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So, you want to play handball ....first you are going to need to know a little bit about; the game, what to play on, the ball, how to protect and uniform yourself, officials and officiating, and how to hit a handball. |
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| The Game |
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| Handball is a competitive game in which either hand or either fist may be
used to serve and return the ball.
The objective is to win each rally by serving or returning the ball so the
opponent is unable to keep the ball in play. A rally is won when one player is unable to return
the opponent's shot to the front wall before it touches the floor twice, or when a player returns
the ball so that it hits the floor before striking the front wall. Four-wall handball may be played by two, three or four players.
When played by two, it is called singles; when played by three, cutthroat, and when played by four, doubles. Points are scored only by the serving side when it serves an ace
(un-returnable serve) or wins a rally. When the serving side loses one rally in singles or two
rallies in doubles, it loses the serve. Losing the serve is called an "out". A match is won by the first side winning two games. The
first two games of a match are played to 21 points. In the event each side wins a game, a tiebreaker
is played to 11 points. |
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| What to play on |
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The specifications for the standard four-wall handball court are; The court is 20 feet wide, 20 feet high and 40 feet long, with back wall
recommended minimum height of 14 feet. Lines and zones. Handball courts shall be divided and marked on the floors with 2-inchwide
lines. Recommended colors are white or red.
The lines shall be marked as follows:
1.) Short line. The short line is parallel to the front and back walls. Its outside edge is 20 feet
from the front wall.
2.) Service line. The service line is parallel to the short line and its outside edge is 5 feet in
front of the outside edge of the short line.
3.) Service zone. The service zone is the area between the outer edges of the short and
service lines.
4.) Service boxes. A service box is located at each end of the service zone by lines which
have outside measurements of 18 inches from, and parallel to, each side wall.
5.) Receiver's restraining lines. Five feet back of the outside edge of the short line, lines
should be marked on the floor extending at least 6 inches from the side wall. These lines,
parallel to the short line, may also be marked as a broken line extending from side wall to side
wall. |
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 The Ball |
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| The material should be rubber or synthetic material. Color is optional. It should be 1 and 7/8-inch diameter, with l/32-inch variation. The ball shall be 58-62 grams, with a variation of 2 grams. A lighter ball may be
used for any division provided it is USHA approved and is specified on the entry blank. Rebound from free fall, 70-inch drop to a hardwood floor is 48 to 52 inches at a
temperature of 68 degrees F. A new ball must be selected by the referee for use in each match in all
tournaments. During a game the referee has the authority to change balls if he deems it
necessary. Though it is the referee's decision, he should honor requests when made by both
sides or when he detects erratic bounces. |
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 Protection and Uniforms |
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| Gloves must be worn. Gloves must be light in color and made of a soft material or leather. The fingers may
not be webbed, connected or removed. No foreign substance, tape or rubber bands shall be used on the
fingers or on the palms on the outside of the gloves. Metal or hard substances may not be worn
under the glove if, in the opinion of the referee, it creates an unfair advantage. Gloves must be changed when they become sufficiently wet to moisten the
ball. This is the referee's decision. Gloves with holes that expose the skin may not be worn. It is
the player's responsibility to have an ample supply of dry gloves. All parts of the uniform, consisting of a shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, must be
The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules
clean at the beginning of a match. Only customary handball attire, in the referee's judgment,
can be worn. Players may not play without shirts. Shirts must be full length, not cut off in the
torso. Color is optional. Unusual patterns that affect the opposing player's view of the ball or
distract him may not be worn. Referee may demand that a wet shirt be changed. Players must have an ample
supply of dry shirts. Lettering or insignia in poor taste is not allowed. Shoes must have soles that do not mark or damage the floor. Players must have access to a headband. They will not be
required to wear it unless the referee deems it necessary to help keep the floor from getting
wet. Protective eye wear must be properly worn at all times during play. The USHA recommends that players select lensed-eye protection designed for court sports, with
polycarbonate lenses of at least 3 m.m. center thickness. Failure to wear appropriate protective eyewear properly will result in a technical, and the player will be charged a timeout to secure eyewear. The second
violation in the same match will result in a forfeit. |
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| Officials and Officiating |
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| Tournament director. All tournaments shall be managed by a tournament director,
who shall designate the officials. Whenever possible, the officials should include a chief of
referees, a floor manager, match referees and linesmen. Before all tournaments, all officials and players should be briefed on rules
and on local court hinders or other regulations.
Before a match begins, it shall be the duty of the referee to; Check on adequacy of preparation of the handball court with respect to
playability, check on availability and suitability of all materials necessary for the match,
such as handballs, towels, scorecards, pencils and a timepiece, check readiness and provide instructions to assisting officials, explain court hinders, if any, to players, inspect gloves, uniforms and eye protection, remind players to have an adequate
supply of extra gloves and shirts, inspect compliance of gloves and hands with rules, remind
players that failure to wear eye protection properly will result in a technical, and a second
violation in a forfeit. At the beginning of the game the players will be introduced and a coin tossed to determine order of serve and to signal start of
game.
If possible, two linesmen will be used in all matches, positioned at the most
advantageous viewpoints. A linesman's opinion is based on his agreement or disagreement
with the referee's call. If a linesman is uncertain, he should abstain from expressing an opinion. |
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| How to hit a handball |
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The ball should be positioned in the center line of the body.
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To initiate the swing take the arm back and turn the shoulders back away from the ball.
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The head remains fixed on the ball as the arm is taken back.
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Now that you are all caught up on handball...lets see if you actually learned something. Take my
Handball Quiz
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| For more information on handball or hanball products try visiting these cool sites: |
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http://www.ihf.info/CDA/training___refereeing,280,0,,en.html |
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http://www.handballcity.com/ |
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http://www.handball.ie/newsite/start.php |
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http://www.wallsports.com/ |
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http://www.ihf.info/ |
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