HANDBALL

ABOUT HANDBALL:

Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, or Olympic

handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six
outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the
aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team. A standard match
consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team that scores more
goals wins.

Modern handball is played on a court of 40 by 20 meters (131 by 66 ft),

with a goal in the middle of each end. The goals are surrounded by a
6-meter (20 ft) zone where only the defending goalkeeper is allowed;
goals must be scored by throwing the ball from outside the zone or while
"diving" into it. The sport is usually played indoors, but outdoor variants
exist in field handball, Czech handball (which were more common in the
past), and beach handball. The game is fast and high-scoring:
professional teams now typically score between 20 and 35 goals each,
though lower scores were not uncommon until a few decades ago. Body
contact is permitted for the defenders trying to stop the attackers from
approaching the goal. No protective equipment is mandated, but players
may wear soft protective bands, pads, and mouth guards.
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HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT :

Origins
Games similar to handball were played in Ancient Greece and are
represented on amphorae and stone carvings. Although detailed textual
reference is rare, there are numerous descriptions of ball games being
played where players throw the ball to one another; sometimes this is
done in order to avoid interception by a player on the opposing team.
Such games were played widely and served as both a form of exercise
and a social event.

A picture copied from an amphora shows youths playing a version of handball, circa 500 B.C.

There is evidence of ancient Roman women playing a version of

handball called expulsim ludere. There are records of handball-like
games in medieval France, and among the Inuit in Greenland, in the
Middle Ages. By the 19th century, there existed similar games of
håndbold from Denmark, házená in the Czech Republic, handbol in
Ukraine, and torball in Germany.

The team handball game of today was codified at the end of the 19th
century in northern Europe: primarily in Denmark, Germany, Norway,
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and Sweden. In the opinion of the experts, the game of handball

originated in Germany in 1890.

The first written set of team handball rules was

published in 1906 by the Danish gym teacher,
lieutenant, and Olympic medalist Holger Nielsen
from Ordrup grammar school, north of
Copenhagen.

The modern set of rules was published

by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz, and
Erich Konigh in 1917 on 29 October in
Berlin, Germany; this day is therefore
seen as the "date of birth" of the sport.

The first-ever official handball match was played on 2 December 1917 in

Berlin. In 1919 the rules were modified by Karl Schelenz. The first
international games were played under these rules, between Germany
and Austria by men in 1925 and between Germany and Austria by
women in 1930.

Men's field handball was played at the 1936 Summer

Olympics in Berlin. During the next several decades,
indoor handball flourished and evolved in the
Scandinavian countries. The sport re-emerged onto
the world stage as men’s team handball for the 1972
Summer Olympics in Munich. Women's team
handball was added at the 1976 Summer
Olympics in Montreal. Due to its
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popularity in the region, the Eastern European countries that refined the event
became the dominant force in the sport when it was reintroduced.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) was reformed on 11 July
1946. The International Handball Federation organized the men's
world championship in 1938 and every four (sometimes three) years
from World War II to 1995. Since the 1995 world championship in
Iceland, the competition has been held every two years. The women's
world championship has been held since 1957. The IHF also organizes
women's and men's junior world championships. By July 2009, the IHF
listed 166 member federations – approximately 795,000 teams and 19
million players.

Asian Handball Federation was organized in 1974 and handball was

included in Asian games in 1982. In 1985 Bangladesh Handball
Federation has been formed. At present time the game of handball is
popular in Bangladesh.

LAWS OF THE GAME:

Court
Handball is played on a court
40 by 20 meters (131 ft 3 in ×
65 ft 7 in), with a goal in the
center of each end. The goals
are surrounded by a
near-semicircular area, called
the zone or the crease, defined
by a line six meters from the
goal. A dashed
near-semicircular line nine
meters from the goal marks the
free-throw line. Each line on
the court is part of the area it
encompasses. This implies that
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the middle line belongs to both halves at the same time.

The Ball
The ball is spherical and must be made either of
leather or synthetic material. It is not allowed to have a
shiny or slippery surface. As the ball is intended to be
operated by a single hand, its official sizes vary
depending on the age and gender of the participating
teams.

Size Class Circumference Circumference Weight Weight

(cm) (in) (g) (oz)

III Male over-16s 58–60 23–24 425–47 15.0–16.

5 8

II Women, male over-12s, and 54–56 21–22 325–37 11.5–13.

female over-14s 5 2

I Over-8s 50–52 20–20 290–33 10–12

0

Duration

A standard match has two 30-minute halves with a 10- or 15-minute

(major Championships/Olympics) halftime intermission. At half-time,
teams switch sides of the court as well as benches. For youths, the
length of the halves is reduced—25 minutes at ages 12 to 15, and 20
minutes at ages 8 to 11; though national federations of some countries
may differ in their implementation from the official guidelines.
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Team Players & Substitutes

Each team consists of seven players on the court and seven substitute
players on the bench. One player on the court must be the designated
goalkeeper, differing in his clothing from the rest of the court players.
Substitution of players can be done in any number and at any time during
gameplay. An exchange takes place over the substitution line. Prior
notification of the referees is not necessary.
Some national bodies, such as the Deutsche Handball Bund (DHB, "German
Handball Federation"), allow substitution in junior teams only when in ball
possession or during timeouts. This restriction is intended to prevent the early
specialization of players to offense or defense.

The Officials (conducting the game)

For conducting the game, the officials are 2 referees, 1 scorer, and 1
timekeeper.

The referees are obliged to make their decisions "on the basis of their
observations of facts". Their judgments are final and can be appealed
against only if not in compliance with the rules.

The scorer keeps track of the scores of both teams. And the timekeeper
keeps track of time.

Court Players

Court players are allowed to touch the ball with any part of their bodies above
and including the knee. As in several other team sports, a distinction is made
between catching and dribbling. A player who is in possession of the ball may
stand stationary for only three seconds and may take only three steps. They
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must then either shoot, pass, or dribble the ball. Taking more than three steps
at any time is considered traveling, and results in a turnover. A player may
dribble as many times as they want (though, since passing is faster, it is the
preferred method of attack), as long as during each dribble the hand contacts
only the top of the ball. Therefore, carrying is completely prohibited, and
results in a turnover. After the dribble is picked up, the player has the right to
another three seconds or three steps. The ball must then be passed or shot,
as further holding or dribbling will result in a double dribble turnover and a free
throw for the other team. Other offensive infractions that result in a turnover
include charging and setting an illegal screen. Carrying the ball into the
six-meter zone results either in ball possession by the goalkeeper (by an
attacker) or turnover (by a defender).

Goalkeepers

Only the goalkeepers are allowed to move freely within the goal perimeter,
although they may not cross the goal perimeter line while carrying or dribbling
the ball. Within the zone, they are allowed to touch the ball with all parts of
their bodies, including their feet, with a defensive aim (for other actions, they
are subject to the same restrictions as the court players). The goalkeepers
may participate in the normal play of their teammates. They may be
substituted by a regular court player if their team elects to use this scheme in
order to outnumber the defending players.

Team Officials

Each team is allowed to have a maximum of four team officials seated

on the benches. An official is anybody who is neither player nor a
substitute. One official must be the designated representative who is
usually the team manager.
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TACTICS:

Gripping the ball

The ball may be gripped in many ways while playing handball-

● Holding on the shoulder
● Holding by the side
● Holding below the waist
● Holding above the head
● Holding by jumping
● Holding the rolling ball.

The ball may be gripped with one or two hands in the above-mentioned
ways according to the situation. While gripping the ball, one should
spread out his fingers, keep his eyes on the ball, and bend the elbow,
pull the ball towards himself to bring it under control.

Passing the ball

Passing the ball to the players of one's own team is an important tactic.
Since the ball is light and small to a great extent it is much more
convenient to give passes by throwing the ball in one hand. Of course,
it may be done with two hands according to the situation. While
throwing the ball with one hand, one generally grips the ball with his
right hand and takes the hand behind the shoulder line, and keeps the
body weight on the left leg at the
time of throwing the ball. The
balance of the body is maintained
by keeping the left hand in front.
Ball passing may be of different
types as passing in line with the
shoulder turning the wrist, taking
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the hand below the waist and form above the head, etc.

Throwing the ball to the goal

One must master the skill of throwing the ball to score a goal in
handball. Because the ball is thrown from outside a particular area and
the area of the goal is quite small.
One must be an expert to play
handball and he must have speed,
attention, and flexibility. There are
different types of throwing for
scoring goals e.g. throwing directly,
throwing by giving passes,
throwing, jumping, raising the ball,
dropping, etc.

Advancing the ball

One can not go more than three steps with the ball in hand. So to keep
it under control the ball must be bounced. In this way, the ball may be
kept as long as one wishes. Again one can advance with the ball by
bouncing it with one hand. One may advance by bouncing the ball and
crossing the opponent.

Obstructing the ball

When an opponent player is

advancing with the ball to score a
goal, he should be prevented in
such a way that he is unable to
pass the ball to his mate or throw
the ball to the goal. To do that a
player alone or two or three players
build a wall by raising their hands or
the body to obstruct the opponent.