The Daring Book for Girls - Andrea J. Buchanan [3]
Pass behind the back: Dribble the ball. When you’re ready to catch the next bounce, reach for the ball from the side, using your full palm to sweep the ball behind you into your left hand. When you’re really good at this, the ball will go all the way around the back of your body and bounce on the other side, ready for the dribble to continue from the other hand.
AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND THE WORLD
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This is a classic game that can be played alone or with limitless friends and is a good way to practice your shooting from different spots on the court.
With chalk or tape, follow the illustration to mark the circuit. To play, follow the numbers and shoot a basket from each spot on the free-throw line, the area between that and the three-point line, and finally, shooting from the three-point line itself.
When you make the basket, advance to the next station and shoot again. The ball is yours until you miss. If you miss, stay where you are, and pass the ball to the next player, who shoots and advances, or misses and stays put. On your next turn, shoot again until you make the basket and move ahead. The final shot must be made two times in a row or you return to the beginning. The winner is the first person to complete the circuit.
VARIATIONS
♦ Mark the court with ten stations, instead of eighteen.
♦ If you miss the ball from one spot, and miss it on the second try, return to the beginning of the circuit.
♦ Each player has her own basketball, and advances through the circuit at her own pace.
Rules of the Game: Netball
JAMES NAISMITH, the Canadian YMCA instructor who invented basketball, also invented a game called netball in the United States in 1891. Netball never captured the imagination of Americans, but when some schoolteachers brought it to England, it caught on and spread like wildfire through the British Commonwealth. That’s why netball now has a storied history in Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and India.
Fashioned as “women’s basketball,” netball is played with a small soccer ball. The team uniform is skirts, though in Muslim nations like Pakistan, where netball is becoming more popular, girls wear pants, and some even play in headscarves. In 1995, netball was recognized as an Olympic sport, but it has not yet been added to the roster of competition.
SOME THINGS TO KNOW
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1. Netball is a game of passing. Unlike basketball, there is no dribbling. You don’t bounce the ball and run full court. The netball court is divided into three zones. Players are limited to specific thirds of the court and they pass the ball quickly, from one zone to another. A player with the ball must pass to the next player within three seconds. She can pass the ball within a zone or into the next zone, but can neither skip a zone, nor throw the ball way down court.
2. A netball team has seven active positions. Each player has a particular position, one opposing player she defends against, and a specific part of the court she plays in.
NETBALL POSITIONS
Abbreviation Position Defends against the: Playing Area
GS Goal Shooter GK: Goal Keeper A, goal circle
GA Goal Attack GD: Goal Defense A and C, goal circle
WA Wing Attack WD: Wing Defense A and C, not goal circle
C Center C: Center All thirds, not goal circles
WD Wing Defense WA: Wing Attack C and D, not goal circle
GD Goal Defense GA: Goal Attack C and D, goal circle
GK Goal Keeper GS: Goal Shooter D, goal circle
3. A player with the ball cannot run. Instead, netball players perfect the pivot and move their bodies while keeping one foot planted on the court. Fouls committed against these rules, breaking the 3-second rule, or the ball going offside result in a free pass by the opposing team.
4. The basket is suspended on a ten-foot pole. There is no backboard. To make a goal, one stands within the goal circle, aims for the front or back of the rim, and shoots high, with some backspin. Oh, and no jumpshots, as at least one foot must stay on the floor. Each goal is worth one point,