Basketball

Scoring:
- 2 point field goal- a shot made from anywhere during play inside the 3 pt arc.
- 3 point field goal- a shot made from anywhere outside the 3 pt arc.
- Free throw- 1 point is awarded to an unguarded shot taken from behind the free throw line while the clock is stopped.

Skills:
- Boxing out-a player’s position between an opposing player and the basket to obtain a better rebounding position.
- Dribbling- bouncing the ball with 1 hand using your fingertips instead of your palm so that it rebounds back to yourself.
- Passing- moving the ball by throwing, bouncing, handing, or rolling it to another player.
- Shooting- throwing the ball to make a basket.
- Pivoting- stepping once or more in any direction with the same foot while holding the other foot at its initial point.
- Rebounding- The recovering of a shot that bounces off the backboard or the rim.

Terms:
- Air ball- a shot that completely misses the rim and the backboard.
- Assist- a pass to a teammate who then scores a field goal.
- Defense- team trying to stop the other team from scoring.
- Dunk- to throw the ball down into the basket with the hand above the level of the rim.
- Fast break- dribbling or passing the ball towards your basket before the defense can set up.
- Man-to-man- a defensive strategy where everyone guards an assigned player.
- Offense- team trying to score.
- Turn over- any loss of the ball without a shot being taken.
- Zone defense- a defensive strategy where everyone guards an area instead of a player.

Badminton

General rules and terms
- A player may not touch the net with a racket or history body during play.
- A birdie may not come to rest or be carried on the racket.
- A birdie may hit the net on its way across during play and the rally can continue.
- A player may not reach over the net to hit the shuttlecock.
- In class games will be played to 15 points and a match is 2 out of 3 games.
- Some types of shots are the lob, drop shot, smash and drive.

Serving
- A coin toss or spin of the racket determines who will serve first.
- The serve must travel diagonally to be good.
- A serve that touches the net and lands in the proper court is called a let serve and is reserved. A serve that is totally missed may be tried again.
- The racket must make contact with the birdie below the waist on a serve.
- The server and receiver shall stand within their respective service courts until the serve is made.
- Points may only be scored when serving.
- All lines are considered in bounds.
- In singles, when the server's score is an even number, the serve is taken from the right side. When the server's score is an odd number, it is taken from the left.

Volleyball

Play Volleyball
1. Maximum of three hits per side.
2. Player may not hit the ball twice in succession.
3. Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on serve.
4. A ball touching a boundary line is good.
5. A legal hit is contact with the ball by a player body above and including the waist which does not allow the ball to visibly come to a rest.
6. If two or more players contact the ball simultaneously, it is considered one play and the players involved may not participate in the next play.
7. A player must not block or attack a serve.
8. Switching positions will be allowed only between front line players.

Volleyball Basic Violations
1. Stepping on or over the line on a serve.
2. Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
3. Hitting the ball illegally (Carrying, Palming, Throwing).
4. Touches of the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play. If the ball is driven into the net with such force that it causes the net to contact an opposing player, no foul will be called, and the ball shall continue to be in play.
5. Reaching over the net, except under these conditions:
6. Reaches under the net.
7. Failure to serve in the correct order.
8. Blocks or spikes from a position which is clearly not behind the 10-foot line while in a back row position.

Cricket

By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players. 15 players are selected to form each "squad" and 11 players are selected from that squad. Each team has its own captain, multiple batsmen, multiple bowlers and other players acting as fielders. It is a bat-and-ball game played on a roughly elliptical grass field, in the centre of which is a flat strip, called a pitch.

First setting up the field
a) First of all, find an oval field to play on. The field should have a strip that runs down the field length wise, called the pitch. This is where the bowler will bowl the ball to the other team's striker. A boundary line should be clearly marked all around the field.
b) Mark the field with lines that indicate the creases. Marked should be the batting, return, popping and bowling creases.
c) Place the wickets on the field--one set behind the bowler and the other behind the striker. Each wicket has three stumps that stand side by side. At the top of the stumps are bails that connect the stumps.
d) Outfit the wicket keeper behind the striker with the gloves. He or she crouches behind the striker ready for the ball to be hit and is the only fielder that has gloves.
e) Start the game with a striker and a non-striker out on the field for the batting team. The striker is ready to be bowled to by standing in a batting position in front of the wicket ready to hit the ball.

Start to play the game
a) First toss a coin and the winner of the toss may choose to take the field or bat first. Cricket captains are the ones that make this and most of the decisions for the teams.
b) Bowl the ball to the striker, with usually one bounce before it reaches the striker. The bowler is trying to hit the wicket behind the striker to get him over.
c) Hit the ball and both the batsmen run to try to reach the opposite popping crease. When both successfully touch, by body or bat, the ground behind the opposite crease, a run is scored.
d) Score six runs by hitting the ball over the boundary with out touching the ground. If the ball reaches the boundary and touches the ground in doing so, the batting team is granted four runs. These runs are automatic unless the runners have scored more.
e) End an inning when ten of the batsmen are over, or the score required to meet is reached.

And now get an over
a) Get the striker over with six successive bowls that he has not hit and are all strikes. Un-hittable balls are not included in the six bowls. After the over, the bowler turns direction and pitches to the reverse side of the field.
b) Catch the ball in the air, while in the boundary, and the striker is out. Both feet of the fielder must be in the boundary. If the batsman touches the ball with his hand that is not touching the bat on purpose it is an over.
c) Break the wicket behind the bowler by direct hit from the bowler or reflected off the striker is an over. Also if a batsman touches or breaks a wicket with his body or equipment is an over.
d) 1. Reflect the ball with your body so it doesn't hit the wicker is called an over by the umpire.
2. Stumping the batsman is when the wicket-keeper gets the striker over by breaking the wicket when the striker steps outside of his crease while trying to play the ball.
3. Overs can happen if the next striker takes more than two minutes to appear on the field after the preceding wicket falls. Also if the striker it's the cricket ball twice while not defending the wicket.

The Most Popular Sports in America

How many popular sports does America have? The top five sports in my opinion do not reflect the views of other sports fans in America. It is important to note the history of these sports in America, the impact each sport has in our sporting culture and also some of the famous players that made these sports what they are today. Let's try to find it out!

1. American football began in the mid-late 1800's when players represented their college or university. The American football birthdates in the United States is commonly regarded as Nov. 6, 1869. American football is the most popular sport in America because it's exclusively played in America. American football's most famous tradition is the Super Bowl that started in 1935. The development of this nation-wide event brought Americans closer to the sport and arguably gave new meaning to the game. Today, the Super Bowl has the highest viewer ratings than any other television program in the country.

2. Baseball is the backbone to America's hardships during racial differences and political strife. It has been played longer than any other popular sport in America. During times of war and racial prejudices in America, baseball overcame these issues and became a sport American's knew would never stop being played. Ted Williams, one of Baseball's greatest players, was the last player to hit .400 in 1941. He hit over 500 home runs and is known to have one of the sweetest swings in the history of baseball.

3. Basketball is a game that nearly 300 million people play worldwide today. In America, it is one of the most popular sports, but is also a very popular sport in other countries as well. America and Russia are two countries that hold basketball to a high level of popularity. Players from Russia and surrounding countries are playing in the NBA. It is a culturally diverse sport and opening up new doors for foreign athletes to excel in an American- based sport.

4. Hockey is not an American-based sport, but people in America understand that hockey is one of the most popular sports in America. The continent's first hockey league was supposedly launched in Kingston, Ontario, in 1885, and it included four teams. A sport richly influenced by Canadian athletes, the game of hockey has transcended into America and become a popular sport for teenagers and young adults that enjoy playing street hockey, a similar version to traditional hockey on ice. Similar to basketball, hockey is a very popular sport in Russia.

5. Golf is one of America's most popular sport for one reason alone Tiger Woods. He has taken over the world of golf and also advertising. His phenomenal talent has inspired many African American's to play the game today. His statement to America is that it doesn't matter what color you are when it comes to playing a sport. He's a quintessential role model for young teenagers and a sporting icon for golfers in America.

Women's Soccer and Football

Women's soccer and football is very similar to the men's game with the same skills and techniques being required. Fitness, close control and other skills are just as important in women's football as in the men's game. One of the main differences is that women's soccer uses less of the long ball tactic, and requires shorter passes to build an attack.

Women's soccer is thriving throughout the UK with local leagues in all parts of the country. It is particularly popular in North America where soccer is equally popular amongst girls as boys.

Learn How To Play Soccer

In order to play soccer you will need to learn several different skills. In other words, knowing how to kick a ball properly will not be enough if you are aiming for higher goals.

To learn how to play soccer you will need to study 13 main skills. The thing is that these skills will come naturally while you are learning other skills. For example, while practicing on your passing skills you will also indirectly improve your accuracy and power. This will help you gain better shooting skills without even practicing on that particular skill.

One thing you should keep in mind is that you always need to work hard and do your best no matter if it is a regular practice or a competition final. Only in this way you will be able to succeed as a soccer player.