What did James Naismith invent in 1891? James Naismith's discovery

James Naismith
James Naismith
Date of Birth November 6(1861-11-06 )
Place of Birth
  • Almonte[d], Mississippi Mills, Lanark County[d], Ontario, Canada
Date of death November 28(1939-11-28 ) (78 years old)
A place of death
  • Lawrence, Kansas, USA
A country
Occupation inventor, basketball coach, writer, cleric, doctor
Awards and prizes
Media files at Wikimedia Commons

Naismith worked as a teacher physical education Springfield International training school in USA . Looking for an increase physical activity students in the winter, he came up with a similar ball game in the hall.

Education

Naismith was born in 1861 in the village of Ramsey (English Ramsay Township, later included in the city of Almont (Ontario), now Mississippi Mills). In 1883 he graduated from Almont High School (eng. Almonte High School).

The first officially registered basketball game took place in December 1891. He passed not quite familiar to us. So, there were 9 people in Naismith's teams (the doctor simply divided the group of his students equally), and they played with a soccer ball.

news of a new sports game spread all over America, and soon a lot of letters began to arrive at the college where Naismith taught, the authors of which asked to send them the rules of the game.

On January 15, 1892, James Naismith first published the rules of basketball in the Springfield College newspaper The Triangle. In 1892, the first Basketball Rules Book was published, containing 13 points, many of which are still in effect today. Although in some ways the “Naismith rules” differ from modern ones.

  • The player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw the ball from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.
  • The ball must be held with brushes. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.
  • In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; a second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is potted, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the whole game. It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.
  • Hitting the ball with the fist is a violation of points 2 and 4 of the rules, the penalty is described in point 5.
  • If either side commits three fouls in a row, then a goal is recorded for its opponent (this means that during this time the opponent must not commit a single foul).
  • A goal is scored if the ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a goal is scored.
  • If the ball goes out of bounds, it must be thrown into the field by the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
  • The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He is given the power to disqualify players under rule 5.
  • The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it is out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other action that a referee would normally take.
  • Dr. James Naismith is known worldwide as the inventor of basketball. He was born in 1861 in Ramsay (Ramsay) town, near Almonte (Almonte), Ontario, Canada ... James Naismith (eng. James Naismith); (November 6, 1861 - November 28, 1939) - is a basketball writer. Naismith was a physical education instructor at the Springfield International Training School in the United States. In search of increasing the physical activity of students in the winter, he came up with a similar ball game in the hall.

    Basketball is perhaps the only popular species sports, the date and place of the origin of which are known for certain. More than a dozen books have been written about this significant event, often with fictitious details telling about the first steps of this future addiction of millions. Nevertheless, it makes sense to at least schematically outline the main points of the formation and development of basketball, an artificially pictorial game that managed to win the hearts of fans around the world in a matter of decades, which in itself seems to be an unprecedented phenomenon. Already as a physical education teacher and college professor at Springfeld, James Naismith was faced with the challenge of creating a game for the Massachusetts winter, the period between basketball and football. Naismith believed that due to the weather of this time of year, the best solution would be to invent an indoor game. Naismith wanted to create an outdoor game for students at the Christian Workers' School that involved more than just force. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space. And so, in December 1891, James Naismith presented his nameless invention to his gymnastics class in Springfield (YMCA). In less than an hour, James Naismith, sitting at his desk in his office at the YMCA, formulated the thirteen rules of basketball.

    • a) The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
    • B) The ball can be hit with one or two hands in any direction, but in no case with a fist.
    • c) A player cannot run with the ball. The player must pass or throw the ball into the basket from the spot where he caught it, except for a player running at good speed.
    • C) In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul (dirty play); the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball has been potted and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, for the entire game. No substitution is allowed.
    • D) hitting the ball with a fist - violation of paragraphs of rules 2 and 4, the punishment is described in paragraph 5.
    • E) If one of the parties commits three fouls in a row, they must be recorded as a goal for the opponents (this means that during this time the opponents must not commit a single foul).
    • E) A goal is scored - if the ball thrown or rebounded from the floor enters the basket and remains there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a goal is scored.
    • G) If the ball goes on the attack (out of bounds), then it must be thrown into the field and the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
    • h) The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He has the power to disqualify players under Rule 5.
    • i) The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side must have the ball, and control the time. He must determine the position of the target, keep a record goals scored, as well as perform any actions that are usually performed by the referee.
    • J) The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of five minutes between them.
    • K) The side that scores more goals during this period of time is the winner.
    122 years ago, on January 15, 1892, James Naismith first published the rules of basketball.
    Basketball is perhaps the only popular sport whose date and place of origin are known for certain. More than a dozen books have been written about this significant event, often with fictitious details telling about the first steps of this future addiction of millions. Nevertheless, it makes sense to at least schematically outline the main points of the formation and development of basketball, an artificially pictorial game that managed to win the hearts of fans around the world in a matter of decades, which in itself seems to be an unprecedented phenomenon.

    The concept of basketball was born in his school years, while playing “duck-on-a-rock”…
    The meaning of this game, popular at that time, was as follows: throwing one, not a large stone, it was necessary to hit the top of another stone, larger in size, with it.

    Already as a physical education teacher and college professor at Springfeld, James Naismith was faced with the challenge of creating a game for the Massachusetts winter between baseball and football.
    Naismith believed that due to the weather of this time of year, the best solution would be to invent an indoor game.

    Naismith wanted to create an outdoor game for students at the Christian Workers' School that involved more than just force.
    He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space.

    And so, in December 1891, James Naismith presented his nameless invention to his gymnastics class in Springfield (YMCA).

    The first game

    The first game was played with a soccer ball,
    and instead of rings, to the railing of the balcony, on either side of the gymnasium, Naismith attached two simple baskets,
    and to top it off, posted on the bulletin board a list of thirteen rules that were to govern this new game...
    But soon, after the first game, the sheet with the rules disappeared ...

    And a few days later, one of Naismith's students, Frank Mahon, confessed to the "crime"...

    “I took them,” Mahon said to his teacher.
    “I knew this game would be a big hit and I took them as a souvenir.
    But now I think they should belong to you…”

    In less than an hour, James Naismith, sitting at his desk in his office at the YMCA, formulated thirteen rules of basketball. Here they are:

    1) The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or both hands

    2) The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.

    3) The player cannot run with the ball. The player must pass or throw the ball into the basket from the spot where he caught it, except for a player running at good speed.

    4) The ball must be held with one or two hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.

    5) In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul (dirty play); the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball has been potted and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, for the entire game. No substitution is allowed.

    6) Hitting the ball with the fist - violation of paragraphs of rules 2 and 4, the penalty is described in paragraph 5.

    7) If one of the parties commits three fouls in a row, they must be recorded as a goal for the opponents (this means that during this time the opponents must not commit a single foul).

    8) A goal is scored - if the ball thrown or rebounded from the floor enters the basket and remains there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a goal is scored.

    9) If the ball goes into touch (out of bounds), then it must be thrown into the field and the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.

    10) The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He has the power to disqualify players under Rule 5.

    11) The referee must keep an eye on the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should have possession of the ball, and control the time. He must determine the defeat of the goal, keep a record of goals scored, as well as perform any other actions that are normally performed by the referee.

    12) The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of five minutes between them.

    13) The side that scores more goals during this period of time is the winner.


    First basketball hall, YMCA Springfield Youth College,
    Massachusetts. A peach basket attached to a balcony

    Basketball has changed over time...

    At first it was a game of patience and strategy...
    Most early games had scores that never went over 15 or 20 points.

    Naismith closely followed the development of the sport, represented in many nations by the YMCA movement, as early as 1893.
    First time on Olympic Games basketball was introduced in Berlin in 1936.
    At the height of the game, Naismith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, despite the fact that he was already named after him.

    Basketball has come a long way since James Naismith.
    And today it is one of the most popular sports in a world that wouldn't be possible without Dr. James Naismith, the founder of this great game.

    Among the immediate predecessors of basketball, the children's game “duck on a rock”, common in the 19th century in some countries, with which James Naismith was well acquainted, is often cited: throwing a small stone, the player had to hit the top of another, larger stone with it. According to Naismith's biographers, it was at the moment of playing "duck on the rock" that the "concept of basketball" was born in the head of young James in general terms. The game finally matured when Dr. Naismith began teaching anatomy and physical education at the YMCA International Youth Training College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith noticed that winter gymnastics classes in the hall seemed too monotonous to students, and decided to occupy them with some new mobile game of dexterity and coordination that could be played indoors - and relatively small in size. At different ends of the gym, two baskets (in English "basket", hence the name of the new game) from under the fruits were attached to the balcony that encircled it around the perimeter (the height from the floor to the edge of the balcony turned out to be 3 m 5 cm, hence the standard , which is maintained to this day on all basketball courts in the world). The students had to hit the ball into the basket. And so basketball was born.

    The first officially registered basketball game took place in December 1891. It was not quite usual for us. So, there were 9 people in Naismith's teams (the doctor simply divided the group of his students equally), and they played with a soccer ball.

    The news of the new sports game spread throughout America, and soon the college where Naismith taught began to receive many letters, the authors of which asked to send them the rules of the game.

    In 1892, the first Basketball Rules Book was published, containing 13 points, many of which are still in effect today. Although in some ways "Naismith's rules" differ from modern ones. In Russia, the first match was held in 1906 in St. Petersburg.

    Personal life

    Naismith married in 1894 Maud Sherman. They had five children. Naismith received a medical degree.

    The 13 Rules of Basketball (as formulated by James Naismith)

    The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.

    Best of the day

    The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.

    The player cannot run after the ball. The player must pass or throw the ball into the basket from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.

    The ball must be held with one or two hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.

    In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is potted, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the entire game. It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.

    Hitting the ball with the fist is a violation of points 2 and 4 of the rules, the penalty is described in point 5.

    If either side commits three fouls in a row, then a goal is recorded for its opponent (this means that during this time the opponent must not commit a single foul).

    A goal is scored if the ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a goal is scored.

    If the ball goes out of bounds, then it must be thrown into the field and the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.

    The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He is given the power to disqualify players under rule 5.

    The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it is out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other action that a referee would normally take.

    The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of 5 minutes between them.

    The side that scores more goals during this period of time is the winner.

    One brilliant thought of James Naismith gave millions of people such a beloved game as basketball. Very few individuals in the history of mankind can boast of creating such an influential phenomenon. After all, basketball can be called a phenomenon, and not just a sport, given how many hearts he was able to win. Naismith's genius was manifested in the fact that he was able to subtly feel what it is at first glance simple game can appeal to people from all continents, all ages and classes.

    Naismith's childhood

    The childhood years of James Naismith can now be the envy of any child and even an adult. Love for exciting games, which would be manifested not only physical strength and dexterity, but also ingenuity, served as the root cause of the creation of basketball by Naismith, thanks to which this outstanding person forever inscribed his name in the history of sports.

    Naismith was born on November 6, 1861 in the Canadian province of Ontario. Young James was very active and adventurous, loved to spend his leisure time outdoors, preferred game types sports, which at that time were just beginning to gain popularity. In Canada at that time, the most popular team games among young people were european football, called "sokker", and traditional Canadian football. It was very similar in its style and rules to rugby, and only well-developed men could be Canadian football players, since power wrestling occupied one of the main places in this sport.

    Prerequisites for the emergence of basketball

    The origin of modern basketball can be traced back to a very simple team game, colloquially called "duck on a rock", which was popular in Naismith's Canada. During the game, a stone or a stump with a "duck" on it was installed on one edge of the field, the task of the opposing team was to throw off this duck, while the mission of the defenders was to prevent this. It is believed that this uncomplicated game inspired James Naismith to create basketball almost in the form in which we can see it now.

    Education and teaching

    James Naismith did not betray his passion and from his youth he firmly decided to link his future fate with physical education and sports, so he was educated as a teacher physical education and began working at Springfield College. After moving to the United States, he was able to devote himself entirely to teaching, doing it with inspiration and deep knowledge of the matter.

    As a teacher, Naismith was not just a dry functionary, he tried as hard as possible to instill a love of sports in his students, while trying to attract them to active pursuits not only in the warm season. In winter, only the gym remained at the disposal of students, in which it was impossible to play popular team games. It so happened that one day the director of the college instructed Naismith to get students interested in games at all costs, even in a cramped gym. As was typical of James with his lively mindset, he approached this matter in a very unconventional way.

    The first "basketball" matches

    James Naismith found a surprisingly simple and ingenious method to diversify the boring everyday life of his pupils. To entertain them with an exciting game within the walls of the gym, he placed fruit baskets at opposite ends, into which the players were asked to throw ordinary soccer ball. At first the baskets were placed on the floor. The first "basketball" was a very simple, but at the same time entertaining and exciting game that did not require a lot of space, it could be played as in gym as well as outdoors. To all, without exception, the pupils of Naismith a new game hit the spot, and in the college where James worked, it began to be played more and more often.

    Naismith fully displayed his genius in inventing a simple game that gave its participants the opportunity to show such qualities as accuracy, accuracy, good coordination of movements and the ability to play in a team. After some time, the inventor came up with the idea to raise the baskets above the ground by nailing them to the walls of the gym. This innovation made the game more difficult, made it more active and dynamic, and the players themselves now had a chance to show their abilities to the maximum in order to prevent the opponent from throwing the ball and earn points themselves.

    The birth of real basketball

    The first baskets for playing basketball were suspended at a height of three meters, and it was quite difficult for unprepared players to throw the ball into them. As well as getting it out of there, because after each effective throw the ball was hopelessly stuck in the basket.

    To make the game more comfortable, teacher James Naismith had to cut out the bottom of both baskets so that the ball could now fall out of them freely.

    It, in fact, was already almost the same basketball that we know now. Over time, not very comfortable baskets were replaced by strong steel hoops, which were already wearing a transparent mesh.

    The set of rules for basketball invented by Naismith was published on January 15, 1892, after which the popularity of the game began to beat all records. From all over America, Naismith received letters from those who wanted to get a printout of the rules of basketball, which began to be played in educational institutions of various levels throughout the country.

    Recognition of basketball in the world. Naismith's life after his invention

    To the credit of teacher James Naismith, who invented one of the most popular team games in the world today, it must be said that he never sought to derive personal benefit from his own invention. Being very open and human, he simply continued to do what he loved teaching, while millions of sports fans enthusiastically played basketball, which today is considered one of the most significant American inventions. Despite the fact that it was given to the world by a Canadian who received American citizenship only many years after moving to the United States.

    James Naismith showed his talent not only in the invention of a new sport. He was active in scientific work, received several academic titles, was fond of philosophy, medicine and religion.

    The amazing popularity of the game he invented speaks for itself by the fact that already in 1904 the first demonstration game was demonstrated to the public at the Olympics. A large-scale basketball tournament took place during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, which was attended by Naismith himself. Three years later, the brilliant inventor died, leaving behind an invaluable legacy, for which people from all over the world are grateful to him today.

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