Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. This is especially true in the teaching profession. Each class is different, and good teachers constantly look for ways to reach students. This will occasionally result in improvised games that are quite successful.
In 1891, Dr. James Naismith has a difficult gym class and normal instruction just wasn’t getting the job done. In a creative burst, Naismith tries to match a game with his energetic students. But how do you invent such a game? John Coy tells Naismith’s amazing creation in the book "Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball."
A young teacher is hired in Springfield, Mass. to teach a gym class of overly energetic young men. They have already driven two gym teachers out of the program and look with disinterest as James Naismith takes over the class. The gym class is boring due to the exercises in calisthenics. After all, how many times do young men want to do sit-ups and stretching drills?
So Naismith tries a number of sports. First, he attempts to have the men play indoor football. It quickly is apparent that this sport will not work because the students tackle and injure the other players.
Second, he thinks that indoor soccer might be successful. This too is a colossal mistake as the men now begin kicking the ball directly at the other men.
With tackling and kicking sports not working, Naismith next tries lacrosse. This proves to be a greater failure than the first two sports since the students now have wooden rackets with a ball net attached. The players sometimes miss the lacrosse ball, but seldom fail to club their classmates. With this third disaster, Naismith goes home and tries to think of a sport that is both interesting and fun.
He recalls a game he played as a child, named, "Duck on a Rock." In this game the players put a small stone on a larger rock and then threw a rock at the smaller object. If the smaller rock was struck and knocked off the bigger rock, the player won the game. Naismith is pleased with this memory, because no violence is done to anyone. An idea begins to form in his head of having a ball thrown into some kind of receptacle. The ball will travel in an arc and points can be made for successfully landing the ball in the receptacle.
With excitement, Naismith returns to the gym the next day and decides to use a soccer ball for his new game. But what should the ball be shot into? He asks the building inspector if he has any square boxes that he can use. The inspector says he doesn’t have any boxes, but he does have two old peach baskets. Why not let the men try to shoot toward the peach basket? If it lands inside, it counts. Naismith eagerly goes to the gym class. The men come into the class and stare at these strange objects. Is this going to work?
What happens to Dr. Naismith’s experiment? Do his students like his new game? Why do the peach baskets play such an important part in the development and name of Naismith’s game?
Do you play Dr. Naismith’s game? Why does the game become so popular internationally that the sport is entered into the Olympic Games in 1936?
To find out the answers to these and other interesting questions, go to the library and check out this interesting book, "Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball" by John Coy.
This is a fun and enjoyable story about the invention of basketball. The illustrations of the gym class reveal why Naismith needed to invent a new game. The original rules are listed on the inside and back covers of the book. You will have fun reading this book with your youngsters. Enjoy!
