Comprehensive Team Sports (PE Majorship) Notes

SOCCER / FOOTBALL

• Nature of the Game
  • Two teams of $11$ players.
  • Objective: maneuver the spherical ball into opponents’ goal without using hands/arms (except the goalkeeper inside penalty area).
  • Match length (standard): two $45$-minute halves.
  • Victory: team with more goals when time expires.
• Global Significance
  • World’s most-played & watched ball sport; FIFA estimates $250\ million$ active players (early $21^{st}$ century).
  • First Women’s World-Cup goal for the Philippines scored by Sarina Bolden (historical landmark for PH football).
• Historical Origins
  • Modern rules codified in Britain, $19^{th}$ C.
  • Football Association (1863) produced the first unified Law of the Game and started the first cup competition among regional clubs.
• Field & Dimensions (essential numbers)
  • Penalty area extends $18\ yards$ (≈ $16.5\ m$) from each goal line.
  • Goal size (adult): $8.0\ m \times 2.44\ m$.
• Starting Procedure
  • Referee tosses a coin with the two captains:
    • Winner chooses which goal to attack first half.
    • Loser takes the opening kick-off.
• Card System (Discipline)
  • Yellow Card: caution; two yellows ⇒ automatic Red Card.
  • Red Card: immediate expulsion; team plays short-handed for remainder.
• Player Positions & Core Tasks
  • Goalkeeper – only player allowed hand contact inside the penalty box; primary shot-stopper.
  • Defenders
    • Outside Full-backs: stay wide; rarely over-commit forward.
    • Central Defenders (center-backs): mark opposing strikers, clear aerial balls.
  • Midfielders – link defense & attack; highest work-rate; must both defend & create.
  • Forwards – goal scorers/creators.
    • Center Forward / Striker: most tactically dangerous finisher.
• Sample Licensure-type Questions (essentials extracted)
  1. A “Right Fielder” is not an official football position (distractor drawn from baseball).
  2. Keeper distinguished by a distinct uniform & permitted hand use within the box.

BASKETBALL

• Nature
  • Two teams of $5$; aim: shoot ball through hoop $10\ ft$ (≈ $3.05\ m$) high.
  • Court: rectangle; baskets at each end.
  • Scoring:
    • Field goal inside arc = $2$ pts.
    • Field goal beyond arc = $3$ pts.
    • Free throw = $1$ pt.
• Historical Notes
  • Invented $1891$, Springfield, Massachusetts by James Naismith for indoor winter exercise (at request of Dr. Luther H. Gulick).
  • First equipment: soccer ball & peach baskets; original teams had $9$ players.
• Game Initiation
  • Tip-Off / Jump Ball at center circle tossed by referee.
• Player Archetypes
  • Tallest: Center, Power Forward, Small Forward.
  • Shorter/ball-handlers: Point Guard, Shooting Guard.
• Key Violations / Rules (board-exam focus)
  • Personal Foul: physical contact (grab/push).
  • Technical Foul: unsportsmanlike (e.g., yelling at referee).
  • Charging vs. Blocking distinctions (offensive vs. defensive fault).
  • Offensive 3-Second rule: no more than $3$ s in lane when team controls ball front-court.
  • Only $5$ players per team on court at any moment (Rule $10$-$2$-$6$ NCAA).
  • After made basket: ball put in from endline (not sideline/center).
• Fundamental Skills
  • Dribbling: continuous controlled tapping toward floor.
  • Chest Pass follow-through: thumbs rotate downward, wrists fully flexed.
  • Right-hand Lay-up: jump off left foot, shoot with right hand; knee drive for elevation.
  • Shooting Focus: eyes up/court vision during dribble, not at ball.
• Officiating & Timing
  • Clock starts on touch after opening tip; stops on whistle (foul, violation, timeout) or unusual delays.
  • Timeout signal: referee forms “T” with hands.
• Sample Board-style Q&A Keys
  • Continuous tapping = Dribbling.
  • “Tip-Off” begins the match.
  • Penalty shot lane entry allowed when ball leaves shooter’s hand.
  • Fast-break best shot near basket = Lay-up.
  • Made goal despite foul counts, plus one free throw (3-pt play).

VOLLEYBALL

• Origin & Growth
  • Invented $1895$ by William G. Morgan (initial name “Mintonette”).
  • Scoring per set originally $21$ pts, later $15$, now rally-point $25$ (noted evolution $1917$ onward).
  • FIVB founded $1947$; Olympic debut Tokyo $1964$; Beach volleyball (2-aside) Olympic $1996$.
• Court & Rotation
  • Dimensions: $9\ m \times 18\ m$.
  • Six players: 3 front-row (positions $4,3,2$) & 3 back-row (positions $5,6,1$).
  • Rotational order must be maintained until serve contact; afterward players may interchange except back-row players cannot attack in front of attack line while airborne.
• Serving Techniques
  • Underhand, Overhand, Float (no spin, unpredictable path), Jump Serve (topspin or float variant).
  • Vocabulary:
    • Ace – untouched point.
    • Lollipop – soft easy serve.
    • “Bringing the heat” – very powerful serve.
• Passing & Setting
  • Forearm Pass / Bump: primary serve-receive; arms extended, thumbs parallel.
  • Overhead Pass / Set: fingertips contact; setter orchestrates offense; variants forward & back-set.
• Attack & Defense
  • Spike (attack hit): 3- or 4-step attack approach culminating in jump & arm-swing.
  • Block: first defensive wall; aims to take away hitting angles.
  • Dig: emergency defensive pass after opponent spike; quick lateral dives.
• Sample Exam Nuggets
  • Jump Topspin serve = fastest, hardest to pass.
  • Two simultaneous contacts by teammates count as one contact when part of a block.
  • Time-out limit: one per set, cannot carry over.
  • Unused time-outs do not accumulate.
  • Offense violation on serve ⇒ side-out; other team gains serve without point (old rules) or with point (rally scoring, depends on rule set).
  • Referee gesture:
    • Forearms rotating = Substitution.
    • Eight fingers spread (showing both palms) = Delay of service (server exceeded $8$-second limit).
• Key Attributes
  • Setter: good vision, soft hands, strong fingers, leadership (directs hitters).
  • Back-row attack legal only if take-off behind attack line.

BASEBALL

• Basic Structure
  • Two teams of $9$; field configured as diamond with four $90$-ft (≈ $27.43\ m$) bases.
  • Teams alternate offense (batting) & defense (fielding) each inning; after 3 outs sides change.
  • Regulation game: $9$ innings; team with most runs wins.
  • Cultural note: dubbed National Sport of the USA.
• Olympic Timeline
  • Unofficial demonstration $1904$; official debut $1992$; removed $2008$; reinstated $2020$(Tokyo Games).
• Defensive Positions
  • Infield: Pitcher, Catcher, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B.
  • Outfield: LF, CF, RF.
  • Designated Hitter (DH) bats for pitcher in AL/pro leagues.
• Strike Zone Definition
  • Vertically: midpoint between armpits & top of uniform pants down to just below kneecap.
  • Horizontally: over any part of home plate.
  • Umpire calls strike when any fraction of ball passes through zone.
• Core Skills
  • Throwing: cornerstone of fielding; overhand most powerful.
  • Pitching: initiates every play; located on mound at diamond’s center.
  • Catching: secures thrown/ hit balls to record outs.
  • Batting: offensive attempt to hit pitched ball into playable territory.

SOFTBALL

• Overview
  • Shares baseball’s basic rules but uses larger ball, shorter basepaths (typically $60\ ft$), underhand pitching.
  • Standard team = $9$ players; objective: score more runs by circling bases.
• Fundamental Defensive Skills
  • Throwing (overhand, side-arm, underhand whip).
  • Catching – paired with throwing; prevents advancement.
  • Fielding – collective action to minimize opponents’ scoring.
• Offensive & Running
  • Hitting/Batting: requires hand-eye coordination & pitch selection discipline.
  • Base Running: tactical awareness of outs, fielder positions, and force/ tag situations; aim to reach home safely.
• Specialized Roles
  • Pitcher: key player; shoulders bulk of team success responsibility.
  • Battery: traditional term for Pitcher + Catcher (coined $1860s$ by Henry Chadwick).
• Equipment Essentials
  • Bat: cylindrical, round, ≤ $34$ in length; ≤ $38$ oz.
  • Safety gear for catcher: mask, chest protector, shin guards (sometimes called “tools of ignorance”).
• Game/Rule Highlights
  • Official game minimum length: $5$ innings (rain-shortened) though regulation is $7$ in fast-pitch.
  • Walk (Base on Balls): batter awarded 1B after $4$ pitches outside strike zone not swung at.
• Situational Plays
  • Bunt: delicately tapped ball to sacrifice or reach safely.
  • Force vs. Tag: runner on 2B not forced to advance if 1B is unoccupied when ball is hit.
• Board-Exam Quick Keys
  • Strike zone defined “between armpits & knees over plate.”
  • Best outfield throw = Overarm (covers distance).
  • Right-handed batter’s initial sprint uses left foot first (closest to 1B).
  • Batter & pitcher together are not the battery; correct pair is pitcher + catcher.
  • Minimum official innings = $5$; $7$ for full fast-pitch game.
  • Runner on 2B with two outs must wait — tag up — if fly ball may be caught.