The fundamentals of “passing” in Sports
Passing is a major function in a large number of sports; the list of the sports that feature passing is very long. It includes basketball, football, handball, ice hockey, hockey, lacrosse, netball, rugby and many others. The history of this sporting fundamental
is long and interesting. Over time, athletes have developed innovative ways and methods to pass the ball to each other; some crazy and spectacular and some straight to the point. Passing involves unselfish behaviour from players, because one way to win a match
is to pass the ball or puck to teammate who is open to allow them to score without trying to take all the glory for themselves. This very important aspect of numerous sports needs to be looked at in greater detail.
In the beginning of team sports, players needed a way to transport the ball down the court or the field and the easiest way to do that was to utilise their teammates and distribute the ball between them all. Thus passing was born.
It is not possible to track down when passing originally was invented because it was probably very early on in sports that players felt the need to get the ball to a teammate. But passing was first seen in the sport of Cornish hurling, which is an interesting
and slightly odd sport native to Cornwall in the UK. This sport features a silver ball which is passed from person to person who are all running through city streets, fields and gardens. Modern day passing originated in the 1860s and 1870s in schools in the
UK. Football teams of these schools, such as the Rugby School, used passing initially and then it moved to clubs such as Sheffield FC. The act of passing the ball to teammates found its way into numerous different sports all over the world.
There are numerous sports which feature passing and listing the details of each and every one of them would not be possible so we will look at passing in basketball and football. In basketball, over the years, passing has developed into one of the most important
aspects of a good offensive attack. The quality of passes can sometimes determine the effectiveness of the offense being mounted.
Tricksters abound in the sport and fans have witnessed some of the most interesting and awe inspiring passes to take place in the game. We have seen behind the back passes, under the leg passes and even passes that are disguised as shots. But it seems the
best passes are simply those that are executed in a straightforward manner and do their job; to get the ball to their teammate to give them the chance to score. In the game the point is to score a basket and the purpose of a high quality pass is to punch a
hole in the defence to give a player the opportunity to make a clear and open shot. Basketball players have to always be on the lookout for a teammate that is open and ready to make a shot. Many coaches have said that crisp, clean and effective passes help
to win games.
In football, passing is a vital part of the sport and is used to move the ball up the field, to find unguarded teammates and to give players the opportunity to score goals. In football, the ability to pass the ball well means a player must have great timing.
A player will see a teammate on the run and has to time the pass perfectly to make sure the ball beats the defenders and reaches the player in front of their run as to give them a scoring opportunity. Passing in football, like basketball described above, is
all about scanning for the open player; a good player must be aware of exactly where his teammates are at all times and has to use skills in trying to determine where they are likely to be in a few seconds time. Passing in football is also about communication;
a good passer will always communicate with his or her team and let them know exactly where the ball is at all times of the game.
Numerous other sports also feature similar sorts of fundamentals when it comes to passing and this important aspect of team sports can mean the difference between winning and losing sometimes.
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