Table Tennis

Table tennis, better known as ping pong, is a small scale racquet sport. It can be played by two or four players, and consists of players hitting a very light ball back and forth with paddles.

The sport is said to have been developed in the 1880s by British military officers who were stationed in India or South Africa.

The playing table is very similar to that of a tennis court. The major difference is that it takes place on a table.

There are numerous ways to score points in table tennis. The rules can be found in the handbook.

The governing body for table tennis is the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The ITTF headquarters is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Squash

Squash is a racquet sport that is played indoors. It is similar to racquetball, with the major difference being court dimensions.

Squash can either be played with two players in a singles format or four players in a doubles format, similar to tennis.

The history of squash is much debated, with most people saying it was invented in England in the early 1800s.

The playing equipment includes a rubber ball and racquets, and players are often required to wear googles.

There are different types of balls that can be used for squash. The balls vary in color, and each color determines bounce, speed and player experience.

There is a current campaign to get squash into the Olympics. More information can be found here.

The highest governing body for the sport is the World Squash Federation, based in Hastings, England. The Professional Squash Association is the official league for squash players.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a sport that puts two teams head-to-head vs one another. The team sizes are ten players for men and 12 players for women.

Lacrosse is played with a rubber ball and a stick with a net at the end. Because lacrosse is a contact sport, players are required to wear shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves and a helmet.

It is said lacrosse could have developed as early as AD 1100. In the original version played by the Canadians, teams ranged from 100 to 1,000 men on a field. The field went from 500 meters to 3 kilometers long.

There are two types of lacrosse: field and box. Field lacrosse is played on an open field. Box lacrosse is played in a hockey rink covered with turf.

The official governing body is the Federation of International Lacrosse, which was established in August 2008. You can find out more information here.

Archery

Archery is the sport that specializes in shooting arrows from a bow and attempting to hit a target. There are several different archery competitions, such as indoor target archery and outdoor target archery.

The history of archery is unknown, but it does date back to early Paleolithic times.

The most popular form of archery is target archery. Target archery requires people to shoot for a “bullseye” from varying distances this round.

The field of play is very elaborate and is not as basic as various other sports. It can be found here.

The target consists of varying ring sizes. Each ring is worth a different point and is signified by color.

For more information on the USA Archery team, click here.

Football (Soccer)

Soccer is widely regarded as the most popular sport in the world. The sport is also referred to as football in most countries other than the United States.

The history of soccer dates back over 100 years, to England.

Each team consists of 11 players, including a goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is responsible for defending his team’s goal. There is a goal on each end of the field.

The goal of soccer is to outscore your opponent. Each goal is worth one point, and whichever team has the most goals at the end of the match wins.

A game of soccer is 90 minutes long – split up into 45 minute halves.

Key components to soccer are set pieces. The set pieces are: free kicks, corner kicks, penalty kicks, throw-ins and goal kicks. Each set piece is designed to help each team generate offense.

Teams can be penalized for illegal plays, which can lead to bookings. Bookings are receiving a yellow or red card. Yellow cards are like a warning and two equates to a red card and an ejection; a red card is an immediate ejection. Both result in a one-game suspension.

The governing body of soccer is FIFA, with its headquarters being in Zurich, Switzerland.

Badminton

Badminton is a game played with a racquet, usually by one or two players. The players face opposing players of an equivalent number across a net, and is usually played indoors.

Badminton, simply put, is very similar to tennis. One major difference is the object that is struck. In tennis, it is a ball; in badminton, it is known as a shuttlecock.

A badminton court is rectangular in shape and is divided into four quarters, two on each side of the net.

The game is scored by playing to 21 points. Players are allowed to receive points, regardless of whether or not he or she served.

Cricket

Cricket is a sport played with a bat and ball and consists of 11 players. The field which cricket is played on is called a ground.

Cricket, in its simplest form, is very similar to baseball and other bat-and-stick games. Cricket can be traced back as early as the Tudors time in England in the early 16th-century.

Cricket is usually played on a grassy field. There are no specified dimensions or sizes for the field, but it is usually an oval shape.

Although it is similar to baseball because it involves a batter and a “pitcher” called a bowler, the similarities stop there. More of the rules can be seen here.

The International Cricket Council is the governing body of cricket. Their headquarters is in Dubai.

Rugby Union

Rugby Union, or rugby, is a full contact sport, originating in England in the early 19th century. Rugby is often most characterized for being similar to American football.

Scoring in rugby is not called a “point”; it is instead called a “try”. This scoring involves – similar to football – crossing the goal line and touching the ball on the ground.

Some of the rules to rugby are similar as the rules to American football, while others are very different, such as the name for scoring. Although the sport is different, it is not difficult to understand.

Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field and seven substitutes.

The rugby playing  field looks to remain as close to 144 meters long and 70 meters wide as possible.

For all your rugby questions, visit the International Rugby Board’s website.