Ball games are not one thousand years old. In ancient times, they arose everywhere - in every country and people. These games were very similar, although they contained quite a few differences. The balls were used both in competitive games and in ordinary gymnastic exercises. Of course, these shells only remotely resembled modern ones, they were related only by their general shape. Nevertheless, today we can confidently draw this historical parallel and find out where something came from, without which most of the world's population simply cannot imagine their life.
In ancient times
Evidence of ball games is found all over the world. So, scientists have found ancient Egyptian images of human figures that throw up a round sphere. Among the ancient Greeks, ball games first appeared in the second millennium BC and were the privilege of the upper strata of society. It is worth adding to this that almost all over Greece only men took part in them. The only exception was Sparta, where everything was different. Later, the Romans adopted this fun from the Greeks, turning it into a gymnastic exercise. reboundthe ball perfectly developed coordination and reaction. There was also a game reminiscent of a modern football exercise - "square". Only the Romans shortened it to a "triangle".
The game with the ball was especially developed in the Middle Ages. In Europe there was a game very similar to modern golf, where you need to put the ball into the hole. The mass of the ball was comparable to the modern one. Absolutely all sectors of society participated in the game.
On the American continent, ball games have also become widespread. A game called "ulama" was common among both the Maya and the Aztecs. Initially, it was played by two teams, one of which, the loser, was sacrificed. They played with a ball weighing one and a half kilograms, which looked more like a cannonball. Over time, the fun acquired a purely sporting character - sacrifices were excluded from it, and after some time, the Spaniards who arrived simply banned it.
Soccer ball
Can you determine the mass of the ball? Football, like all significant team sports, began to take shape in its modern form in the 19th century. In 1872, the official sizes of a soccer ball were first mentioned. The ball was supposed to have an average mass of 400 grams. After 60 years, the mass of a soccer ball was increased by 50 grams, which remains the standard to this day. The first balls were made exclusively from natural leather by sewing together two dozen panels. At the dawn of the production of balls, the tone was set by two firms - "Mitre" and "Tomlinson", which produced official shells for English football.championship.
Today's soccer ball consists of three parts - the chamber, lining and tire. The latter consists of 32 panels: 20 are hexagonal, 12 are pentagonal. The lining is what is between the tire and the tube. It is she who gives the ball elasticity and the desired rebound. There are at least four layers in the lining, and even much more. The chamber is the core of the ball. It is usually made from latex. The classic soccer ball (as we imagine it today) was developed by the Danish firm Select in 1950.
The development of the soccer ball is directly related to the history of the World and European Championships. For each championship of the planet, its own ball is produced, in which they strive to embody all the latest technical and design solutions. So, from 1970 (the World Cup in Mexico) and until 2006, they played with various varieties of the classic ball. At the German championship of the planet, for the first time, the ball consisted of 12 panels, and not from 32 as before. In 2018, a ball will be played in Russia, which by design refers us to the last century - Telstar.
Tennis ball
This projectile is one of the smallest in shape and size. The mass of a tennis ball should not exceed 60 grams, and he himself - seven centimeters in diameter. Today, a tennis ball is usually green or yellow, although in the past absolutely any color was used. A white stripe runs along its circumference. To improve its quality, it is covered with felt, and it is made of natural rubber.
Rugbyball
The rugby ball is interesting because its shape is radically different from the balls in other team sports. It is not round, but has the shape of an elongated ellipsoid. Its length is not more than 30 centimeters, and it consists of four plates sewn together. The mass of the ball must not exceed 420 grams.
