How to Play Handball

Handball, a very popular game in Ireland, has become increasingly popular in the United States. It is similar to racquetball and squash, except that the ball is hit with the hand, and can be played with 2 to 4 players in singles or doubles. Even with all the rules and regulations of the game, the following steps will lead you through how to play the basic game of 4-wall handball.

Instructions

1.  

Stand beside your opponent on the court facing the front wall. You, as the server, must stand in the "service zone," which is about 10 feet from the front wall. Your opponent must be at least 5 feet behind the service zone when you serve.

2.  

Bounce the ball once on the floor. As the ball comes up, hit it with your hand toward the front wall causing it to strike the wall without it touching the floor first and then bouncing back over the service zone.

3.  

Return the ball by hitting it with either hand or fist back toward the wall after it flies over the service zone. Do this before the ball hits the floor twice. This is done by your opponent, or either opposing teammate. The ball may hit the side walls before hitting the front wall after it is returned, but it cannot touch the floor first.

4.  

Continue play. Alternate turns between opponents or teams as you return the ball. After the initial return, you can hit the ball anywhere in front or behind the service zone as long as it doesn't touch the floor twice before doing so.

5.  

Score points. Although the ball is allowed to hit the wall or ceiling an unlimited amount of times, it must not touch the floor more than once before you hit it back, or your opponent receives a point. Whoever makes the point becomes the server or remains the server as the case may be.

6.  

Win the Handball game by scoring 21 points before your opponent or the opposing team does.

Handball history

The origins of Handball are a subject of great debate. One view is that it was invented in Germany, back in the late 19th century, as an outdoor sport to keep soccer players fit during the summer months. Outdoor Handball involved 11 players on each side and was played on a virtually fullsize turf soccer ground with soccer goals. It was mainly played with soccer rules, except it was played with the hands and kicking the ball was illegal rather than the other way round. However, there are records of handballstyle games going back to antiquity. The sport was depicted on a tombstone carving in Athens dated 600BC. The first match of the modern era was officially recorded on 29 October 1917 in Berlin, Germany. Outdoor Handball had its only Olympic Games appearance in the XIth Olympiad (1936 Berlin Games). The first international match recorded was played on 3 September 1925 with Germany defeating Austria, 6:3. The sport's international governing body was first formed in 1928 as the Federation Internationale Handball Amateur, and took its current name in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1946 as the International Handball Federation (IHF). The IHF's first president was Avery Brundage  an American who went on to become president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Indoor Handball was invented in the 1940s in Denmark. This is a 7aside game, played on a court slightly larger than a basketball court with smaller goals than its outdoor counterpart. Again, this sport flourished in the Germanic nations where it was hoped that it would appeal to a wider audience. With rules from other sports like basketball being introduced, this made the game simpler to play and more exciting to watch. The fact that it became a winter sport added to the spectator appeal being away from the cold, seated in comfort, with more action and excitement and higher scores than soccer. The sport is now played all over the world and was reintroduced as an Olympic event for the XXth Olympiad (1972 Munich Games). Handball has always been a sport dominated by the European nations. In its formative years as an outdoor game, Germany, Austria and Denmark dominated in the international sphere, even though not many other nations outside Europe were playing the game. After World War II, and the introduction of the indoor game, the Eastern Europeans quickly become competitive and were soon dominating the sport. Nations like the Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia, East Germany and Hungary were regularly in the top three in most of the male and female international competitions. Only Sweden showed any significant resistance to the Eastern Bloc. With the conclusion of the cold war and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc alliance, many of these nations suffered a temporary economic downturn which effected some of the national teams to lose the winning edge and a number of prominent players and coaches migrating to the west. Countries like France, Spain and Germany began to dominate. Some African (Algeria and Egypt) and Asian (South Korea and China) nations started to make an impact on the international competitions (especially the Olympics) in the late 1980s  early 1990s. The indoor game is now the more popular of the two types of handball. The outdoor variety is rarely played these days  mainly for special occasions or by purists. In recent years, a new outdoor version has emerged called Beach Handball, played  naturally  on the sands of a beach. This variety is now recognised by the IHF and now has formal rules. Handball is now played on every habitable continent on this planet. It is estimated that about 7 million players are registered with a club. Many of the European clubs are professional and professional clubs in Asia (in South Korea, China and Japan) are becoming established and are considered as very competitive on the international stage. Africa, Americas and Oceania (our region) mainly comprise of amateur clubs but are very enthusiastic. The UK has a small but thriving community of handball clubs in most parts of the country, and welcomes participation by members of both sexes and of all ages.