Basketball is a simple and fun sport. Any number can play, up to the full complement of ten, and basketball is as satisfying, half court as much as full court, pavement as much as hardwood or Tartan. The invention and spread of basketball is a story of fortunate circumstances and coincidences. With in a few years basketball had caught on in many places throughout the country, largely under the auspices of the YMCA and through the game's immediate appeal to spectators, until by the turn of the century the colleges had begun to dominate the game for both men and women. The rules have evolved in a complex and dynamic way over the years. In another irony there have been many attempts to curb the advantages of height but each anti-tall rule has forced big men to learn the full range of basketball skills. There remain some rules discrepancies particularly in the varied use of a time clock for forcing teams to shoot. .
Here are some basic skills needed to play basketball. First I am going to start out with passing. The idea is to get the ball to a teammate, the shooter, when and where he wants to shoot. Thus the pass receiver should have his hands in shooting position when he gets the ball, and its a shame if he has to move his hands more then a few inches from ready shooting position to receive a pass and then come back again to shoot. The key thing is to be in the ready position when receiving the ball, ready to pass, dribble or shoot. Efficiency is the point. Another kind of pass is the chest pass, the chest pass is a two-hand pass used when there is no obstacle between the passer and the receiver. It is usually a perimeter pass. The ball is grasped in both hands with spread fingers in a relaxed position. The ball is held at the chest and released with a flick of wrists pointing at the target. Another simple type of pass is the Overhead Pass. This is a throw hand pass thrown from hands extended fully overhead.