Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who

take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor. The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game. Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair consists of a man and a woman. At high levels of play, especially in singles, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, explosive strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements. he beginnings of Badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military officers stationed there.[2] Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona.[2] [3] Initially, balls of wool referred as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it developed and rules were set out. Although it appears clear that Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted. As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet,Badminton Battledore a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived.[4] An 1863 article in The Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the ground".[5] This early use has cast doubt on the origin through expatriates in India, though it is known that it was popular there in the 1870s and that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873.[4][5]

Hand cricket From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hand Cricket is a team sport played mainly by school pupils and university students in the United Kingdom and Salesian College[disambiguation needed ] students on the passive recreation area. Unlike cricket, it is played without a bat and a tennis ball is used instead of a traditional leather cricket ball. The aim of the game is to score more runs than the other team in a format identical to cricket. The batsmen (or more correctly handsmen) play shots using the back of their left hand as a bat, with the hands clasped together. Formerly the game was played with bare hands but recently the use of a traditional cricket batting glove has become popular as it gives the batsman greater power to his shots and removes the discomfort of laying against fast bowling. As we know, Cricket was invented by the English, but it has a greater following in India, so in the same fashion Hand Cricket is also one of the popular school games in India. The game gains its popularity from the fact that it is less time consuming than cricket and can be played during, for example, lunch break etc. Unlike the English version of Hand Cricket, a fast ball is considered to be a "No Ball" in India and the game is played with bare hands only. Differences from traditional Cricket The rules of hand cricket are very similar to the rules of traditional cricket. However there are various differences, not only style orather than grass wicket and often the pitch is not a symmetrical oval. Bowling in hand cricket is generally slower than in traditional cricket (although fast and fast medium bowlers are becoming increasingly common) and there is no requirement for the ball to be bowled with a straight arm. A handsman can be caught out 'one hand one bounce'. However, the exception to this is a 1.5x1.0 metre box surrounding the handsman. A shot becomes safe if it lands in this box and the handsman cannot then be out caught. The stumps in hand cricket are often one metre tall but there no standardized size.
Batting Despite the fact that no bats are involved in the game the terminology from traditional cricket is often used for batting. Handsmen usually prefer to play shots on the leg side, which allows greater power than the off side. Commonly used attacking shots include the straight drive, the hook shot, the pull shot and the leg glance. The forward defensive is the most important shot for any handsman and it is considered good play to rely heavily on this shot. Bowling Fast medium and leg spin are the most commonly used styles of bowling in hand cricket. The use of a concrete wicket allows fast bowlers to exploit the uneven surface and spin bowlersto achieve a great amount of turn. Because most runs are scored on the leg side, bowlers can prevent the handsmen from scoring by bowling outside of the off-stump. Spin bowlers often try to bowl out handsmen behind their legs or tempt the handsmen in rash 'slogs'.

Basketball
Basketball is a team sport, the objective being to shoot a ball through a basket horizontally positioned to score points while following a set of rules. Usually, two teams of five players play on a marked rectangular court with a basket at each width end. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports.[1] A regulation basketball ring consists of a rim 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high mounted to a backboard. A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket during regular play. A field goal scores two points for the shooting team if a player is touching or closer to the basket than the three-point line, and three points (known commonly as a 3 pointer or three) if the player is behind the three-point line. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) may be issued when the game ends with a draw. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or throwing (passing) it to a teammate. It is a violation to move without dribbling the ball (traveling), to carry it, or to double dribble (to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling). Various violations are generally called "fouls". Disruptive physical contact (a personal foul) is penalized, and a free throw is usually awarded to an offensive player if he is fouled while shooting the ball. A technical foul may also be issued when certain infractions occur, most commonly for unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a player or coach. A technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw. Basketball has evolved many commonly used techniques of shooting, passing, dribbling, and rebounding, as well as specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures (player positioning) and techniques. Typically, the tallest members of a team will play "center", "power forward" or "small forward" positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed play "point guard" or "shooting guard". While competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play. Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport played on a carefully marked and maintained basketball court, but less regulated variations are often played outdoors in both inner city and remote areas.

History
In early December 1891, Dr. James Naismith,[2] a physical education professor and instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School[3] (YMCA) (today, Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA), was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New Englandwinters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peachbasket onto a 10-foot (3.05 m) elevated track. In contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom, and balls had to be retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored; this proved inefficient, however, so the bottom of the basket was removed,[4] allowing the balls to be poked out with a long dowel each time.

Football
Football sports all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide isassociation football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer". Unqualified, the word football applies to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears, including American football, association football, Australian rules football,Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby league, rugby union[1] and other related games. These variations of football are known as football "codes". Various forms of 'football' can be identified in history, often as popular peasant games. Contemporary codes of football can be traced back tothe codification of these games at English public schools in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.[2][3] The influence and power of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread, including to areas of British influence outside of the directly controlled Empire,[4] though by the end of the nineteenth century, distinct regional codes were already developing: Gealic Football, for example, deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional football games in order to maintain their heritage.[5] In 1888, The Football League was founded in England, becoming the first of many professional football competitions. In the twentieth century, the various codes of football have become amongst the most popular team sports in the world.[6]

Common elements
The various codes of football share the following common elements Two teams of usually between 11 and 18 players; some variations that have fewer players (five or more per team) are also popular. A clearly defined area in which to play the game. Scoring goals or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line. Goals or points resulting from players putting the ball between two goalposts. The goal or line being defended by the opposing team. Players being required to move the balldepending on the codeby kicking, carrying, or hand-passing the ball. Players using only their body to move the ball.

In most codes, there are rules restricting the movement of players offside, and players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts. Other features common to several football codes include: points being mostly scored by players carrying the ball across the goal line; and players receiving a free kick after they take a markor make a fair catch.

Peoples from around the world have played games which involved kicking or carrying a ball, since ancient times. However, most of the modern codes of football have their origins in.

Handball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Handball is the name of several different sports:

Team handball, Olympic sport in which two teams try to throw the ball into their opponents' goal American handball, a sport similar to racquetball where players hit the ball with a hand instead of a racquet, which originates from Gaelic handball Australian handball, similar to the Irish and American versions, with a defined culture and rule set Beach handball, team handball on the beach Chinese handball, a variant of American handball popular on the streets of New York City during the 1960s and 70s Czech handball, an outdoor sport similar to team handball, played in the Czech Republic Field handball, the original outdoor team handball, played at the 1936 Olympics Four square, also known as downball in Australia[citation needed], a game played on four squares. Frisian handball (keatsen), a game played in Friesland in the northern Netherlands between two teams of three players Gaelic handball, a sport similar to squash where players hit the ball with a hand instead of a racquet Handball can also refer to: Handball (Australian rules football), a legal method of disposing of the ball and an alternative to a footpass Handball (soccer), illegal use of arms or hands while playing football (soccer) Handballing may refer to the sexual act of fisting.

Handball (also known as team handball, Olympic handball, European handball, or Borden ball[1]) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outfield players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team. A standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team with the most goals scored wins. Modern handball is usually played indoors, but outdoor variants exist in the forms of field handball and Czech handball (which were more common in the past) and beach handball (also called sandball). The game is quite fast and includes body contact as the defenders try to stop the attackers from approaching the goal. Contact is only allowed when the defensive player is completely in front of the offensive player, i.e. between the offensive player and the goal. This is referred to as a player sandwich. Any contact from the side or especially from behind is considered dangerous and is usually met with penalties. When a defender successfully stops an attacking player, the play is stopped and restarted by the attacking team from the spot of the infraction or on the nine meter line. Unlike in basketball where players are allowed to commit only 5 fouls in a game (6 in the NBA), handball players are allowed an unlimited number of "faults", which are considered good defence and disruptive to the attacking team's rhythm.

Goals are scored quite frequently; usually both teams score at least 20 goals each, and it is not uncommon for both teams to score more than 30 goals. This was not true in the earliest history of the game, when the scores were more akin to that of ice hockey. But, as offensive play has improved since the late 1980s, particularly the use of counterattacks (fast breaks) after a failed attack from the other team, goal scoring has increased.

Hockey
For the 1980 John Zorn album, see Hockey (album). For the American new wave band, see Hockey (band). Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick. In many areas, one sport (typically field hockey or ice hockey[1]) is generally referred to simply as hockey. Etymology The first recorded use of the word "hockey" is found in the text of a royal proclamation issued by Edward III of England in 1363 banning certain types of sports and games. The word hockey itself is of unknown origin, although it is likely a derivative of hoquet, a Middle French word for a shepherd's stave.[3] The curved, or "hooked" ends of the sticks used for hockey would indeed have resembled these staves. History Games played with curved sticks and a ball can be found in the histories of many cultures. In Egypt, 4000-year-old carvings feature teams with sticks and a projectile, hurling dates to before 1272 BC in Ireland, and there is a depiction from c.600 BC in Ancient Greece where the game may have been called kertzein or kerhtzein () because it was played with a horn or horn-like stick(kras, )[4] In Inner Mongolia, China, the Daur people have been playing beikou, a game similar to modern field hockey, for about 1,000 years.[5] Most evidence of hockey-like games during the Middle Ages is found in legislation concerning sports and games. Similar to Edward's proclamation was the Galway Statute enacted in Ireland in 1527, which banned certain types of ball games, including hockey. By the 19th century, the various forms and divisions of historic games began to differentiate and coalesce into the individual sports defined today. Organizations dedicated to the codification of rules and regulations began to form, and national and international bodies sprung up to manage domestic and international competition. Ice hockey also evolved during this period as a derivative of field hockey adapted to the icy conditions of Canada and the northern United States.

Subtypes

3.1 Field hockey 3.2 Ice hockey 3.3 Inline hockey 3.4 Roller hockey 3.5 Sledge hockey 3.6 Street hockey

Kho Kho
Kho- Kho is an Indian game. It is popular in the whole of India. It originated at Pune Gymkana in the state of Maharashtra. Its team in India is called Kho- Kho Federation of India (K.K.F.I). Kho- Kho is a game played in 2 innings by 12 nominated players out of 15, on each side. Initially 9 players start the game and 3 are kept reserve. One team becomes the chasers and the other the defenders or runners. In the game, the chaser pursues the runners; tags and touches them and makes them out. Each team has to chase and defend for 9 minutes twice in a match. Field The Kho- Kho playground is rectangular. It is 27 meters in length and 15 meters in breadth. There are two rectangles at the end. One side of the rectangle is 16 meter and the other side is 2.70 meters. In the middle of these two rectangles, there shall be two wooden poles. The central lane is 21.60 meters long and 30cm X 30cm on the lane. There are eight cross lanes which lie across the small squares and each of it is 15 meters in length and 30cm in breadth, at right angles to the central lane and divided equally into two parts of 7.30m each by central lane. At the end of central lane, two posts shall be fixed. They shall be 120cm above the ground and their circumference shall be not less than 30cm and not more than 40cm. The post shall be made of wooden poles which are smooth all over. The posts shall be fixed firmly in the free zone tangent to the post-line at a height between 120 to 125cm. The top of the post shall be flat and free from any sharp edges. Equipment The equipments used in Kho- Kho are posts, strings, measuring tape (metallic), lime powder, wire nails, two watches, two types of rings having inner circumference of 30cm and 40cm, score sheets and stationery to write results etc.

Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ballthe shotas far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting (throwing) action.

History
Homer makes mention of competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during the Siege of Troy but there is no record of any dead weights being thrown in Greek competitions. The first evidence for stone- or weight-throwing events date back more than 2000 years in the Scottish Highlands.[1] In the 16th century King Henry VIII was noted for his prowess in court competitions of weight and hammer throwing. The first known events resembling the modern shot put likely occurred in the Middle Ages when soldiers held competitions in which they hurledcannonballs. Shot put competitions were first recorded in early 19th century Scotland, and were a part of the British Amateur Championships beginning in 1866.[2]

Rules
Competitors take their throw from inside a marked circle 2.135 metres (7.00 ft) in diameter, with a stopboard approximately 10 centimetres (3.9 in) high at the front of the circle. The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the circle to the nearest mark made in the ground by the falling shot, with distances rounded down to the nearest centimetre under IAAF, WMA, USATF, and NCAA rules.

Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in wheelchairs. The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham, England in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" which has close connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of real tennis. Up to then, "tennis" referred to the latter sport: for example, in Disraeli's novel Sybil (1845), Lord Eugene De Vere announces that he will "go down to Hampton Court and play tennis. As it is the Derby [classic horse race], nobody will be there".[1] After its creation, lawn tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world.[2] The rules of tennis have not changed much since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and the adoption of the tie-break in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system, which allows a player to challenge the line (or chair) umpire's call of a point. Players have unlimited opportunities to challenge provided the challenges made are correct. However, once three incorrect challenges are made in a set, they cannot challenge again until the next set. If the set goes to a tie break, players are given one additional opportunity to challenge the call. This electronic review, currently calledHawk-Eye, is available at a limited number of highlevel ATP and WTA tournaments. Tennis is enjoyed by millions of recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide spectator sport, especially the fourGrand Slam tournaments (also referred to as the "Majors"): the Australian Open played on hard courts, the French Open played on red clay courts, Wimbledon played on grass courts, and the US Open played also on hard courts. While the modern game of tennis originated in late 19th century England, most historians believe that the games ancient origin is from 12th century France, but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand. It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis", from the Old French term Tenez, which can be translated as "hold!", "receive!" or "take!". An interjection used as a call from the server to his opponent.[3] It was popular in England and France, although the game was only played indoors where the ball could be hit off the wall. Henry VIII of England was a big fan of this game, which is now known as real tennis.[4] During the 18th century and early 19th century, as real tennis declined, new racquets sports emerged in England.[5] Between 1859 and 1865 Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball gamepelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, United Kingdom.[6][7] In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.[8]

Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allow a ball played toward them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart several varieties of spin to the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent's options to great advantage. Table tennis is controlled by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 215 member associations.[1] The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook.[2] Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport,[3] with several event categories. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008 the doubles have been replaced by the team events. The game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1880s, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game,[4][5]then commonly known as "wiff-waff". A row of books were stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other. Alternatively table tennis was played with paddles made of cigar box lids and balls made of champagne corks. The popularity of the game led game manufacturers to sell the equipment commercially. Early rackets were often pieces of parchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of"wiff-waff" and "ping-pong". A number of sources indicate that the game was first brought to the attention of Hamley's of Regent Street under the name "Gossima".[6][7] The name "ping-pong" was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901. The name "ping-pong" then came to be used for the game played by the rather expensive Jaques's equipment, with other manufacturers calling it table tennis. A similar situation arose in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name to Parker Brothers. The next major innovation was by James Gibb, a British enthusiast of table tennis, who discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and found them to be ideal for the game. This was followed by E.C. Goode who, in 1901, invented the modern version of the racket by fixing a sheet of pimpled, or stippled, rubber to the wooden blade. Table tennis was growing in popularity by 1901 to the extent that table tennis tournaments were being organized, books on table tennis were being written,[6] and an unofficial world championship was held in 1902. During the early 1900s, the game was banned in Russia because the rulers at the time believed that playing the game had an adverse effect on players' eyesight.[citation needed]

Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.[1] It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964. The complete rules are extensive. But simply, play proceeds as follows: A player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball (tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of the court, over the net, and into the receiving team's court. The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court. They may touch the ball as many as three times. Typically, the first two touches are used to set up for an attack, an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving team is unable to prevent it from being grounded in their court. The rally continues, with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches, until either (1): a team makes a kill, grounding the ball on the opponent's court and winning the rally; or (2): a team commits a fault and loses the rally. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point, and serves the ball to start the next rally. A few of the most common faults include: causing the ball to touch the ground outside the opponents' court or without first passing over the net; catching and throwing the ball; double hit: two consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same player; four consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same team. net foul: touching the net during play.

The ball is usually played with the hands or arms, but players can legally strike or push (short contact) the ball with any part of the body. A number of consistent techniques have evolved in volleyball, including spiking and blocking (because these plays are made above the top of the net, the vertical jump is an athletic skill emphasized in the sport) as well as passing, setting, and specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures. On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts (USA), William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director, created a new game calledMintonette as a pastime to be played preferably indoors and by any number of players. The game took some of its characteristics from tennis andhandball. Another indoor sport, basketball, was catching on in the area, having been invented just ten miles (sixteen kilometers) away in the city ofSpringfield, Massachusetts, only four years before. Mintonette was designed to be an indoor sport less rough than basketball for older members of the YMCA, while still requiring a bit of athletic effort.

Yoga (Sanskrit, Pli: , yoga) is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India.[1][2] The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on the Hindu concept of divinity orBrahman.[3] The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.[4][5][6] Within Hindu philosophy, the word yoga is used to refer to one of the six orthodox (stika) schools of Hindu philosophy.[7][8] Yoga in this sense is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is also known as Rja Yoga to distinguish it from later schools.[9] Patanjali's system is discussed and elaborated upon in many classical Hindu texts, and has also been influential in Buddhism and Jainism. The Bhagavad Gita introduces distinctions such as Jnana Yoga ("yoga based on knowledge") vs. Karma Yoga ("yoga based on action"). Other systems of philosophy introduced in Hinduism during the medieval period are bhakti yoga, and hatha yoga.[10][11][12] The Sanskrit word yoga has the literal meaning of "yoke", from a root yuj meaning to join, to unite, or to attach. As a term for a system of abstract meditation or mental abstraction it was introduced by Patajali in the 2nd century BC. Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy with a high level of commitment is called a yogi or yogini.[13] The goals of yoga are varied and range from improving health to achieving moksha.[14] Within the Hindu monist schools of Advaita Vedanta,Shaivism and Jainism, the goal of yoga takes the form of moksha, which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), at which point there is a realization of identity with the Supreme Brahman. In the Mahabharata, the goal of yoga is variously described as entering the world of Brahma, as Brahman, or as perceiving the Brahman or tman that pervades all things.[15] For the bhakti schools ofVaishnavism, bhakti or service to Svayam Bhagavan itself may be the ultimate goal of the yoga process, where the goal is to enjoy an eternal relationship with Vishnu.[16] Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization sites, dating to the mid 3rd millennium BC, depict figures in positions resembling a common yoga or meditation pose, showing "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga," according to archaeologist Gregory Possehl.[18] Some type of connection between the Indus Valley seals and later yoga and meditation practices is speculated upon by many scholars, though there is no conclusive evidence.[19] Techniques for experiencing higher states of consciousness in meditation were developed by the shramanic traditions and in the Upanishadic tradition. [20] While there is no clear evidence for meditation in pre-Buddhist early Brahminic texts, there is a view that formless meditation might have originated in the Brahminic tradition. This is based on strong parallels between Upanishadic cosmological statements and the meditative goals of the two teachers of the Buddha as recorded in early Buddhist texts.[21]