them.
The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three
consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, 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.
The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.
The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.
Rules in basketball
The rules of basketball can vary slightly depending on the level of play (for example professional
rules differ from college rules) or where the game is played (international rules are different from
USA professional rules). These rule differences, however, are usually just variations on the basic
game of basketball and the majority of the rules discussed below can be applied to most any game
of basketball played.

The winner of a basketball game is the team with the most points. You get points by throwing the
basketball through the opponent's hoop or basket. In regular play a basket made from within the
three point line is worth 2 points and a basket shot from outside the three point line is worth three
points. When shooting a free throw, each free throw is worth 1 point.

Rules for the offense

The basketball team on offense is the team with the basketball. When a player has the basketball
there are certain rules they must follow:

1) The player must bounce, or dribble, the ball with one hand while moving both feet. If, at any
time, both hands touch the ball or the player stops dribbling, the player must only move one foot.
The foot that is stationary is called the pivot foot.

2) The basketball player can only take one turn at dribbling. In other words, once a player has
stopped dribbling they cannot start another dribble. A player who starts dribbling again is called
for a double-dribbling violation and looses the basketball to the other team. A player can only start
another dribble after another player from either team touches or gains control of the basketball.
This is usually after a shot or pass.
3) The ball must stay in bounds. If the offensive team looses the ball out of bounds the other
team gets control of the basketball.

4) The players hand must be on top of the ball while dribbling. If they touch the bottom of the
basketball while dribbling and continue to dribble this is called carrying the ball and the player
will lose the ball to the other team.

5) Once the offensive team crosses half court, they may not go back into the backcourt. This is
called a backcourt violation. If the defensive team knocks the ball into the backcourt, then the
offensive team can recover the ball legally.

Defensive Rules

The team on defense is the team without the basketball.

1) The main rule for the defensive player is not to foul. A foul is described as gaining an unfair
advantage through physical contact. There is some interpretation that has to be made by the
referee, but, in general, the defensive player may not touch the offensive player in a way that
causes the offensive player to lose the ball or miss a shot.

Rules for everyone

1) Although the foul rule is described above as a defensive rule, it applies exactly the same to all
players on the court including offensive players.

2) Basketball players cannot kick the ball or hit it with their fist.

3) No player can touch the basketball while it is traveling downward towards the basket or if it
is on the rim. This is called goaltending. (touching the ball on the rim is legal in some games).

Every player on the court is subject to the same rules regardless of the position they play. The
positions in basketball are just for team basketball strategy and there are no positions in the rules.

Basketball Court