handball

 

indoor or outdoor game played by striking a ball against a wall or walls with the palm of the hand. Play may be for singles or doubles (four players) on a court with one, three, or four walls. The court is typically 20 ft (6.1 m) by 34 ft (10.4 m) with a short line, from behind which the ball is served, marked off 16 ft (4.9 m) from, and parallel to, the front wall, which is 16 ft high. Players hit the ball against the front wall before or after it has struck the floor once. The object is to keep the ball out of the opponent's reach but within the bounds of the court. In the three-wall game, the side walls are also in play, in the four-wall version the back wall also. In all versions, rallies are won when opponents cannot return the ball—made of hard black rubber, 1⁷/₈ in. (4.76 cm) in diameter—to the front wall on the fly. Points are scored only when the server wins a rally; the serve changes hand when the receiver wins. Twenty-one points wins a game. Special gloves are used to protect the hands. Although the U.S. Handball Association conducts national and regional championships, the sport, once very popular in YMCAs and public parks, has lost much of its constituency, except in some cities, to racquetball, a four-wall game, invented in the 1950s, that has similar rules but employs short-handled rackets and a fast-moving hollow rubber ball.

For more information on this topic see Senior Hardball Singles or Senior Softball Singles.

Gaelic handball (Irish: Liathróid Láimhe) (also known as handball, Irish handball, court handball or wall handball) is a sport similar to racquetball and squash in that it is one of the four Gaelic Games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The game may be played with two, three, or four players. The important difference between it and racquetball and squash is that the players hit the ball with a gloved hand instead of a racquet. Either the left and right hand can be used, depending on where the ball is hit. This major difference is what makes handball a much more complex and difficult game. American handball is essentially identical to Irish handball, except for certain minor rule differences.

Rules

Handball is played in a court, or "alley", the most common form of which measures 12.2 m by 6.1 m (40 feet by 20 feet) with a front wall 6.1 m (20 feet) high, off which the ball must be struck. In Ireland, there is a version of the game which uses a larger court, measuring 18.3 m by 9.15 m (60 feet by 30 feet).

The objective of a game is to score a set total of points before your opponent does. Points are only scored by the person serving the ball. In other words, if a player wins a rally but did not serve at the start of that rally they only win the right to serve, and thus the chance to score after a subsequent rally. The serving player has two opportunities to hit the ball, from the "service area" (between the two parallel lines), off the "front wall" and across the "service line" (which is located exactly half-way down the court from the front wall).

Players take turns at hitting the ball off the "front wall" before the ball bounces twice following their opponent's previous shot. Most handball games take place in a four-walled court but there are also three-walled and one-wall versions of the game.

History

Handball-like games have originated in several places at different times. Hieroglyphs in the temple of Osiris in Egypt portray priests taking part in a game very similar to handball. Mesoamerican civilizations in South and Central America had a form of handball-like game, which was a large part of pre-Columbian culture.

The modern game of handball originated in Ireland and Scotland. The earliest written record of a handball game is in the town statutes of Galway, which in 1527 forbade the playing of ball games against the walls of the town. On the west coast of Ireland, Galway had many trading links with Spain, especially the Basque regions, where the similar game of Pelota is played. It is highly likely that one game is derived from or influenced by the other.

Irish immigrants brought the game to many countries in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is still played in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Wales and England.

Handball today

In Ireland, handball is organized by the Irish Handball Council under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its headquarters are just beside the Croke Park stadium.

Handball is now a very competitive game in the countries in which it is played. A world championship takes place every three years with representatives of all ages, both male and female, taking part. The top player in the 40*20 game today is Paul Brady from Co. Cavan, Ireland. He recently retained his World singles title.

Eoin Kennedy of the St. Brigids Club in Co. Dublin is the current top player in the 60*30 court. He has won the past four All-Ireland Championships in the code and on September 1, 2007 was the victor over Micheal 'Ducksy' Walsh in the All-Ireland final.

Micheal 'Ducksy' Walsh is also a legendary player. He currently has the world record for All Ireland Titles. He plays for Talbots Inch (60x30). Today, he designs and fits kitchens, and is regarded by many as Ireland's top player of recent times, ahead of Paul Brady, Tony Healy & Eoin Kennedy

Attempts are also being made to use the one-wall version of the game as a unifying bridge between handball and those sports to which it bears similarities such as Pelota, Fist Ball, Eton Fives and jai alai, one of those attempts being played by many international federations is the International fronton.

See also

• Irish Collegiate Handball Association

Other modalities

• American handball
• Basque Pelota
• International fronton
• Valencian frontó

External links

• HandballCity.com
• Colorado Handball Association in USA
• www.handball.ie
• Irish Handball Results
• www.gaa.ie
• United States Handball Association
• Collegiate Handball in Ireland
• World Pro Handballl
• handballvideo.com
• Handball Social Network

Gaelic Games
Gaelic football • Ladies' Gaelic football • Hurling • Camogie • Gaelic handball • Rounders

Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic football Senior Championship (2007) Under-21 Championship Minor Championship Junior Championship National Football League (2007) Tommy Murphy Cup (2007) International Rules (2007) Club Football Championship Sam Maguire Cup Ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Football Championship Brendan Martin Cup Cic Fada Gaelic Games History The Sunday Game Handball Senior Hardball Singles Rounders Croke Park Interprovincial Championships Hurling Senior Championship (2007) Under-21 Championship Minor Championship Junior Championship National Hurling League (2007) Christy Ring Cup (2007) Shinty-Hurling Internationals Club Hurling Championship Liam McCarthy Cup Camogie Camogie Championship O'Duffy Cup Poc Fada Nicky Rackard Cup (2007)

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