st

IES Élaios P. E. Department 1 ESO

HANDBALL

1. A BIT OF HISTORY
Games similar to modern team handball have historically been played in many different
cultures around the world. We know that the ancient Greeks and Romans played a type of
handball, and something similar was also played by the Inuit in Greenland and the French in
Europe as early as the Middle Ages.

Team handball as we know it today developed in northern Europe by the end of the
19th Century. It was especially popular in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Handball was first played with 11 players on each team, like football, although the game
is played with the hands instead of the feet.

The two sports shared the same playing field and even the ball was the same. In 1938,
handball became a game where two teams of seven players competed on a 40 x 20 m court.
Modern handball is usually played indoors, but outdoor variants exist in the forms of field
handball and beach handball.

2. CHARACTERISTICS
a) Objective of the game.
To put the ball in the goal of the opposing team. The team that scores the most goals wins.
b) Playing area.
The dimensions of a handball court are 40 x 20 m.
c) Duration.
Two 30 minute halves, with a 10 minute break at half-time.
d) Players.
The team has 14 members: 7 players (6 field players and a goalkeeper) and 7 reserves.
Substitution of players can be done in any number and at any time during game play.
e) Ball.
Different size and weight balls are used for men, women, beginners, children, youth and junior
categories.

3. HOW TO PLAY
Handball is played on a court 40 meters long by 20 meters wide (40 m x 20 m), with a
goal in the center of each end. The goals are surrounded by a near-semicircular area, called
“goal area” defined by a line six meters from the goal.

No attacking or defending players are allowed to touch the floor of the goal area, only
the defending goalkeeper is allowed inside this perimeter. However, the field players may catch
and touch the ball in the air within the goal-area, as long as the player starts his jump outside
the area and releases the ball before he lands. Passing to your own goalkeeper results in a
turnover.
 st
IES Élaios P. E. Department 1 ESO

A dashed near-semicircular line 9 meters from the goal marks the “free-throw” line.

Field players are allowed to touch the ball with any part of their bodies above the knee
(knee included). The ball can be thrown, hit, bounced and caught with one or two hands.

A player who is in possession of the ball may stand stationary for only 3 seconds and
may only take three steps. They must then shoot, pass or dribble the ball.

4. FOULS
The most common fouls are travelling, double dribbling, entering the goal area, touching
the ball below the knees, sending the ball outside the field of play, pushing or holding an
opposing player and passive play and fouls resulting in penalty throws.
Double dribbling.
The ball is dribbled using one hand, moving the wrist vertically downwards. Once the
ball has been dribbled and caught, it cannot be dribbled again. It must either be passed to a
team-mate or shot on goal. It is penalized with a free throw.
Travelling.
A foul committed by a player who takes more than three steps without bouncing the ball. It is
penalized with a free throw.
Touching the ball below the knees.
The ball cannot be hit or touched with the foot, although it is not considered a foul when an
opposing player throws the ball at a player's leg or if it is an involuntary action.
Sending the ball outside the field of play.
When a player sends the ball outside the field of play, it is the other team that puts it back into
play with a throw-in from the sideline or corner of the court, depending on where the ball went
out. The throw-in must be done with a foot in contact with the sideline.
 st
IES Élaios P. E. Department 1 ESO

Pushing or holding an opposing player.

Players are only allowed to steal the ball from an opponent with the palm of their open hand
and block the path of other players with the torso, even if they are not in possession of the ball.
Entering the goal area.
Only the goalkeeper can enter the area between the goal and the six-meter line, although it is
possible to jump above it and release the ball before returning to the ground.
Passive play.
If the team in possession of the ball does not play as if attempting to score a goal, the referees
will penalize this team with a free throw.
Penalty.
Penalty will be signed when the team on defense commits a foul inside the area or for illegally
preventing a clear scoring opportunity, even when outside the goal area.

5. PLAYING TECHNIQUE
In order to play handball well, it is necessary to be familiar with and properly execute
the main actions involved in the game, both defense and offense.
They are described below:
Throwing: Shooting the ball towards the goal with the
objective of scoring a goal. This throw varies depending on the
position of the attacker and the defender on the court. Different
types of shot include the jump shot, set shot, fall shot or lob shot.
etc.
Pass: normal way of
exchanging the ball between players. The pass can be
done in different ways: low, hip, shoulder, overhead,
bounce and jump.

Dribbling: releasing the ball towards the floor

without losing control. It allows the players to move
forward on the court, for example in a counter-attack.
The wrist cannot be rotated when pushing the ball towards the ground, as in basketball.

Receiving and handling the ball: it is important to get a good grip on the ball
so that it does not fall out of your hand.

Feinting: you can feint with the arm holding the ball or your body, moving as
if planning to throw the ball in the opposite direction from where you really want it
to go.

Get open: this is done by attacking players to get away from

defenders and is the easiest way to receive the ball.

Marking-covering: the movements made by defending players to get

close to the attackers and prevent them from receiving the ball or shooting
to score, trying also to intercept the ball.