The Paris Olympics have finally kicked off, and the Summer Olympics will feature some of the funkier sports that many Americans are looking forward to, including handball.
Introduced to the Olympic Games in 1972, handball is an indoor sport played between two teams of seven players each. It has many similarities to soccer, where, as you know, the ball is carried by the players instead of being kicked. However, it's easier to understand the game if you use soccer as a reference point for the object of the game (score points by hitting the ball past the goalkeeper into the net) and the penalties (red and yellow cards are awarded depending on the severity of the infringement).
So let’s get started: How is handball played?
Let's start with the basics.
To play handball, two teams of seven players must be on the court. The court itself is rectangular, 40 metres long and 20 metres wide, separated by a centre line. There is a goal in the middle of each end line, surrounded by a 6-metre semicircle called the “goal area line”. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to move within that area. The goal itself is fixed into the ground, with a bar running across it, approximately 3 metres wide and 2 metres high.
Each match will last 60 minutes, with two 30-minute halves, plus two additional 5-minute halves in overtime, with sudden death play if there is no clear winner.
Replacement
There is no limit to the number of substitutions a handball team can make. Substitutions can occur during the match and during time-outs. However, the player making the substitution must wait until the player he is replacing has completely left the field. If not, the offending player will be penalized with a two-minute penalty.
Scoring Method
Related to the way of playing is the way of scoring. After all, the object of sports is to score more goals and beat the opponent, and handball is no exception.
The person with the most points at the end of a handball match is the winner, but there are strict rules on how the ball must be delivered to a scoring position.
To advance the ball, a player must take three steps with the ball. At that point, the player with the ball must either dribble (same concept as basketball, but with different form) or pass it. Players cannot use their feet, but can use any part of their body above the knees to direct the ball to its desired location. Players can pass, dribble, throw, push, hit, or stop the ball.
In handball, goals are scored by throwing the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposing team's goal. Handball goals are scored in a very dramatic way, as players often jump to score – not only does it look cool, but the rules state that only the goalkeeper can score. stand Inside the goal area line. If an opponent leaps for the goal, he is in a legal position as long as he is in the air.
Observe:
How to defend
Playing defense makes it hard to compare with other sports. Defenders can't pin, hit, shove or trip opponents, but there has to be a way to keep the ball other than waiting for the attacking player to make a mistake, right?
Yes! A defender can take the ball by flicking it away from an opponent with the palm of his hand. He can't slam it, but he can flick it away. This difference is best seen by watching sports.
However, despite the specific rules mentioned above, handball is a contact sport. Both teams constantly use their bodies to move their opponents around the court, through pure physical ability. Attacking players can set screens for their teammates while running or dribbling, and defenders can use their bodies to block opponents from getting to the ball.
foul
Like many other sports, handball has fouls. According to NBC, handball fouls are awarded at the discretion of the referee when a player trips, pushes, hits, grabs, or performs other illegal actions on a player on the opposing team.
However, as in soccer, the referee may decide to allow play to continue until the attacking team's attacking attack ends, which in handball occurs when a goal is scored, the ball is lost, or there is a stoppage in play, such as a free throw.
Free Throws
Yes, that's right! In handball there are free throws. Here's how they work:
Free throws are very common in handball, as they are the default penalty for basic infractions such as a double dribble or a regular foul. To start, the referee blows the whistle once and signals with one arm towards the side of the team that has been awarded the free throw, at which point the free throw is taken.
But this isn't a free throw like in basketball. It's more like a free kick in soccer. When the referee awards a team a free throw, one player is chosen to stand exactly where the infraction occurred. The defender must give that player 3 meters of space to play. The player can then pass the ball to a teammate or try to score from where the infraction occurred. All of this can happen very quickly, as the clock doesn't stop for most infractions, and play resumes once the player places the ball in the correct place.
Yellow and red cards
As in soccer, referees are allowed to issue yellow and red cards if they feel the severity of the penalty is up to the mark, however unlike soccer, the card itself is not the only penalty.
If a referee notices a player behaving excessively violently or in an unsportsmanlike manner, he can warn him with a yellow card. The player must rest for two minutes, during which the team must play with reduced numbers. In handball jargon, this is called a “suspension.” A second yellow card leads to a further two-minute suspension, a third leads to disqualification and the team must finish the match with reduced numbers.
Red cards are skipped until the end. If a player receives a red card, he or she is immediately disqualified from the competition.
