A) THE TRIPLE-THREAT POSITION:

-This is the first thing to learn.

-After receiving a pass, you want to get into the "triple-threat" position so you can quickly dribble , shoot or pass.

-The ball must be far from the defender, so he can not steal it easily.

 -Look at the basket  and put the ball in one side of your chest. Turn your body so your body is between the ball and the defender.

-Keep your head up, centered over your body and your eyes on the hoop, but also seeing the entire floor.

-Be sure your shoulders are facing the basket with your knees bent and weight spread evenly.

-Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.

-Now you're ready to shoot, pass or dribble!

 
Image: http://jamesonbasketball.org

 

Look at this video from www.ehow.com explaining you how to do it:

SUBTITLES: 1. Clic the play button. 2. Clic on the grey rectangular button with two lines

 

 

B) THE DRIBBLING:

The dribble is a push-pull movement of the arm.
-Your fingers must form a cup to adapt to the ball. Fingers and wrist must be relaxed.
- As the ball bounces back up, meet it with your fingers. Control the ball with your fingers, not the palms.
-Raise your non-dribbling hand up for protection.
-Control is the key. Practice dribbling with your hand the following areas of the ball: directly on top, in front, behind, right side and left side.

 Control, or Low Dribble:
Use this when you're closely guarded.
-Keep your body between the ball and the defender.
-Dribble the ball at knee level or lower so it's harder for the defender
to touch it.
-Keep your free hand up to protect the ball. Keep your dribbling arm close to your body.
-If you keep you head up and eyes off the ball, you'll be able to see open teammates.

Speed, or High Dribble:
-Use it when you need to run with the ball quick: fast breaks after a steal, for example.
-Keep your body nearly erect, leaning forward slightly. Extend your dribbling arm completely, pushing the ball out in front of your body.
-Keep the ball near waist level or higher to help maintain maximum speed.
-Develop your confidence in doing this technique without looking at the ball.

Look at this video from www.ehow.com explaining you how to dribble:

SUBTITLES: 1. Clic the play button. 2. Clic on the grey rectangular button with two lines 

 

 

 

C) THE PASS:

Two-Handed Chest Pass:

-This is the most effective pass you can use.

-Use this pass whenever possible because it's the fastest way to advance the ball to teammates.

     Fundamentals:
-Place each hand on either side of the ball and spread the fingers evenly.
-Fully extend your arms as you push the ball out from your chest.
-Be sure the pass is thrown with enough strength, with the ball parallel with the floor.
-You want the pass to arrive at your receiver above the waist and below the shoulders. 

Image: www.zimbio.com

Two-Handed Bounce Pass:

This type of pass is good to miss the defender´s hands, but it is the slowest one.
-Use the same grip and motion with this basketball pass as you did with the chest pass.
-The ball must hit the floor about two-thirds of the way to the receiver.

Two-Handed Overhead Pass:

This type of pass is easy to control and helps you keep the ball away from your defender.
-Position your hands on the sides of the ball with your fingers pointed up. Your thumbs should be on the back of the ball and pointing in toward one another.
-Bring the ball up above your head (be sure your hands go straight up, not up and back over your head).
-It's usually good to make a step forward with the foot of your strong arm side when you throw the ball.

Baseball Pass:    

Effective for long passes.
- Place the ball high above the side of your head with the passing hand behind the ball while the other hand is in front of and slightly under the ball. 
-Plant your rear foot and step toward the receiver with your front foot. Try to keep both hands on the ball as long as possible and throw the ball with a quick wrist snap and arm thrust.

 

Image: http.//hiphopstan.com 

Look at this video from www.ehow.com explaining the main types of passes:

 

 SUBTITLES: 1. Clic the play button. 2. Clic on the grey rectangular button with two lines

  

D) THE SHOOT:

Basic position:

-Your feet should be shoulder width apart with. Weight should be slightly forward on your toes, knees bent slightly, hips relaxed.
-If you're right-handed, place your right foot slightly ahead of the left  (if left-handed, place your left foot slightly ahead of the right).
A good basketball shooting starts with the correct balance and your power for the shot comes from the legs, not arms.

Ball Placement:

-Hold the ball close to your chest and just below your chin. Your shooting hand should be positioned a little under the ball and and a little more toward the back. Non-shooting hand should be cupped, slightly under the ball and a little more toward the front.
Your fingers and thumb must be well spread and your thumbs and index fingers forming a “W”
-The ball should touch your entire hand except for your palm.
Prepare to shoot:
Lock your wrist and tilt it back.
-Your hand, forearm, elbow, knee and foot should be in a straight line.
-Don't let your elbows stick out at your side. Keep the elbow pointed at the basket and closer to the basket than your wrist. This prevents you from "pushing" the ball at the hoop.
-Keep your head up. Your weight should still be slightly forward on the balls of your feet, knees bent slightly, hips relaxed. Focus on the front of the rim before, during, and after your shot. Don't look away to watch the ball in flight.

 

Image: http://www.youth-basketball-tips.com

The Shot:

When you begin the shot, your weight should roll  forwards, to the toes of your forward foot. If you lean backwards, on your heels, the ball will not reach the basket.
-As the ball leaves your hand, snap your wrist to release the ball with a  back spin, necessary for a soft shot.

 

 

 

 

Follow Through:

Visualize putting your hand into the basket as you follow through. This will help you get complete elbow extension and wrist flexion during the follow through.

 Image: http://www.youth-basketball-tips.com

 

Do you need to see all this to get a better idea of the shooting technique? Look at this videos:

Super slow motion shots:

 

A video from www.ehow.com explaining you how to shoot:

SUBTITLES: 1. Clic the play button. 2. Clic on the grey rectangular button with two lines

 

 

E) THE LAY-UP:

-Pick the side you are going to shoot from, right or left. Dribble the ball towards the basket with the hand of the side you are on. 

-When you get to the three point line, have the opposite foot in front of the side you're shooting from. Put the ball in the hand opposite the foot in front.

-Run two giant steps towards the basket you're shooting at. About 1.5m from the basket, stop dribbling and jump off the foot closest to the basket. As you jump, your other knee should come up towards your chest. 

-Throw your ball at the backboard top corner with the hand furthest from the basket (right hand when approaching the right side of the basket; left hand when approaching the left side). The ball should hit the backboard and pass through the net.

 

Look at this video explaining how to do a lay up:

 

 

 

F) THE UNDERHAND LAY-UP:

-If you are right-handed, approach the basket from the right side.

-You must jump off the foot opposite your shooting hand (in this case, the left) and bring your right leg, hand and arm up at the same time.

-The left hand is used to protect the ball.

-Keep the ball close to your body on the way up.

-Your shooting hand should be in front of and under the ball with the fingers pointed up.

-You should release the ball with a slight flick of your wrist, fingers and elbow at the peak of your jump. 

Image: http://a.espncdn.com

 

 Look at this video from www.ehow.com explaining you how to do a good lay-up:

 SUBTITLES: 1. Clic the play button. 2. Clic on the grey rectangular button with two lines

 

 

English Playground games, by Natasha Hunston

 

Base Dodgeball

• This is best played in a field with trees or things to hide behind.

• One person is ‘it’ and stands in the middle of the playing area with a ball

• Everyone else stands at one end, in a ‘safe zone’

• The aim is to run from one ‘safe zone’ to the other (at the other side of the playing area) without getting hit by the ball. If you get hit by the ball then you join ‘it’. Fetch another ball and try to hit people too.

• The winner is the last person running between the two safe zones.

 

Chain tag

• Choose two people to be ‘it’, the must hold hands or link arms, this is the beginning of the chain.

• Play tag as normal, except, when ‘it’ catches someone, they must link arms or hold hands with the person on the edge of the chain.

• The chain will get bigger and bigger and must not break.

• The winner is the last person to become part of the chain.

 

What’s the time Mr. Wolf

• Choose one person to be ‘Mr Wolf’. They stand at one end of the hall, facing the wall, while everyone else stands at the other end of the hall, facing Mr Wolf.

• Everyone shouts “What’s the time Mr Wolf”

• Mr Wolf replies by saying a time (only complete hours, no half past/quarter to e.t.c) for example “It’s 5 O’clock”

• Players have to take the corresponding number of steps towards Mr Wolf

• When Mr Wolf (without looking!) thinks that the players are close, he can respond to the question with “It’s dinner time!”

• When Mr Wolf shouts this, he turns around and chases the players back to the other end of the hall. If he catches anyone, they become the next Mr Wolf.

 

Crab football

• This is exactly the same as normal football except you have to remain in the crab position the entire time!

 

Piggy in the middle

• This works best in groups of three, but you can use more if you want.

• Every group needs a ball (either a tennis ball or bastketball/similar)

• Choose one person to be the ‘Piggy’

• The other players throw and catch the ball, while Piggy tries to intercept the ball.

• If Piggy catches the ball then the player who did not catch it becomes the next Piggy.

• If your group is very big, you could have more than one piggy, and even more than one ball.

 

 Hot Chocolate

• One person is ‘it’, and stands at one end of the hall, facing the wall.

• Everyone else stands at the other end of the hall, facing ‘it’.

• Players have to move forward, until ‘it’ shouts (or whispers!) “Hot chocolate”, when everyone has to stop moving and freeze. If ‘it’ notices anyone moving, then they send them back to the start.

• The aim of the game is to touch ‘it’s’ back first. The winter becomes ‘it’ in the next round.

 

1, 2, 3, Dragon

• Everyone stands in a straight line, holding the shoulders of the person in front.

• The person at the front of the line is the Dragon’s head, the person at the back is the Dragon’s tail.

• The tail shouts “1, 2, 3, Dragon!” and the head tries to tag the tail, without breaking the chain.

• If the Dragon breaks, then it is dead and the head goes to the back of the line and becomes the next tail.

• If the head catches the tail then they move to the back of the line and become the tail.

 

Duck, duck, goose

• Everyone sits in a circle, except for one person who stands on the outside.

• This person has to walk round the circle, tapping everyone on the head and saying ‘duck, duck, duck...’ with each tap.

• When they tap someone on the head and shout ‘Goose,’ that person has to get up and chase ‘it’ around the circle and back to their original place. If they don’t catch ‘it’ before he/she sits down in the empty space, then they become ‘it’ for the next round.

• If they manage to catch ‘it’ then ‘it’ must walk round the circle again and choose another Goose.

 

Down, down, down

• This works best in groups of about five, although it can be more.

• Each group has a ball (a tennis ball is best) and plays catch as normal.

• If someone drops the ball, the next time they have to catch it with just one hand.

• If they drop it again then they have to go down on one knee and catch it with both hands

• If they drop it again, one knee and one hand

• Then, both knees both hands, both knees one hand, then both knees but NO hands

• Finally, they have to lie on their back on the floor and catch it with both hands, one hand then no hands. After this they are out.

• The winner is the last person standing.

  
  

I am the greatest

• This is a game to practice doing Handstands.

• Everyone stands in a circle and chooses someone to start (Player 1).

• Then we sing a little rhyme which goes like this:

  • Player 1(while doing a handstand): I am the greatest!

  • Everyone else: Oh no you’re not, Not for the longest. Under, over, Pepsi Cola, 1, 2, 3, let’s hit it!

• Immediately after the end of this rhyme, everyone except for Player 1 does a handstand and tries to stay in the air for the longest amount of time possible.

• Player 1 is the judge, and when everyone is standing up again, he/she decides who did the longest handstand. This person becomes the next Player 1 and they start the rhyme again.

 

 

Acrosport / Acrobatic Gymnastics/ Sports Acrobatics:

Acrobatic Gymnastics shows a combination of the beauty of dance and acrobatics. Gymnastics skills add excitement to the exercises.

Acrobatic balances show grace, strength and flexibility. This sport is a partner sport requiring athletes of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

Routines are performed as: women’s pairs, men’s pairs, mixed pairs, women’s trios and men’s fours.

Pairs are made up of a base and a top. Women's groups are comprised of a base, a middle, and a top partner and men's groups have a base two middle and one top partner.

Bases are generally older athletes that display strength and balance. Tops are generally younger athletes and display flexibility and agility. Middles are often required to show a combination of all attributes.

 

A Glossary of Acrobatic Gymnastics Terms:

Aerial: A stunt in which the gymnast turns completely over in the air without touching the apparatus with his or her hands.

Apparatus: One of the various pieces of equipment used in gymnastics competitions.

Arch Position: The body is curved backwards.

Base partner: It is acceptable for partners to change position during the exercise.

Composition: The structure of a gymnastics routine. Each individual movement or skill is a building block; the arrangement of the moves in the exercise is called the composition of the routine.

Dismount: To leave an apparatus at the end of a routine; usually done with a difficult twist or salto.

Double Support: Two partners support top from equal base positions.

Execution: The performance of a routine.  Form, style, and technique used to complete the skills constitute the level of execution of an exercise. Bent knees, poor toe point and an arched or loosely-held body position are all examples of poor execution.

Flexibility: The range of motion through which a body part can move without feeling pain.

Routine: A combination of stunts displaying a full range of skills on one apparatus.

Salto Flip or somersault:, with the feet coming up over the head and the body rotating around the axis of the waist.

Sequence: Two or more positions or skills which are performed together creating a different skill or activity.

Transition: Movement of partner or partners in a group element from one fixed position to another without dismounting.

 

 

ABOUT HANDBALL...

Handball is a fast-paced game involving two teams of seven players who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break.   Handball is one of the most popular sports in Europe (after soccer) and is one of the fastest growing sports in Northern Asia and Africa. In the Americas it is becoming organized with national and continental championships and in Oceania it is on the cusp of taking off..                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Why play Handball?
Handball is a popular, spectacular, dynamic and exciting sport. It requires speed, strength, power, stamina, endurance, fitness and above all teamwork. Over 15 million people play the game in approximately 140 countries around the world. It is a wonderful mixture of soccer, basketball and a few water polo tactics thrown in.
Handball players need to be fit and skilled. The intensity of the game and the constant physical challenges will work the muscles, the central nervous system and the whole body. The goalkeepers need to be athletic, flexible, brave and have extremely quick reflexes.
Handball is also a game of tactics, strategies and problem solving. Players must divide their attention to three different tasks: teammates activities, opponents' activities and self-activities. Because of these tasks, Handball can be very beneficial both physically and mentallyHandball is a challenging sport both mentally and physically and this is why it is a fascinating and attractive game! It keeps you fit, healthy. It promotes diverse tactics and strategies. It is a dynamic, fast and fun sport.
There's something in it for everyone!
Ancient forms of handball
      The very fact that man has always been more adept at using his hands than his feet lends credibility to the claim made by famous sports historians that he started playing handball much earlier than, say, football.
    The games that were precursors of handball can only said to be distantly related to it in terms of their structure and rules of play. Nonetheless, the games of "Urania" played by the Ancient Greeks (and described by Homer in the Odyssey) and "Harpaston" played by the Romans (and described by the Roman doctor Claudius Galenus in 130 to 200 A.D.) as well as in the "Fangballspiel" (or 'catch ball game') featured in the songs of the German lyrical poet Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230) all contained certain features that can be described as ancient forms of handball.

Modern handball
     Modern handball was first played towards the end of the 19th century. The real impulses emanated from Denmark, Germany and Sweden. The founding fathers of field handball were probably German physical education experts who gained recognition for field handball as a separate sport at the turn of the century, based on the games of "Raffball" ('snatch ball') and "Königsbergerball" (Konrad Koch 1846-1911). In Sweden it was G. Wallström who introduced his country to a certain sport named "handball" in 1910.

Olympic History
    Handball, as an indoor sport was first presented in the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. A competition involving 16 men's teams was staged with Yugoslavia winning the first Olympic gold medal. (2nd Czechoslovakia, 3rd Romania). Women's handball was introduced at the following Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada in 1976. The USSR won the gold medals in the 6-team women's competition. (2nd Germany, 3rd Hungary).

HANDBALL RULES

Starting Play : All players begin the game in their own half. The team winning the toss starts the game with a pass from the center line. After the start of play, court players are allowed anywhere on the court except for either goal area.                                               

Scoring: a goal is scored whenever the entire ball passes the goal line between the posts and under the cross bar.

Moving the ball : A player is allowed to run three steps with the ball before it must be bounced, passed or shot. If bounced, a further three steps are allowed but the ball must then be passed or a shot taken at the goal. If a player with the ball is stationary and not dribbling, a three-second rule applies instead of three steps.

Dribbling : Dribbling is permitted. However, as soon as the ball is held with one or both hands, it must be passed after three steps or three seconds.
Playing the ball :Players can throw, punch or hit the ball in any direction using hands, arms, head, back thigh or knee. Contact with the ball below the knee is not permitted (goalkeepers are the exception). Passes back to the goalkeeper inside the goal area are also not allowed.

Substitutes : Substitutes are made at any time and without play being stopped. There is no limit to the number that can be made.

Contact : is limited to the torso only. Arms or legs may not be used to obstruct an opponent. Holding, pushing, hitting, running or jumping into an opponent are all fouls.

Free Throws : Infringements result in a free throw, which is taken from the spot where the foul occurred. Opposition players must be a minimum of 3 meters (1.5m in Mini-Handball) away from the player taking the free throw. All attacking players must be outside the broken line. If the infringement took place between the goal area line and the broken line, the free throw will be taken from the free throw line. In the case of serious infringements or when a goal scoring opportunity is spoiled by an infringement, a penalty shot is given. All other players, except the defending goalkeeper, must be outside the free throw line while the player takes the penalty from the penalty line ( 7 meters ). For rough play, a 2-minute penalty is given. If the same player receives three such suspensions, he/she cannot take further part in the match.
A penalty that deserves a warning consists of knocking the ball from a player’s hand, holding a player and obstructing their play, or pushing. A two-minute penalty can be given for excessive pushing, taunting, or arguing a call. The official may also call a delay of game penalty if a team is stalling or not attacking the net. The game is meant to be fast paced and high scoring, therefore no stalling is permitted (up to the official’s discretion).

The Goal Area : Except for the goalkeeper, the goal area can not be entered by any other player from either side. Goalkeepers can leave this area provided they do not have possession of the ball. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to dive for a ball that is lying or rolling on the ground. Offensive players are permitted to jump in the air over the goalie's area as long as the ball is released prior to landing.
Throw-ins A throw in is awarded when the ball crosses the sideline. The non-offending team throws the ball back into play. The player taking the throw in must place one foot on the sideline. A goal can be scored directly from a throw in.

RULES SUMMARY:
1.    Six (6) court players and one goalkeeper are on the court for each team.
2.    A player may dribble the ball (although it is discouraged) and is allowed 3 steps before and after the dribble. Only one dribble is allowed per possession.
3.    A player may hold the ball for 3 seconds before passing, shooting, or dribbling. After 3 seconds it is a violation.
4.    Players must only use their hands to pass or shoot the ball. The goalkeeper may use any part of his/her body to block a shot.
5.    Goal Area – this area is reserved for the goalkeeper. No other player (offense or defense) may enter this area.
6.    A player that is fouled inside the offensive zone will be awarded a penalty shot from the 7-meter line. A player that is fouled outside the offensive zone will be awarded a free throw from the point of the foul. The defense cannot guard the fouled player.

CODE OF ETHICS FOR HANDBALL PLAYERS:

 1. Treat everyone fairly within the context of their activity,regardless of    
    gender,place of origin, colour, sexual orientation, religion, political belief or
    economic status.
 2. Treat opponents with respect.
 3. Play by the rules and the spirit of the game.
 4. Exercise self-control at all times.
 5. Be a good team player and show respect to teammates.
 6. Respect the decisions of officials without gesture or argument.
 7. Show good sporting attitude when losing/winning games. Shake hands with 
    the referee's and the opponents after the game.

HANDBALL EQUIPMENT:
                                                                         
Choosing the correct shoes for playing handball: It is very important to choose the right training shoes as they ensure perfect movement control..  Good handball shoes must have an excellent grip (rubber sole is the best).The shoes needs to be light weight and of course needs to give good ventilation for the foot.
Handball size :The circumference of the Handball is different for men and women. The general rule is that the player should be able to hold the ball with one hand. Men: 58–60cm,Women: 54–56cm,Children: 47–50cm
Handball Court :A regulation team handball court is 20m x 40m. There are four lines marked on the court, the 6m/goal area line, the 7m/penalty line, the 9m/free throw line, and a center line midway between the two baselines.
 
Handball Goals :The official size goal for handball is 2 m high and 3m wide. It has a net hung on it in such a way that a ball thrown into the goal will not bounce straight out again. The net is one meter deep at the base of the goal.

HANDBALL SKILLS:

Types of Passes
•    Chest, Bounce, and Overhead passes – two hand passes used in basketball
•    One-handed shoulder pass – similar to a baseball throw
•    Shovel pass – an underhand pass used to deliver the ball quickly
•    Roll pass – a pass that is rolled along the floor to avoid the defense
•    Jump pass – a pass completed while jumping around or above the defending player
•    Hand-off pass – a pass that is like a hand-off in football

Types of Shots on goal
•    Jump Shot – the most popular shot because a player may jump from beyond the goal area and is allowed to land inside the goal area, as long as he/she throws the ball before landing
•    Lob Shot – used when the goalkeeper is out away from the goal
•    Set Shot – a simple throw from a standing position. Set shots are also used for all penalty shots.
•    Penalty shot – one on one with the goalkeeper. The shooter must stand with both feet behind the penalty line and keep one foot stationary during the shot.