Team Games

Written and reviewed by Rohit Singh, Computer Science & Commerce faculty at UniDrill (MCA, Osmania University · 6 years teaching). Based on NCERT Health and Physical Education Class XI, Chapter 5.

Why does every team game count its players differently?

Imagine the same sports ground used for the whole day. At dawn it hosts a hockey practice, then football, then a kabaddi raid, and by evening a kho kho chase. The ball changes, the number of players changes, the way a point is won changes. A team game is any game that gives two or more players the chance to work together towards a shared objective, organised as a team to compete with an opposing team under a set of laws. Over time, the chapter says, such games have influenced not only players but fans and local and national economies, and star players have become role models for young people. For CUET, eight of them must be known by their numbers.

The eight games at a glance

Learn this table first. Every later fact hangs on it.

Basketball: the peach basket game

Dr. James Naismith, a physical educator at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts (now Springfield College), wanted a vigorous indoor game to keep his students fit. He hung two wooden peach baskets 10 feet above the floor and used a soccer ball. The first game was in December 1891 with nine players a side, and the first rules were published on 15 January 1892 in the college magazine under the title "A New Game". The game builds bone and muscle strength, self discipline and concentration, and uses a high amount of energy.

Scoring. A basket from inside the three point line is worth 2 points, from beyond it 3 points, and each free throw 1 point. When a team makes four fouls in a period, each following foul gives the opponent two free throws.

Time rules (violations). Learn the four numbers together.

Fouls. A personal foul is illegal contact (holding, blocking, pushing, charging, tripping). Charging is an offensive foul when a player pushes or runs over a defender; blocking is illegal contact that impedes an opponent. A technical foul is a non contact foul of a behavioural nature, such as foul language or delay. An unsportsmanlike foul involves hard contact or violates the spirit of the game, and a disqualifying foul is a violent action by a player, coach or delegation member. A team that does not have five players loses by forfeit, 20-0; a team with fewer than two players during the game loses by default, 2-0.

Pause and predict: a point guard receives the ball and stands under the opponent's basket holding it for 4 continuous seconds. Which rule is broken?

Check your answer: The 3 second rule, because a player may not hold the ball in the opponents' restricted area for more than 3 continuous seconds.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: a basketball team has five players on court. In reality: the 3 on 3 version, which the chapter mentions as played by three players on each side, joined the Olympic programme at Tokyo 2020. Why it matters: it shows that the number 5 belongs to the standard game and not to all basketball.

Cricket: the game of the most laws

The chapter traces cricket to a game like it recorded in Kent in 1300, the first recorded match in Kent in 1646, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), formed on 31 May 1787, which laid down a code of laws the next year and remains the custodian of the laws. Over arm bowling replaced under arm after 1760. The first international game was between the USA and Canada in 1844, and England's matches in Australia in 1877 are regarded as the first Tests.

India won the 60 over World Cup by beating West Indies in 1983, the 20 over World Cup by beating Pakistan in 2007 and the 50 over World Cup by beating Sri Lanka in 2011.

Extras. A no ball (bad delivery, for example from the wrong place) and a wide ball (out of the batsman's reach) each add one run to the batting team; a no ball also protects the batsman from most dismissals, except run out, hitting the ball twice and obstructing the field. A bye is a run scored when the batsman misses the ball and the fielder or wicketkeeper misfields it, and a leg bye is a run scored when the ball is deflected by the striker's body or protective gear.

The 11 ways to be out.

Anil Kumble took all 10 wickets in an innings in 1999 (74 runs for 10 wickets in 26.3 overs), after Jim Laker of England. The chapter names Virat Kohli (Khel Ratna, 2018), Smriti Mandhana (Arjuna) and Tarak Sinha (Dronacharya) among award winners.

Football: the world's most played game

The history of football is more than 1000 years old, and the oldest version is believed to have been played in the villages of a Chinese dynasty. Britain is regarded as the home of modern association football. Football and rugby share a root, and in 1863 in England the rugby group withdrew, which led to Association Football, Rugby Football and Gaelic Football. Cambridge University helped unify rules at a meeting in 1863. The Football Association Challenge Cup, started in 1872, is the world's oldest football championship, and FIFA was founded in Paris in 1904 with France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Germany as the founder members.

Two views. For the exam: the oldest version of football is believed to have been played in Chinese villages, while modern association football comes from Britain. Another reading: historians point out that ball and kick games existed in many cultures, and what Britain contributed in 1863 was a common written set of rules, not the idea of kicking a ball. Why it matters: a question on "origin" may mean the earliest game or the modern rules, so read the stem carefully.

Santosh Trophy, Federation Cup and the I-League are prominent tournaments organised by the AIFF.

The 17 Laws. The chapter groups them in a sequence; the ones that matter most are below.

Cards. A yellow card is a caution for offences such as unsporting behaviour, dissent, persistent infringement, delaying the restart, failing to respect the 10 yard distance, or entering or leaving the field without permission. A red card sends a player off for serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting, denying a goal by deliberate handball, denying an obvious goal scoring chance by a free kick or penalty kick offence, abusive language, or a second caution in the same match.

Pause and predict: a defender, while the goalkeeper is out of position, deliberately handles the ball on the goal line to stop a certain goal. What is the card?

Check your answer: A red card, since denying a goal by deliberately handling the ball is a sending off offence, and the referee also awards a penalty kick because the offence happened inside the penalty area.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: FIFA is the governing body that makes the 17 Laws. In reality: the Laws of the Game are written and amended by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), of which FIFA and the four British associations are members, and FIFA and its members apply them. Why it matters: a question about "who frames the rules" will use the textbook answer, but the nuance explains why a rule change is announced by IFAB.

Handball

Handball's rules were unified by Karl Schelenz in Berlin in 1917. The first governing body was formed in 1928 and took the name International Handball Federation (IHF) in Copenhagen in 1946; its first president, Avery Brundage, later became president of the International Olympic Committee. Handball appeared at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, returned in 1972 at Munich, and women's handball was added in 1976 at Montreal. Indoor handball was invented in the 1940s in Denmark. The IHF World Championship began in 1954 for men and 1957 for women. In India, the Handball Federation was established in 1972 and the first senior National Championship was held at Rohtak, where Haryana won gold. Jagat Singh Chauhan, a physical education teacher from Haryana, founded handball in India and was the first secretary of the federation.

Playing rules. A player may throw, push, stop, catch or hit the ball with hands, head, arms, torso, thighs and knees. A player may take up to 3 steps with the ball and hold it for 3 seconds, and may dribble without limit (no double dribble). Only the goalkeeper may stand in the goal area. A player may not touch the ball below the knee or dive on the floor for a ball. A throw off begins the game and restarts it after every goal, and a 7 metre throw is awarded when a clear scoring chance is illegally destroyed, among other reasons. A goal may be scored from any type of throw. Each team gets one 1 minute time out in each half.

Punishments. A yellow card is a warning, and a team may receive three warnings in total (one per player) before a 2 minute suspension; a disqualification (red card) equals three 2 minute suspensions, and the team plays one player short.

Hockey

Hockey in a crude form was played in Egypt about 4000 years ago, and the modern game evolved in England in the mid eighteenth century around the schools. The first Olympic hockey tournament was in London in 1908. It was dropped in 1912, returned in 1920 at Antwerp and was omitted again in Paris in 1924 because the sport had no international federation. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded in Paris in 1924, initiated by the Frenchman Paul Leautey, who became its first president; its head office is in Brussels. India's men's team won six Olympic gold medals in a row and eight in total.

Three ways to score.

If the match is drawn after regular time, a knockout is settled by a penalty shootout. In the shootout the attacker starts from the 23 m line and the attempt ends in 8 seconds, on a goal, or on an offence.

Umpires and cards. There are two umpires, each controlling half the field. A green card suspends a player for at least 2 minutes, a yellow card for at least 5 minutes and a red card permanently from the match.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: the Indian men's team won eight Olympic gold medals, six of them in a row. In reality: India won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, its first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years, and bronze again at Paris in 2024. Why it matters: it shows that the sport's history in the textbook continues, and these results make a good real example for the Olympic hockey question.

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is an indigenous Indian game believed to have developed since the epic age of the Mahabharata. The name comes from a term meaning "to challenge an opponent". It is known as Hu Tu Tu in Western India, Ha Du Du in Eastern India and Bangladesh, Chedugudu in Southern India and Kaunbada in Northern India. It gained national status in 1918 (Maharashtra was the pioneer state), standard rules were printed in 1923, and an All India Tournament was held at Baroda that year. It got international exposure as a demonstration at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amravati. It was introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta in 1938, the All India Kabaddi Federation was formed in 1950 and the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in 1973.

How points are scored. One point for every opponent put out. When a team puts out the whole opposing side, it scores a lona, two extra points. A raider gets a bonus point for crossing the bonus line when the catching team has at least six players. A raider must keep chanting "Kabaddi", only one raider enters at a time and the next raider must be sent within 5 seconds. A raider held by clothes or hair is declared not out, and the catcher who held illegally is out. A knockout tie goes to 5 raids each; if still tied, a golden raid settles it.

The six defensive holds are the ankle hold, thigh hold, knee hold, waist hold, wrist hold and arm hold; the ankle hold is among the commonly used ones. The offensive skills are the toe touch, side kick, front kick and mule (back) kick.

Pause and predict: a team has only five defenders left on the court and the raider crosses the bonus line and returns safely. Is a bonus point awarded?

Check your answer: No. A bonus point needs the catching side to have at least six players on the court.

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: kabaddi is an indigenous game with Berlin 1936 as an early international appearance. In reality: kabaddi became a medal sport at the Asian Games in 1990 at Beijing, where India won the men's gold, and the Pro Kabaddi League that began in 2014 made it a modern professional sport. Why it matters: it explains why current rules, such as the bonus line, look different from the older form.

Kho kho

Kho kho builds speed, agility and the coordination more than other games. Many historians believe it is a modified form of "Run and Chase" and that it began in Pune, Maharashtra, with the growth of akharas and vyayamshalas. Rules were framed in 1914 by a committee of veteran players, the Kho Kho Federation of India was established in 1956, the first championship was held at Vijayawada in 1959, and Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amravati, gave the game its modern form. It entered the National Games in 1985 at Delhi, the first Asian Championship was held in 1996 at Calcutta and it was a demonstration game at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

How it works. The toss lets the captain choose running (defending) or chasing (attacking). Nine chasers take part, eight sit on the boxes of the central lane, alternately facing opposite directions, and one active chaser runs. The active chaser gives the vocal signal "kho" with a tap on the back of a sitting teammate; if the sitting player moves before the kho is completed it is an "early kho". A chaser may not change direction except in the free zones outside the poles. The runners enter in three groups of three. A runner touched by a chaser, or one who steps outside the playing area, is out. Types of kho include simple, beginner's and late kho, and the main skills are chasing, sitting, getting up, making the chain, dodging and diving (straight and sideward).

Volleyball

Volleyball was invented as "Mintonette" in 1895 by William G. Morgan. The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was founded in 1947, the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) in 1951. It was introduced in the Asian Games in 1958 for men and 1962 for women, and made its Olympic debut at Tokyo in 1964. The FIVB men's World Championship started in 1949 and the women's in 1952.

Scoring. Every rally gives a point. A set is won by the first team to 25 points with a lead of at least two; at 24-24 play continues until the lead is two (26-24, 27-25). A match is won by the first team to win three sets, and if the sets are 2-2 the deciding fifth set goes to 15 points, again with a two point lead. A team may hit the ball three times (plus a block), and no player may hit twice in a row. When the receiving team wins a rally it scores, rotates one position clockwise and serves.

The libero. A libero is a specialist defensive player in a uniform of a different dominant colour. The libero replaces back row players, cannot serve, block or attempt to block, and cannot complete an attack hit if the ball is entirely above the top of the net. Libero replacements are not counted as substitutions and are unlimited, but a rally must be completed between two replacements. A team may name up to two liberos, but only one may be on court at a time.

Skills. The serve (tennis, jump and floating), the pass (underarm and overhead), the set up, the attack (smash or spike) and the block (single and double).

Beyond the textbook. For the exam: volleyball was invented as Mintonette in 1895. In reality: the game was created as a gentler indoor alternative to basketball, and the name changed because the ball is "volleyed" over the net. Why it matters: it helps you to remember that Naismith (1891) came before Morgan (1895), and that the two games share YMCA roots.

Sports awards named in the chapter

Exam traps

60-second revision

Where this chapter connects

• Previous: Individual Games uses the same history, measurement and rules structure for single athlete sports.
• Next: Yoga and its Relevance in the Modern Times turns from competition to the discipline of the body and mind.
• Same theme: Tournaments and Competitions explains knockout and league formats used to run these games, and Physical Education defines game and sport.