Handball is one of the fastest team sports in the world. It’s very fast-paced and is known for its incredible moves that are not seen in many other sports. It is quite similar to soccer but is played with hands instead of feet. Handball can be played indoors or outdoors and involves two teams with seven players on each team. Teams take turns sending the ball up the court and into their opponent’s goal. The objective of handball is to outscore your opponent by shooting the ball into your opponent’s net as often as possible. In this guide, you will get everything you need to know about handball, from terminology and history to rules and different variations of handball. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
What is Handball
The first step in learning about handball is to understand how to play the game. In order to do this, you’ll need to know what court is being used, how many players are on each team, and the basic rules that each team must follow.
The court where handball is played is roughly 131 feet on 65 feet (40 meters long and 20 meters wide). This is quite big so players have to run around a lot during a match. The playing surface is generally usually made of hardwood, such as maple or beech.
Handball is played with a rather small ball so that it is possible to hold it in one hand. It is a lot smaller than a volleyball or basketball. This allows the player to move the ball faster.
– Each team has seven players and can include a maximum of six substitutes. One person on each team is designated as the goalkeeper and they are allowed to use their hands and use their hands and feet to the fullest extent possible. This is only allowed in a certain part of the court though.
The other six players must use their hands to play with the ball. Defenders are allowed to stretch their arms out so that they can make it harder for the attacking team to score a point. The defenders want to take the ball from the attackers. There are several strategies that are being used to distract the defenders. Players are allowed to jump when they try to score. This makes it harder for the keeper to defend and keep the ball out of the goal.
Players wear special shoes and a shirt and shorts. Other than this, they don’t need a lot of equipment.
How to play Handball
As in any sport, there are some rules that have to be followed if you want to win a match:
1. There are two thirty-minute halve in the game and there is a recess period in between.
2. In this game of handball, the players do not wear any protective gear like in cricket and other games.
3. The players can hit the ball using their hands, chest or any other body part above the knee.
4. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to kick the bal with his/her foot to avert it from entering the goal post.
5. The players cannot hold the ball for more than three seconds and they have to pass it to another player before taking the fourth step.
6. If one team has violated the rules, the opponent team gets free penalty throw. They will get an opportunity to throw the ball from a penalty corner just outside the circle and it will be directed towards the goal.
7. The whole purpose behind the game is to score goals. The team which scores the maximum number of goals is announced the winner.
8. The ball that is used in this game is about 24 inches in circumference. Women use smaller balls to play handball.
A referee follows the match and makes sure that the rules are being followed. In bigger games, two more referees are present to make sure that everyone follows the rules of the game. It can be challenging to see when someone has scored. Recently, cameras have been introduced to inform the referee that the ball was in fact over the line and that a point can be awarded to the team that scored.
Coaches can substitute players and they can also ask for a timeout. This allows them to discuss strategies with their players and fix problems with the offense or defense. This game is very intense so a time out can also let players rest for a while.
History of Handball
Handball was originally played as a sport in Ireland, Scotland, and Denmark during the 19th century. The sport of handball is governed by the International Handball Federation and has been included in the Olympic Games since the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, Germany. The sport has evolved a lot over these years and the Handball Federation creates rules that then are implemented by the federation of each country that is a member of the International Federation. This makes it easier to play international tournaments as everyone follows the same rules.
There are also variations with fewer players on the court. It is also played on the beach. This adds some new challenges as you have to deal with the sun and wind.
We can expect that this sport will become more popular in the coming years as more people are able to give it a try. On Youtube you can find a lot of fun matches to watch if you like this sport.
To conclude, we can state that handball is a popular Olympic sport. It is quite similar to soccer but is played with the hands. Players have to pass to each other to be able to score. This sport is very fast-paced and the games can be very exciting. While this sport is not that well known, more and more people are giving it a try.
We have outlined the differences between volleyball and handball here.
