I have been playing basketball since age 5, enjoying its benefits for conditioning, fitness, strategy, and stress relief. The sport involves making field goals worth 1, 2, or 3 points depending on the shot's location, and fouls or violations can occur if the ball is handled or moved illegally. As one of few sports playable indoors or out requiring just a ball and hoop, I try to play 3 times a week with family, friends, and new acquaintances, though would play daily if possible, though the sport was invented in 1891 by James Naismith using soccer balls and peach baskets.

1. Playing Basketball
MY FAVORITE PAST TIME

2. WHY BASKETBALL?
• I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5 years old
• It is a great sport to improve conditioning and stay fit and healthy
• It involves as much thinking as it does physical play, and is very strategic
• Basketball is a stress reliever for me, I try to play as often as I can

3. RULES OF BASKETBALL
• Two point field goal is made inside the three-point arc, while a three point field goal is
made beyond it. A free throw is worth a single point.
• The main fouls that can be occurred are blocking, shooting, charging, and off ball fouls
• The main violations made include travelling which is moving illegally with the ball, and
double dribbling which involves dribbling with both hands
• As with most other sports, the team with the most points after time expires is victorious

4. WHEN DO I PLAY?
• I play basketball around three times a week, but if it was up to me I would play every
single day
• It is one of the few sports that can be played both indoor as well as outdoor
• It requires minimal equipment, a ball and a hoop is all that is necessary
• I play with both family and friends, but basketball has also introduced to me people I did
know before and has helped me develop new friendships

5. HISTORY OF BASKETBALL
• Canadian James Naismith invented basketball in 1891
• The first basketball game was played in March 1982 in Springfield, Ma
• Thirteen rules were published by Naismith
• They used soccer balls and threw them into fruit baskets
• In 1906 metal hoops, nets and backboards were introduced