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RULES
= BASKET BALL <
JAS. NAISMITH INSTRUCTOR IN
International Y. M. C. A. Training School
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
PRESS OF SPRINGFIELD PRINTING AND BINDING COMPANY 1892
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* BASKET * BALL. #
Basket Ball is not a game intended merely for amusement, but is the attempted solution of a prob- lem which has been pressing on physical educators. Most of the games which are played out of doors are unsuitable for indoors, and consequently whenever the season closes, the game, together with all the benefits to be derived therefrom, is dropped. It is true that some players have been accustomed to keep up a desultory kind of training but it lacked the all-round development that is so requisite, and very frequently failed to give that training for the heart and lungs which is so desirable. A number of gymnasiums have running tracks, but even then it is more or less uninteresting to run around a gallery so many times per day.
There were certain definite conditions to be met by the game which was required, and these had to be complied with before it could be pronounced satisfactory.
1st. It should be such as could be played on any kind of ground,—in a gymnasium, a large room, a small lot, a large field, whether these had uneven or smooth surface, so that no special preparation
would be necessary. This is especially necessary in large cities where in order to get a good sized field you must go toa considerable distance, thus rendering it inaccessible to many of the members. Basket ball may be played on any grounds and on any kind of a surface. It has been played in a gymnasium 12x20 and can be played on an ordinary foot ball field.
2d. It should be such as could be played bya large number of men at once. This has been fully met, as the only limit to the number of men that can play is the space at command. If a great number of men wish to play at once, two balls may be used at the same time, and thus the fun is aug- mented though some of the science may be lost. The men however are required to keep their posi- tions a little more carefully. As many as fifty on a side have been accommodated.
3d. It should exercise a man all-round. Every part of his body should get a share of attention. His legs are used to sustain his body and his arms are exercised in handling an object, which is a normal function. In the bendings and twistings of the trunk and limbs the vital organs receive such exercise as will make them healthy and strong. Thus in a manner it serves the same purpose as the sum total of the apparatus ina gymnasium, while the main development is in strict accord with the idea of unity in man. It should cultivate the dif- ferent energies of which he is capable. Agility is one of the prime requisites in a game where the
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ball must be secured before an opponent can reach it, and when obtained he must be baffled in his attempt to take it away. This also gives us grace as the perfection of action. Physical judgment is required and cultivated in handling the ball, re- ceiving it from one of your own side, and eluding an opponent. This requires that a man should keep complete control of himself or his play is more than likely to count for nothing. A wrong pass may give the opponent a decided advantage and an instant’s hesitation is sufficient to lose the best opportunity that might be .offered. There should also be developed that manly courage which is so essential in every true gentleman.
4th. It should be so attractive that men would desire to play it for its own sake. This is one of the chief points in this game. The thorough abandonment of every thought but that of true sport makes it entirely recreative, while the laughable side of the game may be appreciated by both play- ers and spectators. It is made more attractive by the fact that it isa game into which competition may enter and opposing teams may try their skill, thus giving zest to those who have become profi- cient in the game.
5th. It should have little or none of the reputed roughness of Rugby or Association foot ball, for this reason, kicking at the ball and striking at it with the fist were prohibited. All running with the ball was done away with because when a man runs with the ball we necessarily have tackling to
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stop him, and it is at this point that the roughness of Rugby is most severely felt. This regulation has been criticised specially by Rugby men, but the above reasons should appeal to every one who is seeking a game that can be played without rough- ness. A man’s whole attention is thus centered on the ball and not on the person of an opponent, and thus opportunity for personal spite is taken away. If some of the rules seem unnecessarily severe it should be remembered that the best time to stop roughness is before it begins. A gymnasium is bounded by walls, so that a push which would re- sult inno harm on the soft turf may send a player against the wall with force enough to injure him. If the rules are strictly enforced at first the men will soon get accustomed to playing ball instead of trying to injure those who are opposed to them only for the time being, and they will soon realize that it is nothing but a friendly game. The very men who wish to play roughly will be the first to condemn the game if roughness is allowed, for it is generally they who get the worst of the rough- ness in the end.
6th. Itshould beeasy tolearn. Lacrosse, which is considered one of the best all-round games, has this objection, that it requires too much practice in order to obtain even the exercise from the game, whereas any one can learn to play basket ball at a single lesson, and at the same time obtain the exercise which an experienced player gets.
These were felt to be the conditions that would
determine the usefulness of a game that might be played summer and winter, in any climate, and under varying conditions.
The object of a player should be whenever his own side has possession of the ball to gain an uncovered position so that his own side may pass it to him. On the other hand, his opponent should see that he does not gain this favorable position. It is at this point that head work and the ability to do a certain thing without letting his opponent know what he is about to do, are valuable. Indi- vidual play does not count for much, for very often a man has to sacrifice his own chance of making a goal that he may be sure of it from the hands of another. In the gymnasium the ball as a rule should not be passed swiftly in a straight line, but should be tossed lightly so that the one who receives it shall lose no time in passing it to another or throwing for a goal. But on the field, where long passes may be made, the straight throw may be used to advantage.
Nine men make a nice team for an ordinary sized, gymnasium, and they may be arranged as indicated by diagram on page 8.
A goal keeper; two guards to assist him; a center; aright and left center; two wings and a home man.
These are arranged in this order from the goal which they are defending. A man does not need to keep strictly to his place, but should be always
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BASKET.
O Home. L. Wing. | R. Wing. Center. L. Center. R. Center. L. Guard. R. Guard.
Goal Keeper.
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Forwards.
Center Men.
Guards.
BASKET.
Diagram of Basket Ball—position of players.
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in his own part of the grounds. It should be the duty of the home man and the two wings to get a favorable position to throw for goal and to assist one another in this matter. These ought to be men who are not afraid to sacrifice their own glory for the good of the team, while, at the same time, they should be cool headed enough to use every oppor- tunity of trying for goal. It is often the unexpected that wins. Thecenter men are placed so that they may assist the forwards or help the guards, as the strain comes on each of these. They should be able to make a good shot for goal and quick enough to stop a good play of an opponent. Their aim should be constantly to feed the ball forward to their own men and keep them in a position to make goals. The duty of the guards is principally to prevent the opponents throwing for goal, by pre- venting them from getting the ball, and by taking it from them when they are preparing to throw. In this, if anywhere, prevention is better than cure, for when a ball is thrown up so as to alight in the basket there is no goal keeper who can keep it from entering. The goal keeper’s duty is to get the ball away from the vicinity of his goal and to stop as many plays as possible, thus he will bat the ball more frequently than is advisable in the case of the other players.
When fun and recreation are desired, as many men as please may play, and they may be distrib- uted according to the captain’s own idea, but the best plan seems to be to divide the men into three
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classes, forwards occupying the third of the ground nearest the opponents’ goal; center men occupying the middle third; guards occupying the defensive third of the ground. This is not a hard and fast division, but merely to let the men know for what part of the field they are responsible. The men ought to be taught to fill every position, as it is intended to be an all-round game, and though each position entails plenty of hard work yet each man is better if he be able to take any. part.
THE GROUNDS.
These are the gymnasium floor cleared of appa- ratus, though any building of this nature would suit. If there is a gallery or running track around the building the baskets may be hung up on this, one at each end, and the bounds marked out onthe floor just beneath this gallery. The apparatus may
be stored away behind this line and thus be out of ©
the field of play. If there js no gallery the baskets may be hung on the wall, one at each end. In an open field a couple of posts may be set up with baskets on top, and set at the most convenient dis- tance. Out of doors, with plenty of room, the field may be 150 feet long, the goal lines running through the baskets perpendicular to the length of the field; the side boundaries too feet apart, but the ball must be passed into the field when behind the goal lines. A player cannot run after he has picked up the ball, though he may throw it and endeavor to get it again; by this means he may
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make progress from one part of the field to another, but his opponent always has an oppor- tunity of gaining the ball without tackling him. Again, he may bat it in front of him as he runs, or dribble it with his hand along the ground, but he cannot kick it with his feet, not even to dribble it. At a picnic the baskets may be hung on a couple of trees and the game carried on as usual.
GOALS.
The goals are a couple of baskets or boxes about fifteen inches in diameter across the opening and about fifteen inches deep. If the field of play is large the baskets may be larger, so as to allow of more goals being made. When the field is 150 feet long the baskets may be thirty inches in diameter. These are to be suspended, one at each end of the grounds, about ten feet from the floor. A neat device for a goal has been arranged by the Narragansett Machine Company, by which the ball is held and may be thrown out by pulling a string. It is both lasting and convenient.
The object of the game is to put the ball into your opponents’ goal. This may be done by throwing the ball from any part of the grounds, with one or both hands, under the following conditions and rules :—
The ball to be an ordinary Association foot ball.
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
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3. Aplayer cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, al- lowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held by the hands, the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall 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 th- game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, viola- tion of Rules 3, 4, and such as described in Rule 5.
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 dis- turb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
g. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touch- ing it. He has aright to hold it unmolested for five seconds. In case of a 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 that side.
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10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three con- secutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball 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.
12. The time shall be two fifteen minutes, halves, *
with five minutes’ rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued ‘until another goal is made.
The position of umpire is a very responsible one, and on his ruling depends, to a great degree, the value of the game. If he deliberately over- looks violation of the rules he is responsible for a great deal of unnecessary roughness and conse-
quent ill feeling, but if he is firm and impartial in.
his decisions he will soon win the respect of all, even those who suffered at the time.
When a goal is made it does not cancel the fouls made, neither does half time.
Any player has a right to get the ball at any time when it is in the field of play, provided only that he handles the da// and not the opponent. He may Slap or pull the ball out of another’s hands at any time while in the field of play.
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A player may stand in front of the thrower and obstruct the ball, but he must not violate Rule s. One aim of the rules has been to eliminate rough play, and for this reason the umpire must interpret them with this aim in view.
Any side which persistently makes fouls is work- ing against its own interests, as three consecutive fouls count a goal for the otherside. This seemed the best way of compensating those who play a good clean game, and it has proved of value al-
ready, for many a team has had two fouls called on
them, but very seldom do they make the third, for a team is then on its good behavior, and thus shows that it is possible to play without making many fouls. Setting the number at three gives plenty of room for those made by accident.
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