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Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~Author Unknown

**This section is where you can find extra reading materials. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do.**



**I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx **

** ** **SPORTS AND HOW THEY WORK _ **

** Football **

How the Game Works The modern game is played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. Players pass the ball to each other by kicking or heading it, with the aim being to score goals by getting the ball into the opponent's goal. The game lasts for two 45-minute halves, and the team scoring the most goals wins. Draws are common, but if a winner has to be found, a game can go into extra time. If the score is still tied after thirty minutes of extra time, a 'penalty shootout' can decide the winner.

In general play, the goalkeeper is the only player who can touch the ball with the hands or arms. All the other players can kick or head the ball only. Players can tackle an opponent in order to get the ball from them, but must do so without pushing or tripping the player. Pushing and tripping, along with other illegal actions such as 'handball' and 'offside', are fouls that can be penalized with a free kick. If a foul is committed in the penalty area near either goal, the referee can award a penalty kick, meaning a player can have a free shot at goal, with only the goalkeeper being allowed to try to block it. If a player commits a more serious offence, such as dangerous play, the referee can issue a yellow card as a warning, or issue a red card, in which case the player is sent off and cannot be replaced by a substitute. Teams are normally allowed three substitutes, which can be used to replace players because of injury, or for tactical reasons.

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** Athletics **

** How Athletics Works **

Modern athletics meetings are held at both outdoor and indoor venues. Outdoor meetings are usually held in summer and spring, with track events run on a 400 meter track with 8 lanes while the jumping and throwing events take place on the large open area inside the track. Indoor meetings are held in winter, with running events usually held on a 200 metre track and a limited range of field events held on the area inside the track.

In both indoor and outdoor competitions, men and women compete in their own events. While they usually run the same distances in track events, hurdles are lower for women. In field events, the weights of the shot, discus, javelin and hammer are less for women than for men. To find out more… []

** Tennis **

How the Game Works

Tennis is played on a rectangular court, usually with a grass, clay, or hard court surface. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long and 27 feet (8.23 m) wide for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 m) wide for doubles matches. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the outer posts and 3 feet (.914 m) high in the middle. Lines divide the court into different areas, including four 'service boxes' in the centre of the court, in which serves must land. Before a match begins, one player is designated server in the first game, and play begins with this player serving the ball from one side of the back of the court into the service box diagonally opposite. If the serve is good, the receiver must hit it back into the server's side of the court. Play continues until one player cannot return a shot, or hits a shot out of the court, and loses the point. The server then serves again, and play continues until one player scores enough points to win the first game. Then the second game begins with the player who received in the first game now serving. Play continues until a player wins the first 'set' by being the first to win at least six games. Then the second set begins, and play continues until a player has won enough sets to win the match. In a 'best of three' match, the winner is the first to win two sets, and in a 'best of five' match, the winner is the first to win three sets.

Professional players learn to use many different shots, including the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob. They also learn how to put spin on their shots to make them more difficult to return, and learn how to use tactics to win, such as by playing to their opponent's weaknesses.

To find out more… [] ** Basketball **

How the Game Works Basketball is played on a rectangular court 28 metres long and 15 metres wide (approx. 92 ft by 49 ft) with a basket at a height of 3.05 metres (10 ft) at each end. Most indoor courts have a floor made of wood. Points are scored by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket. A goal scored from inside the three-point line earns two points (see diagram at right), and a goal scored from outside the three-point line earns three points, and goals from free throws earn one point.

NBA games are played over four quarters of twelve minutes. Teams include twelve players, but only five can be on court at one time. Players can be substituted as often as the coach likes. Each coach has a limited number of time-outs they can call during a game, and the game clock is stopped whenever play stops. Several officials oversee each game, including three on-court referees who call fouls, and table officials who keep score, run the game and shot clocks, and keep track of fouls and substitutions.

**Violations and Fouls **

The ball can be moved by throwing it to another player (called //passing //) or by bouncing it with one hand while running or walking (called //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">dribbling //). If a player moves both feet without bouncing the ball, he commits a violation called //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">travelling //. If he uses two hands while dribbling, he commits a violation called //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">double-dribbling //. If a player's hand moves under the ball while dribbling, he commits a violation called //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">carrying the ball //. Violations are also committed when time-limits are exceeded, and usually result in a free inbound pass for the opposition team.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">A //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">personal foul // is committed when a player challenges another player unfairly, such as by blocking their run or hitting their arms. A player or coach who argues with a referee commits a //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">technical foul //. Fouls can be punished with a free inbound pass, free throws at goal, or with sending off. A player who commits five fouls, or six in the NBA, can no longer take part in the game and is said to have been 'fouled out'.

To find out more… []