Handball

History:

A sport dating back to ancient Rome, handball found its way to France, Ireland, and Spain by the Middle Ages and was brought to America by Irish immigrants in the middle of the 19th century.  The first handball court was built in Brooklyn in 1886 and the sport has become a timeless playground and club sport, enjoyed be people of all ages and skill levels.

Object of the Game:

Two players or teams take turns hitting a ball against a wall using a gloved hand.  The goal is to prevent the opposing player or team from keeping the ball in play.  The first person/team to score 21 points wins the match, and the first team/player to win two out of three matches wins the game.

Playing Field:

In a four-wall court, the dimensions are 20'x40', with front and side walls being 20 feet high.  The service line is 15 feet from the front wall.  The short line is 20 feet from the wall, halfway between the front and back walls.  The service zone is a 5' area between the service line and short line and is dived into two service boxes.  The receiving lines are 5' behind the short line, extending six inches from the side walls. 

In a one-wall court, the dimensions are 20'x34' and the wall is 20' wide and 16' high.  Instead of a back wall, there is a long line located 18 feet behind the short line.  The short line is 16 feet from the wall.  Service markers are halfway between the short line and long line.

Equipment:

Ball- made of rubber, 1 7/8 inches in diameter, weighing 2.3 ounces
Gloves- leather, cannot be webbed.

Rules:

The serving player is on offense.  An ace (worth one point) is recorded when the opposing player cannot return the serve.  One point is awarded to the serving player by winning a rally (an exchange of shots between players).  If the defensive player wins the rally, a point is not awarded but he/she becomes the server.

Only the front and back of the hands are allowed to hit the ball.  Use of both hands is prohibited.  The wrist may not be used to hit the ball.  A player must hit the ball before it strikes the ground twice.

One-minute timeouts are allowed.

The server must stand within the service zone while serving.  The server bounces the ball one time on the floor and then uses the hand to hit the ball against the front wall while the ball is in the air.  The ball must rebound off the front wall and land behind the short line.

If there is a service fault, the server is given a second serve.  Faults occur when: the served ball hits the ground in front of the short line (short serve), or hits the back wall without touching the ground (long serve), or hits any three walls before touching the gound (three-wall fault), or hits the ceiling (ceiling fault), or goes out of bounds prior to touching the ground.  Two faults in a row loses the serve, and a player is permitted to serve as long as points are scored.

Errors which result in an out include: when a server swings and misses the ball, the ball touches the side wall or ceiling before hitting the front wall, or if the served ball hits the crotch (the area where the wall and floor meet).

The returner must remain at least 5 feet behind the short line until the ball is served.  A returned ball cannot contact the floor before it hits the front wall (hitting the ceiling or side walls is allowed).  A player may not hit the ball twice consecutively.

A deadball hinder results in a replay.  A deadball hinder occurs if the ball breaks, or if two players collide unavoidably.

In tournament play, there is a referee, linesman, and scorekeeper.