How are soccer and basketball alike

Soccer vs Basketball - Major Differences and Similarities

Apart from soccer as a ball game, there exist other ball games like basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, etc. All of the listed sports or games involve the playing of a ball which may differ in shape and size.

Meanwhile, Football also known as soccer stands to be the biggest and most supported game of any ball game existing presently. 

With the facts we have garnered so far, we will be looking closely at the differences as well as the similarities between soccer and basketball.

Not undermining the fact that soccer seems to be the most dominant ball game, the game of basketball is another ball game that has a very huge following all over the world.

Although both games involve playing with a ball, there is a long thin line that differentiates one from the other, which makes both undoubtedly unique ball games. The two sports are unique on their own in various aspects and we will be looking at soccer vs basketball below.

READ: What is a Clean Sheet in Soccer?

A major difference between soccer and basketball comes to play with regard to the number of players in a team. This is one of the clear differences between the two ball games. 

In soccer, each team is made up of 11 players (10 outfield players and a goalkeeper who stays in between the sticks to guard his goal). This is not the case when it comes to basketball as it is a different situation entirely. 

In basketball, each team has only 5 players that are permitted to be on the court when play is one at any point in time. The game of basketball allows for 10 players with each team having 5 players on the court.

The shape and size of the ball in use are different

Soccer and basketball involve the use of balls when playing and it should be known that the balls for both sports differ as they come in different shapes and sizes.

One similarity is that the balls used in both sports are made of leather or better still composite leather. 

Regardless, differences between the ball used in basketball and the one used in soccer can be seen in how they bounce, the type of color, weight, size, and hardness, amongst others.

For basketball, the color of the ball is dark brown and this is a big difference from a soccer ball which is usually white. How they bounce is also different. 

The ball used for basketball is designed to bounce up and down very fast while the ball for soccer is made to fly in the air based on their different weights. For sports fans that have come across the balls used in both sports, the basketball is heavier, thicker, and harder than a soccer ball.

READ: What is ECNL soccer? All you should know

Duration of games is another aspect where soccer and basketball differ considerably. Soccer games are longer than basketball games.

Based on previous articles, we’ve explained that soccer games last for 90 minutes and this time is divided into two halves of 45 minutes each known as the first half and second half. 

However, basketball games last for 48 minutes that are broken into four 12 minute periods plus halftime which lasts for 15 minutes. Therefore, it is a no-brainer that soccer games are longer than basketball games.

Both sports are designed to operate differently. It can be recalled that soccer was meant to be played with both feet while basketball is designed to be played with both hands. Soccer is a foot game and is also referred to as football in some countries while basketball is a hand game.

Soccer and basketball come with jerseys that differ in look and design. The numbers allotted to players in both sports are different. 

Also, their tops are different as soccer players wear shirts that can be a half-sleeve or full sleeve. This is not the case with basketball where players wear sleeveless shirts.

In the argument of soccer vs basketball, the aforementioned points are the major differences between the two very popular sports that have some very influential professionals. Regardless, soccer and football share some similarities and we’ll be discussing them below.

READ: What are caps in soccer?

We’ve digressed from the soccer vs basketball argument and we are here to face the similarities between both sports. Soccer and Basketball involve the use of a ball. 

Soccer involves the movement of a ball between a team of 11 players against another on the pitch while basketball involves the handling and movement of a ball between a team of 5 players against another in a basketball court. Therefore, both sports use balls. Without the balls, soccer and basketball cannot be played.

Soccer and Basketball share similar sporting techniques

We all know that various sports have techniques that are peculiar to them. However, soccer and basketball share some techniques that must be deployed to perfection for any of the teams in both sports to emerge tops against their opponents.

Measures to prevent sides from finding the net are applied in both sports such as dribbling, passing, throwing, defending, amongst others.

Soccer and basketball require teams to be in place for games to proceed. For instance, the game of soccer is played between two teams and the same applies to basketball although they differ in the number of players that engage in action per sport. 

As we pointed out earlier, both sports cannot take place without the use of a ball. The ball is the driving force and is the main attraction in both sports. Teams wrestle to have the ball and dominate with it in both sports to enhance their chances of winning. Just imagine these two sports without a ball.

READ: What is a Red Card in Soccer? Full Guide

They make use of nets 

Soccer and basketball involve the use of nets although they are deployed in different fashions. A goal in soccer requires that the ball must hit the net or go past the goal line to be counted. In basketball, the ball must go through the net for points to be awarded. Without the nets in place, both sports would be directionless and without motive.

We’ve seen the differences and similarities between soccer and basketball. Both sports are entertaining, have stood the test of time, and continue to garner fans all over the world. Both sports involve the use of the ball and while soccer is played with both feet, basketball is played with both hands. 

Both sports are popular in North America and have produced some elite superstars and professionals that have wowed the world in each sport respectively and continue to do so.  

In this article, we’ve pointed out notable differences and similarities between basketball and soccer that fans of both sports should be aware of. 

Similarities And Differences Between Soccer And Basketball – Explain Soccer

Comparing different sports is often a great idea when you are familiar with one of them and you want to learn about the other one.

It’s also good to compare different sports to learn about what’s unique about each one of them. This is what this article is all about.

I have been a soccer fan for more than a decade. I have watched soccer and I have played it countless times. As for basketball, I have also played a number of games, and I have watched plenty of basketball matches. I’m using my knowledge in both sports to write this article.

So without further ado, here are the similarities and differences between soccer and basketball.

Differences between soccer and basketball

Soccer and basketball can be viewed as extremely different sports by a lot of people, and you might become one of these people as well after learning about the following differences:

1- Handling the ball is completely different between soccer and basketball

As a soccer player, you are allowed to touch the ball with any part of your body except your arms. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to touch the ball with their hands, and they are only allowed to do so inside the penalty area.

This is one of the rules that form the identity of soccer. “No touching please”. 

Soccer players use their legs to handle the ball on the field, and they also use their other body parts to trap the ball and keep it under their control.

Basketball on the other hand relies on the usage of the arms to score points. It’s like the complete opposite of soccer. 

In basketball, you use your hands to bounce the ball and advance forward, and you use your arms to throw the ball into the basket to score points.

You aren’t allowed to use your feet purposefully in basketball to handle the ball in any way.

So in simple words, soccer is about kicking the ball while basketball is about throwing the ball.

2- Soccer has a different points system than basketball.

The winner of a soccer game or a basketball game is the team that scores more points during the game.

However, the way these points are calculated is different between the 2 sports.

For example, soccer rewards only a single point per goal no matter how the goal was scored. In terms of points, an overhead kick that ends in a goal is worth as much as an easy penalty kick goal.

It’s that simple in soccer. You score a goal, you get a single point and that’s it.

Basketball rewards a different number of points depending on how you land the ball into the basket.

For example. You either get 2 points or 3 points by scoring a field goal. Whether you get 2 points or 3 points depends on the area that you score from. You also get a single point if you score a free throw.

In other words, basketball rewards a different number of points for different scoring methods, unlike soccer, which only rewards a single point per goal no matter how the goal was scored.

3- Time is measured differently in soccer than in basketball.

In soccer, the timer of the game starts from zero and then goes up. The more interesting fact about the timer in soccer is that it doesn’t stop no matter what happens on the field.

Whether the game is on or not doesn’t matter for the soccer clock. It just keeps going even if the ball is out of play. 

A few minutes of extra time are used to compensate for the time lost while the ball is out of play, but these minutes usually do not match the number of minutes that are actually wasted during the game.

As for basketball, the timer stops whenever the game stops, and it resumes when the game resumes.

In other words, every single second of the allocated time for a certain basketball game is actually played.

This may result in unpredictable full match durations, but it gives both teams the full time allocated to win the game.

4- Ties are allowed in soccer but not in basketball.

In soccer, many matches can end in a draw. These are usually matches played in table competitions where the team that collects the most number of points wins.

In other words, some soccer games are allowed to end in a draw and each team will win a single point in the competition table.

It’s worth noting that draws aren’t allowed in some soccer games too. For example, a world cup final must have a winner. But in many cases, draws are allowed during a soccer game.

You can learn more about why soccer allows ties from this article.

Basketball on the other hand doesn’t allow ties in general. When a tie takes place in a basketball game, extra time is given until a winner is decided.

Keep in mind that Basketball can afford not allowing ties because ties aren’t very common anyways, and a lot of points are scored within minutes during a basketball game.

Soccer on the other hand has a very small number of goals per game, and thus ties are much more common in soccer than in basketball.

5- Unlike soccer, basketball has timeouts.

Timeouts are allowed in basketball. A basketball couch can ask the referee to stop the game in order for their players to catch their breath and in order for the coach to get a chance to give new instructions to their players based on how the game is going.

This isn’t the case in soccer however. The only time that a soccer coach gets to talk to their players is during halftime and that’s it.

It is usually much more difficult for a soccer coach to make drastic changes in their team during a soccer game because they don’t get a lot of chances to communicate with the players of the team while the game is on.

6- The fields of play and the teams.

Soccer fields are huge. A Soccer field is somewhere between 110 yards – 120 yards in length. The ground of the field is usually made of grass, and 11 players per team play on the field during a soccer game.

Basketball courts are smaller. A basketball court is around 30 yards long. In other words, some soccer fields are more than 3 times bigger than basketball courts. The basketball ground is usually made out of solid wood or plastic, and it is usually shiny.

As you can very easily guess, a smaller field requires that each team has a smaller number of players, or else the whole court will be crowded with players.

Basketball has 5 players per team in general. That’s nearly half the number of players on a soccer team.

7- Soccer players wear different jerseys than basketball players.

The last difference that I want to mention in this article is the uniforms that the players wear. Players from both sports wear cleats, shorts, and a shirt.

However, there are slight differences in each part of these uniforms. For example, soccer players wear t-shirts while basketball players wear sleeveless shirts and so on.

This wraps up some of the differences between soccer and basketball when it comes to the rules, the timing, the dress code and so on.

Similarities between soccer and basketball.

While soccer and basketball are different in a lot of ways, they do share many interesting similarities. Here are some of them

1- Soccer and basketball are team based games

Team based games are more exciting to me in general. I don’t know about you, but I always love watching the way the players collaborate with each other and the way they build their chemistry together.

Both soccer and basketball are team based games. They require high levels of collaboration among the players, and one weak link in the team can affect the performance of the whole team.

2- The ball is the central focus of soccer and basketball

There are a lot of ball based games out there, soccer and basketball are 2 of these games.

In both games, the players are required to collaborate together by passing the ball to each other until they reach their target.

They are also required to grab the ball from their opponent in an organized way when they lose it.

3- Soccer and basketball require some similar skills.

Agility, vision, endurance, running, and so on, are all skills that are absolutely required if you want to be a professional soccer player.

Guess what, these same skills and many others are also required to become a great basketball player.

In other words, soccer and basketball share a number of required skills. 

For example, agility is required in both sports in order to trick the opponent by making sudden and quick movements. Vision is required in both sports in order to know when to pass the ball to a teammate and how to pass the ball to them, and so on.

4- Teams from both sports assign a team captain.

“Team captain” is a thing when it comes to both soccer and basketball.

Almost all professional soccer teams assign a team captain, and this captain identifies themselves on the field by wearing a captain armband. 

A soccer team captain also has some extra duties on the field. For example, they accompany the referee when deciding which side of the field each team will start on during a soccer game.

But what about basketball? Well, basketball teams can also have a team captain. A team captain’s responsibility is to keep their teammates motivated and to push them to do their best.

However, before I end this article, it is worth mentioning that not all teams assign a team captain in basketball. It’s usually up to the teams themselves to decide whether they want to select one of their players as team captain or not.

CONCLUSION

Both soccer and basketball are extremely popular sports all over the world. 

It’s true that in certain areas around the world, one is more popular than the other, but the overall popularity of both sports is undeniably massive.

With that said, enjoy both sports, and play both sports because each one of them has its own benefits to your body and to your mind.

Football had a big impact on Kobe, San Antonio and Hakim Olajuwon. And now he is changing basketball and the NBA - Personal foul - Blogs

In the article about basketball unicorns, I mentioned that many good basketball players played different sports in their youth.

Now I would like to take a closer look at the connection between basketball and football. But this text is not about LeBron buying a stake in Liverpool, Griezmann dressing up as a Harlem Globetrotters player , and Shaq being sick for Northampton Town.

I would like to focus on how basketball players benefit from playing football and how football can transform American basketball in the future.

FOOTWORK

Hakim Olajuwon grew up in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. And for the first 15 years of his life, he mostly played football.

“Usually Hakim stood at the gate. Long arms already then helped him to beat off the blows of the attackers. Sometimes he went into the field as a defender, but he never missed the opportunity to run into the attack and try to score a goal, ”says Olajuwon's biography by Matt Christopher (children's book, but the other was not in the public domain).

You can read about football goalkeepers in Gleb Chernyavsky's blog ( here and here ). According to the materials, it is clear that although the goalkeepers hit the balls with their hands, they do it due to the work of the legs and the constant tension of the mind.

It's not for me to tell you about the greatness of Hakim, who combined outstanding anthropometry, game intelligence, mobility/footwork and character. Better read the recent text by Artem Panchenko or his material from 2013 about training with Moses Malone.

I will only add that even at 50 years old (!) Hakim moved softly and aesthetically against the background of LeBron (!!), let alone the best years.

Another thing is that when they tried to adapt the same body skills like an owl to a globe for a less gifted player - turned out to be such a . And I suppose that Hakim, unlike Howard, absorbed the same "foundation" through football, among other things.

Joel Embid's story is broadly similar to what Hakim went through. And one of these common features is the love of football. The Cameroonian himself claims to be the best player in the current NBA.

In the video below, next to Embid is Clint Capela (Swiss, played football until the age of 13).

Así se divierten #JoelEmbiid y #ClintCapela en #Cardiff con motivo de la final de la #UCL. ¡Fantastico! ⚽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/0Z244tyEhS

— G. Gabriel Garduño (@GabGardh) June 2, 2017

And if the art of playing through the post (where footwork is key) is still alive in the NBA, then Embid is one of those who keep it afloat.

Toni Kukoc was a great table tennis player as a child, winning regional level tournaments at the junior level. At the age of 12, under the influence of his father, he became infected with football and until the age of 16 he dreamed of one day getting into the local Hajduk. Tony's father was a goalkeeper, so Kukoc Jr. also tried himself in goal or played defense. At the age of 16, Tony grew 10-15 cm in one summer (in his own words), so he decided to switch to basketball.

In terms of developing coordination, it is difficult to come up with a more deadly combination than football and table tennis. Kukoch first learned to move around the tennis table, where not even a step to the left or right can play a key role, but the transfer of the body's center of gravity to select the optimal position for hitting. After that, he kind of reached a new level (at the gate), where you need to cover a large area.

Even before moving to basketball, Kukoč gained footwork and concentration skills, improved coordination and reaction. It only remained to get used to the new body.

Janis Krumins came to basketball very late - at the age of 23. Yes, and he didn’t come himself, but Gomel Sr. dragged him. Krumins had previously been lured by javelin, boxing and wrestling coaches, but apparently no one was as persistent as Gomelsky. Giant dimensions (218/140), physical strength, even a low percentage of fat (as Gomelsky himself writes in the book Centers) - Krumins had everything. It only remained to make a basketball player out of him. And Gomelsky did it, and in just a couple of years. Not the last role in this was played by football.

This is what Vladimir Gomelsky writes in his book “Papa. Great coach”:

“And how dad taught Krumins to catch the ball! I will never forget how he put him in the football goal and hit him with a penalty kick with a basketball, demanding that the ball not be beaten, but caught.

Later I saw that Volodya Tkachenko and Vitya Pankrashkin were also taught to catch the ball, who was far from being as tall and not as physically strong as Krumins - in general, all tall people were taught to catch the ball in this way.

Another proof of A.Ya. Gomel.

MOVING WITHOUT THE BALL

Another problem with the most star-striped sports, baseball and football, is that there is very little running.

Runner's World's article states that in baseball, in game situations, athletes run less than 100 meters per game. In American football, the most mobile positions (receivers and cornerbacks) run about 2 km per game. In the NBA, core players (30+ minutes per game) run about 4-5 km. In football - 8-11 km.

At the same time, the average speed of movement of basketball players on the court is also easier to compare with football than with baseball or American football. The first two games are designed for a large amount of passive movement, and the second two are for sharp bursts of maximum speed with significant pauses between.

The average speed of an NBA player is about 6.5-7 km/h. The top players of the Champions League are moving at a speed of about 8 km/h. Although there are exceptions here and there.

For example, James Harden was the NBA's top slow-moving starter for the 2019/20 season (averaging around 5.6 km/h). This figure fits perfectly into the overall impression of Harden's game. In a one-on-one situation, the leader of the Rockets uses long periods of lulling dribbling and looks for weaknesses in the opponent’s defensive stance, after which he makes a sharp jerk like a snake and decides the episode in a second or two. Similarly, at the current stage of his career, the leader of Barcelona, ​​Lionel Messi, is acting, who often walks around the field on foot and moves at an average speed of even less than 5 km / h, but at the right moment he accelerates and creates momentum.

I inserted a comparison with a snake in Harden's description for a reason. There was one player in the NBA who compared himself to a snake, although he acted in a not very similar manner.

Ben Taylor, author of the book and podcast Thinking Basketball shortly before Kobe Bryant's death, made out what was the key difference between the former Lakers leader and Harden and due to which Bryant added efficiency in the playoffs.

In short, Kobe moved well without the ball. And I would suggest that he owes this dignity to football.

His father, Joe Bryant, spent about half of his basketball career in Italy and moved his family with him, so Kobe was fluent in Italian, supported Milan and planned to become a professional football player. Later in the NBA, it turned out that few superstars understand the geometry of the game as thoroughly as Kobe.

“You see how all the players move around the court. You see the whole combination. I played a lot of football as a child, so my eye and my brain got used to seeing combinations that involved three or four players, and not one or two.

Strategy is important in football. You must know what you will do with the ball before it hits you. I liked the idea that the ball moves from one player to another very quickly, so you need to make decisions instantly and see what is happening around, ”said Bryant in an interview.

Yes, someone associates Kobe with the words "edinal". But he won all his championship rings by playing next to someone who takes up space and time in possession of the ball, be it Shaq or Gasol. And in both cases, Bryant found a way to be helpful. One can, of course, argue what came first - a chicken or an egg, in the sense of Kobe with or without a ball. But everything points to the fact that moving without the ball is the very “fundamental” skill that you can do without in the regular season, but it will be tight in the playoffs.

MOVEMENT OF THE BALL

Basketball is a game of thinking on the go, making decisions in 4-in-3, 3-in-2 and 2-in-1 situations, it is the constant movement of players, improvisation and situational thinking. But winning situations are difficult to generate if the ball itself does not move.

“If I were the head of all American basketball, then I would make sure that young basketball players all play football. The problem is that now any novice player is trying to get around the other due to dribbling, to beat him one on one. As a result, they turn out to be extremely gifted in terms of dribbling, but do not know how to pass or move correctly. Football could teach them this.

If children understand, for example, the triangle principle on the court, then they understand that they need to pass or fall under the basket behind their opponent. That's the essence of football - you look for the right angle, create an opportunity to attack and thus generate scoring chances, ”says Steve Kerr, Golden State head coach and NBA champion with Chicago and San Antonio.

When discussing ball movement, the Spurs cannot be ignored.

I don't know if Greg Popovich deliberately recruited players from outside the US. But it was in them that he saw the qualities that he highly valued. First of all, this is a gaming IQ, which simultaneously combines

1. understanding of the principles of basketball as a team game
2. ability to carry out coaching instructions
3. unusual thinking

About the third point - a little lower, now about the first. But both of these elements can be associated with football. Because those who have played football know

• it is just as important to part with the ball as it is to be able to handle it

• the more the ball is in the hands (feet) of one player, the easier it is for the opposing team

Of course, there are exceptions. If you have Harden/Messi in your team, who can wind up 2-3-4 opponents due to dribbling in a limited space, great for you. And if they are not? Then the “running walls” become a more acceptable option.

“Europeans are very different from North American players in terms of team play. They generally seem to play different types of basketball. I think it has a lot to do with football." - Frank Vogel, who played football himself in high school and coached his daughter's football team.

Josep Guardiola, during his time at Bayern, once quoted Gregg Popovich with the phrase "it takes time to achieve success." Popovich built and built and built his best creation in 15 years.

San Antonio - 2013/14 : no player who spends more than 30 minutes on the court, 9 foreigners (+ Tim Duncan from the Virgin Islands).

The Spurs have been doing this for a long time, chasing tiki-taka on the floor. Their player passes and does not even think who the ball goes to. He just knows that someone has to open up, get the ball and pass again. They practice this so that they don’t have to think in the game, but everything is done on instincts. They know that the reaction of the defense will tell them the best option. They play very smoothly and harmoniously.” – Marc Gasol

COURT VISION AND IMAGINATION

Off-ball movement and ball movement is great. I would even say it's beautiful. But even more beautiful is when a player with non-standard thinking comes up with something like that.

“NBA players with a football background have a different imagination. In football, you have many options, you can try each of them and see what works and what doesn't. Take at least Ginobili. He has an incredibly developed basketball fantasy. He plays with imagination and disinterestedly, because that's how football works. He just transferred it to basketball. That's why it's such a pleasure to watch him play, ”says Mike Conley.

In the case of a successful pass, not one player is involved in the process, but at least two. All five players can participate in a successful combination.

The beauty of smart transmission lies in collective success.

A good vision of the site is also attractive in that it introduces the viewer to the possibility, the existence of which a second ago he did not know.

Inventive pass, in my opinion, worthy of admiration. It is like a cool movie or a picture when you feel that this is exactly what was on your tongue, and someone formulated it for you.

And for some reason I'm not surprised that Steve Nash also dreamed of a football career in his childhood, and after the end of basketball, almost completely switched to football .

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With @bensimmons as my witness I let @joelembiid have a quick 2 set lead in soccer ping pong before ripping it away for a 4 set to 2 win. Rematch Jojo?? #sickfeetforsevenfeet

A post shared by Steve Nash (@stevenash) on Feb 18, 2018 at 5:39pm PST

TRAINING SYSTEM

A major milestone for the future of the NBA happened in April of this year when Jaylen Green became the first player to sign with a G-League team of high school talent who decided to forego compulsory college education.

What is important here:

1. Green will earn $500,000 in one year of playing in the Development League and will be able to enter the draft in 2021.
2. Greene is a five-star prospect and ESPN's 2020 Alumnus Basketball Player of the Year in the country.

And this is just the beginning.

"The NBA wants to see 4-5 similar teams in the Development League in the future that could form a division and play among themselves," says April news on Sports.ru about Green's decision.

The NBA wants not only to return the right to choose students in the draft, but also to create an alternative to college education. When Svetislav Pesic grumbles at that "the NCAA doesn't train players anymore", then there's a grain of salt in that, and the NBA sees it too.

Now a promising basketball player has a choice. If you don't want to study, you don't have to. You can immediately go and play with representatives of the second tier of the NBA and develop in the structure of the league under the supervision of coaches who also aim at at least assistants in the NBA. You will also earn money honestly without fussing with envelopes. Yes, and advertising contracts can be concluded early.

The NBA is cautiously attempting to take the path that football took decades ago. Even in the American MLS, each club has its own academy. Teams receive exclusive rights to players born within a radius of 120 km from their home stadium. And they are already making some progress - FC Dallas, for example, brought up Weston McKenny, who was lured to the German Schalke.

FC Dallas is on the right track. This is our future. We need to get rid of the AAU,” says Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

In The Ringer about the Dallas football academy, Cuban claims that he has been “pushing the idea of ​​creating academies in the NBA for 10 years,” but so far to no avail.

“The idea is to get kids and their families interested in basketball and get them involved with the Mavericks. We need to be able to give kids a better basketball education without outside interference,” Cuban said.

The NBA has academies abroad in China, India, Australia and Senegal. The league's players' union holds masterclasses every summer, and some NBA basketball players even sponsor AAU teams. That is, in terms of the development of younger players, so far some are in the woods, some are for firewood. At this stage, the NBA is not able to repeat the European model, in which Luka Doncic signs a contract with Real Madrid at the age of 13, debuts in the Spanish Championship at 16, and comes to the NBA as an already mature player.

Not yet available.

And now imagine what will happen if the NBA in 10 years builds its own system with academies and farm clubs for each of the 30 teams in the manner of European football. And if in the USA they still see the benefits in football for the development of motor skills and thinking of basketball players...

It's scary to even think about it.

Photo: Gettyimages.ru/Allsport USA, Warren Little, Bongarts, Martin Meissner

What is better - basketball or football: pros and cons

Sports that involve the ball are the most popular. Of course, they use a round device. There are a large number of sports in the world in which the ball plays a crucial role. As a rule, these are collective sports.

Among these best-known sports, football, basketball, tennis and other sports that use sports devices similar to the ball (for example, rugby) receive the most marketing support. They are national in various countries. Balls for them have different parameters, as well as a variety of functions.

About ball sports

Finding out which is better - football or basketball, how to play them, it is worth bearing in mind that both of these sports are collective. They have a lot in common. They usually compete with each other two teams, while the main fixture is in the shape of a ball. Teams tend to fight for possession of the ball, and the one who catches it then tries to get to a certain place. When figuring out what to choose - basketball or football, it is worth considering that this place can be a wicket or a basket, these are specially designated places. By counting which team has the most points, the winner is eventually determined.

Reasons for popularity

Why are ball games so popular and what are their main advantages? They involve aerobic training. This type of exercise is good for our health, especially for the heart and vascular system. Regular exercise serves as a prevention of high blood pressure, myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases. The pulse at rest decreases, which is very useful for the heart, which must work continuously throughout life.

Regular exercise also has a positive effect on mental health, as it releases endorphins and other hormones - the so-called happiness hormones. The person as a whole feels good, in shape, gets higher self-confidence, he is more efficient at work.

Considering what is better - basketball or football, the pros and cons of these sports, it is worth considering that both of them are not too expensive, it is enough to buy the necessary equipment and a ball. These sports are not too dependent on the weather and can even be practiced in gyms or other indoor spaces.

They are collective, their action is positively manifested in the social sphere, a person satisfies one of the basic instincts - social. A person communicates with other people, meets friends or makes new ones.

Football

The name of this sport comes from English, is derived from the words foot (leg) and ball (ball). There is also American football. These are, without a doubt, the most popular and widely marketed collective ball sports. When choosing which is better - basketball or football, it is worth considering that these types of activity are somewhat similar.

The history of football

Games similar to football originated in antiquity. For example, in China, where the so-called ball was played already in the 2nd century BC. Football in its modern form originated in England in the 16th century, where sports were compulsory for children in private secondary schools, and football became the most popular among other types of physical activity. The rules of football in the early days were extremely simple, different in different regions and schools (for example, the sizes of the fields differed), two branches of football gradually developed: the first - the ball in the hands, the second branch was the basis of modern football, when the round device was mainly kicked.

Modern football developed at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The rules were unified to today's variations, for this purpose the first Football Association was created, which removed from the general rules the previously existing permission to work with the ball in hands.

In the first modern football competition, the prize was a cup, which was played in 1871. Football spread from England to Europe and other continents. FIFA (International Football Association) was founded in 1904. The first World Cup thundered in Uruguay at 1930 year.

Why is football so popular?

Its popularity is due, in part, to the fact that the sport is very simple and has little expensive equipment. To start playing football, you only need to buy a ball. Football is played in all corners of the world, whether poor or rich countries. This is an aerobic sport that improves physical fitness and allows you to improve your health. When choosing which is better - basketball or football, it is worth considering the following fact. On a professional level, they can make good money, football players are among the highest paid athletes in the world due to the huge marketing appeal of this area.

What is the principle of football?

Two teams enter the field to play football against each other. Their goal is to get more goals compared to the opponent. The goal is considered reached if the ball enters the opponent's goal line. Kicks are used on the ball, however, players can also use any part of the body, except for the arms and hands. This should be taken into account when figuring out what is more difficult - basketball or football. Only the goalkeeper who prevents the ball from going over the goal line may catch the ball with his hands.

Basketball

Understanding what is better - basketball or football, it is worth bearing in mind that the former also belongs to very popular sports, it is played almost all over the world. The name comes from the word "basket" - basket. This is a collective sport, where two teams of five people play in the same way. They are trying to get the ball into the opponent's basket. The baskets are placed at a set height while the team tries to prevent the opponent from throwing the ball into their baskets.

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