Left: Action from the the London International Basketball Invitational test event at the Basketball Arena in the Olympic Stadium
ball is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities while also improving your fi tness and developing a great sense of team spirit. Games can be played with as few as one person and as many as 10 – all you need is a ball, a basket and a pair of trainers!
Basketball develops all sorts of physical skills like
speed, agility, coordination and above all, it can be a simple game that the whole family will enjoy. For more information on where to play basket- ball, please visit
www.englandbasketball.co.uk.
BWX The sport of BMX makes only its second Olympic appearance at the London 2012 Games. Most children have bikes and many of us spend too much time telling them to slow down and be careful! How about a sport that encourages them to exorcise that need for speed? Then look no further, because BMX riding is fast and furious. Although short, the track is demanding and the winning riders must be able to beat the fi eld and stay out of trouble.
The Basics • The BMX races at London 2012 will be held on a short outdoor track, with the riders starting on an 8m-high ramp. Each race lasts around 40 seconds.
• BMX bikes have only one gear and one brake. Most racing riders use wheels that are 20 inches in diameter – roughly two-thirds the size of wheels used on a standard road bike. Bikes need to be strong enough to endure the wear and tear from the jarring landings after jumps, yet light enough to remain fast and competitive.
How to Play • In Basketball points are scored by shooting the ball into your opponents’ net (or basket). The ball is moved up the court either by dribbling (bouncing) or passing to another team member. A player may not take more than two steps with the ball without dribbling.
• Two points are awarded for a regular shot from open play, with one point for each successful free throw (following an opposition infringement) and three points for a shot from distance (beyond the three-point line).
• Once in possession of the ball, a team has only 24 seconds to make an attempt on goal or they lose possession.
• Games last for 40 minutes, split into four 10-min- ute quarters. The clock stops for every break in play and teams can call time-outs, which last one minute.
Competition dates Saturday 28 July – Sunday 12 August
Competition venue Olympic Park – Basketball Arena (initial group phase, women’s quarter-fi nals)
North Greenwich Arena (men’s quarter-fi nals, all semi-fi nals and fi nals)
JARGON BUSTER
Assist – a pass that leads directly to a basket scored by a teammate
Downtown – the area outside the three-point line
Dunk – a one- or two-handed slam directly into the net
Shot clock – a timer measuring the length of time since the last shot. If the ball doesn’t touch the rim or pass through the net within 24 seconds, posses- sion passes to the opposition.
Did you know?
600 basketballs will be used during the London 2012 Basketball competition.
Play Basketball One of the most popular sports in the world, basket-
Competition dates Wednesday 8 – Friday 10 August
Competition venue Olympic Park – BMX Track
JARGON BUSTER Berm – a banked corner
Bunny-hop – to lift both wheels off the ground at once Gate – the start of the BMX Track
Holeshot – the fi rst rider to take the lead after the start Whoop – a small, wave-like bump in the track
Did you know? After the Games, the BMX Track will be open to the gen- eral public as part of the Velopark in the Olympic Park.
Get into BMX
It is very easy to get children on track for BMX and they can start from as young as four years old. Com- paratively little equipment is required and BMX bikes are simple and robust which means they are not too expensive.
WWW.MUMSSURVIVALGUIDES.CO.UK 9
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