Dr. Naismith's Original 13 rules of basketball

[lmeadski]

I have to assume these have circulated here before. But, I came across these for the first time recently and found them interesting. From 13 rules to 90 page rule book and 90 page case study book. Evolution? Devolution? Enjoy:

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).

3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.

4. The ball must be held in or between 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 the game, no substitute allowed.

6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation 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 disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. 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.

10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive 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 15-minute 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.

[stosh]

Suppose you were given these 13 rules and told to go out and do a game. It would be impossible.

How does the game start?

How many players on each side?

What happens when the ball is held by opponents?

How high are the baskets?

How big is the field?

I could go on until I fill 90 pages worth of questions!

[tjlref]

I am reminded or a couple of things by this post.

1. I can remember my grandmother talking of playing basketball when she was a kid. She told me that they were not allowed to dribble the ball - I thought she was crazy, but there is no mention of dribbling in these 13 rules.



2. How great the game can be without dribbling.

I once coached a 5th grade team. We were up by 10 going into the 4th quarter - a huge lead in little league. I told the kids that they could not dribble, only pass the ball. Anyone that puts the ball on the floor to dribble would be on the bench at the next whistle.

The kids only put it on the floor a couple of times and won the game by 20 and learned a valuable lesson about passing the ball.