softball, Miscellaneous, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Miscellaneous

softball

softball In 1891 Canadian-American physical education teacher James Naismith set out to invent a new game to entertain athletes at the School for Christian Workers during the winter season. With a soccer ball, he outlined 13 original rules and sent the school janitor to find two boxes to serve as goals. However, the janitor found two half-bushel peach baskets, and the game was played with these. The first basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside. The molded basketball, introduced around 1942, was a significant advancement. It offered better reaction and durability, making play more consistent. The development of collegiate leagues and conferences brought organization and scheduling to competition, and formal league play created rivalries. Professional basketball began in 1896 in Trenton, New Jersey, when a dispute between members of a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) team and a YMCA official led the players to form a professional team and play for money. The first successful national professional league was the American Basketball League (ABL, not related to the later women's league), which existed from 1925 to 1931. In the mid-1930s another professional league called the National Basketball League (NBL) was founded. In 1946 a group of executives in New York City formed the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Just before the 1948-1949 season, the four strongest teams in the NBL joined the BAA. The following season, the NBL's remaining teams also joined the BAA, forming a three-division league that was renamed the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the 1949-1950 season the NBA reduced its size and established two divisions. In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed. The league became known for the distinctive red, white, and blue basketballs it used. The ABA disbanded in 1976, although several of its teams joined the NBA. The NBA gained immense popularity in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, as players such as Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Larry Bird , Magic Johnson , and Michael Jordan captured the public's imagination. The first disruption of play in league history occurred in the 1998-1999 season, when owners and players clashed over a number of issues, including league revenue and player salaries. The owners locked out the players, preventing them from reporting to training camps. In January 1999 the lockout ended, and an abbreviated season began in February. Basketball, is a fast-paced game played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players. The primary objective of the game is to score more points than the opposition by putting a round ball through a circular band, called a rim. The two rims are at each end of the court, placed 10 ft (3.1 m) above the ground and connected to a backboard, a rectangular board generally 4 by 6 ft (1.2 by 1.8 m). Most basketball courts measure 84 ft (25.6 m) long and 50 ft (15.2 m) wide. Professional courts are slightly larger. Other court dimensions vary, such as the distance of the 3-point line (from beyond which a score counts for 3 points) from the basket. The 3-point line in high school and college games is 19 ft 9 in (6 m) from the basket, while in international play it is 21 ft 6 in (6.6 m) and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) it extends as far as 23 ft 9 in (7.2 m). The rims, or baskets, are 18 in (45.7 cm) in diameter. A white, nylon-mesh net hangs from each basket. The standard basketball is generally orange or brown, with an outer cover of leather or nylon. In men's play, a basketball is 29.5 to 30 in (74.9 to 76.2 cm) in circumference. In women's play the basketball is slightly smaller, 28.5 to 29 in (72.4 to 73.7 cm) in circumference. A basketball team consists of five players-two guards, two forwards, and one center. The point guard must have exceptional ball-handling and passing skills. The shooting guard is generally a good ball handler with excellent shooting talents. The small forward is usually a strong scorer from both near the basket and at a distance. The power forward primarily concentrates on defense and rebounding. The center is usually the tallest player on the team, serving as the cornerstone of most play. Basic offensive skills are passing, ball handling, rebounding, and shooting. Passing the basketball is the fastest and often most efficient way of advancing the ball. Ball handlers keep the ball low, protecting it from defenders, and can use either hand to dribble and change directions quickly. Good rebounding is determined by strength, natural instinct, good positioning, and timing. Shooting is the most important part of basketball. Basic shots include the layup, the jump shot, the foul shot, and the hook shot. The layup is the easiest shot in basketball, taken directly under the basket. The dunk shot is a different style of layup in which the ball is slammed forcibly through the basket. The jump shot is taken when the shooter leaps in the air and releases the ball toward the basket. A hook shot is taken when the shooter turns sideways to the basket and releases the ball in a high arc toward the basket. In basketball there is offense and defence. The goal of defense is simple: to stop the opposition from scoring. Defenders want to force opponents away from the basket and to prevent opponents from taking easy shots. There are two types of basic defensive team play: man-to-man defense, in which each player guards a specific opponent, and zone defense, in which each player guards a specific area. Although defense may not be the most fun part of the game defense is what wins games. Basketball is a sport any number of people can play, it is inexpensive, and great exercise. I love this game. Bibliography:

Word Count: 965