The History of Soccer
Tsu Chu (China)
It has been proven, that a kicking game called Tsu Chu (may also be spelled as Tsu'Chu or Tsu-Chu) emerged in ancient China as early as 2500 BC. Tsu means "to kick the ball with feet" and Chu may be directly translated as "a ball made of leather and stuffed." According to records, the game was typically played in celebration of the emperor's birthday. The goal of Tsu Chu was to kick a ball through an opening into a small net. This net was fixed onto erected bamboo canes. Considering that the opening was about 30 to 40 cm in diameter (1 foot) and remained elevated at about 9 meters (30 feet) above ground, it is presumable that a high level of skill was needed to play. During the Ts'in Dynasty (255 BC - 206 BC) a form of Tsu Chu was used for training by soldiers. At the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) Tsu Chu was extensively played. A war manual from that time period featured physical exercises called Tsu Chu. These exercises involved a leather ball filled with feathers and hair. They were similar to the Tsu Chu game and declared that players had to prevent each other from scoring. With the exception of the hands, all other body parts were applicable while trying to "score".
Kemari (Japan)
Between 300 AD - 600 AD the Japanese developed a game called Kemari (also called Kenatt). It was played by eight or less people with a deerskin-covered ball stuffed with sawdust (about nine to ten inches in diameter). The players had to keep the ball from touching the floor by juggling it with their feet and collectively passing it from one to another. The playing field used for Kemari was called Kikutsubo. By tradition, the Kikytsubo is rectangular-shaped with a sapling planted in each corner (the classic version featured four different trees: cherry, maple, willow and pine). The Japanese even had Kemari lingo. When kicking the ball up, a player would say "ariyaaa!" (here we go) or "ari!" (here) when passing it over to someone else.
The period between the 10th and 16th century was a golden age for Kemari. The game spread to the lower classes and became a muse for poets and story writers. A Japanese anecdote claims of an emperor, who with the help of his team, kept the ball airborne for over 1000 kicks. Contemporary poets claimed that the ball "seemed suspended, hanging in the sky." Afterwards, the ball was retired and given a high court rank by the emperor himself.
Around the 13th or 14th century a specific outfit was employed and Kemari players wore vivid long-sleeved uniforms based on the hitatare. The game of Kemari is still played today by Japanese enthusiasts who want to preserve the old tradition.
Egypt
Various artifacts from Egyptian tombs, as old as 2500 BC, provide evidence that football-like games existed in that region and time period. On the right, we see a linen ball found in an Egyptian tomb. For better bouncing, balls were also made out of catgut (animal sinew) wound into a sphere and wrapped in leather or deerskin. Little is known about the Egyptian ball games. Historians believe that during fertility rites in Ancient Egypt, balls of seeds wrapped in colorful cloth were booted across the fields.
Episkyros (Greece)
Around 2000 BC, The Greeks developed a kicking/throwing game, called Episkyros (also known as Phaininda.) It was played primarily by men but women also practiced it. Regardless of their gender, the Greeks usually played nude. This marble relief from the National Museum of Archeology in Athens shows a Greek athlete balancing a ball on his thigh, supposedly demonstrating a training technique to the boy. This very same image is nowadays featured on the European Cup trophy. The ball seen in the relief is clearly a "follis" or an inflated ball. Early balls were made of linen and hair wrapped in string and sewn together. They wouldn't have bounced well. Later Greek models like the Follis were made from inflated pig bladders wrapped tight in leather (pigskin or deerskin.) Another technique used for ball-making was chopping sponges and wrapping them in string and cloth.
The Greek game of Episkyros was later adopted by the Romans, who renamed and transformed it into Harpastum.
Harpastum (The Roman Empire)
Harpastum (meaning "the small ball game") remained popular for 700-800 years and was played with a relatively smaller and harder ball, compared to follis or paganica. Harpastum was played by 5-12 players on a rectangular field marked by boundary lines and split by a center line. Each team had to keep the ball in their own half for as song as they can, while their opponents tried to steal it and get it over to their own side. An important rule of Harpastum stated that only the player with the ball could be tackled. That limitation caused the development of complex passing combinations. Players developed specific team roles and a lot of trickery and tactics were probably involved. The feet were scarcely used in the game of Harpastum, but a striking resemblance to rugby can be noted. Emperor Julius Caesar (who is speculated to have played himself) used Harpastum to maintain the physical fitness of his soldiers and keep them battle ready. It is also believed that the Romans took Harpastum to the British Isles at the time of their expansion. By their arrival, less-sophisticated kicking games were already present on the British Isles. There actually are records of a Harpastum match played between the Romans and the British natives. Even although the conquerors won, Harpastum eventually faded out and it is very unlikely that it could have impacted the later development of English mob football.
Pok-A-Tok (Meso-America)
According to historians, the Meso-American ball game Pok-A-Tok has been around since 3000 BC. However, the earliest found playing court (Paso de la Amada, Mexico) dates back to 1600 BC. The Paso de la Amada court was refurbished and expanded over a period of 150 years. It consisted of an 80-meter-long, flat playing alley bracketed by elevated "bleachers." Scientists believe that this particular court was a part of a network of similar courts throughout Meso-America.
From images on murals and pottery, archaeologists believe the ancient sport of Pok-A-Tok was similar to Tlachtli, a game documented by Spanish conquistadors in 1519 AD. The playing pitch for the game was shaped like the capital "I." The two sloping parallel walls were inset with three round disks called markers (later courts had just a single stone ring), at right angles to the ground. Players scored by hitting the markers or passing the ball through the ring. The markers and ring were several yards (up to 9 meters) above ground. Players could only touch the small rubber ball (10-15 cm in diameter) with their elbows, knees or hips. Scoring was considered such a feat that it usually ended the game.
Researchers believe that games like Pok-A-Tok were an integral part to the political, religious, and social life of the Mokaya (a name meaning "corn people"), who are thought to have been the ancestors of the Olmec and the Maya. The actual ball games may have ranged from simple recreational events to more high-stake competitions where losing team captains were beheaded and winners attained hero-like status. In Olmec times (about 1200 BC) kings were depicted as ball players, wearing leather helmets. "They may have been helmets for warriors or athletes or both," says a respected anthropology professor, "In ancient times the distinctions between a great player, a great warrior, and a great leader may not have been that great."
Between 250 BC and 900 BC the Mayan people adopted Pok-A-Tok. The Aztecs developed their own version between 1200 AC to 1521 AC.
Pasuckuakohowog (North America)
The North American Indians are also believed to have had their own kicking game, called pasuckuakohowog, meaning "they gather to play ball with the foot." It was played in the early 1600s on beaches with half-mile-wide goals about one mile apart. Up to 1000 people played pasuckuakohowog, often in a rough and dangerous manner. The players wore ornaments and war paint making retaliation close to impossible. It was common for the games to be carried over from one day to the next, with a celebratory feast following the conclusion of each match.
Asqaqtuk (Alaska)
Little is known of Asqaqtuk, a game played on ice by Eskimos. The game involved booting a heavy ball, stuffed with grass, caribou hair and moss. Legend has it that two villages once played Asqaqtuk with goals 10 miles apart.
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