The Eton Fives Association


    Handball - A Whole New Ball Game

    Article by Tom B'Connor Handball Coach, Trinity College, Dublin 1994


    Handball Codes

    Hand played ball, whose main forms are English fives, Irish handball, Spanish pelota and French jeu de paumie has spread to many other lands. These countries adopted and adapted the various games to their own special needs and is now found on all five continents. In spite of this, followers of the different codes are often only dimly aware of the existence of other varieties and know little of their various structures and rules.

    Valencia Congress (1994)

    In an effort to end this insularity the first worldwide congress of hand played games was organised by the Valencian Pelota Organisation in June 1994. Valencia, an autonomous region of Spain, has its own language, culture and traditional sports and each are promoted vigorously with generous government grants. Great credit is due to the federation and their dynamic president Victor Montero for bringing together the different countries where handball games are played.

    The stated aims of the congress was to establish relations between the National associations of each ball game, to learn about each other's codes and to exchange information on the promotion of our traditional play. It would investigate the possibility of setting up a mechanism for the exchange of ideas on historical and archival matters, publicity coaching and relations with government sports ministries. Also examined was the feasability of devising a game playable by the different disciplines, have regular international tournaments and have handball accepted as an Olympic sport. Spanish pelota featured as an exhibition event at the Paris Olympics (1900 and 1924) in Mexico (1968) and Barcelona (1991) but for the future at least sixty countries must participate for any sport to be accepted as an Olympic event.

    At the congress were delegates from Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, Ireland, Wales, Holland, Belgium and Finland. It emerged that over fifty varieties of handball were played worldwide and the lecturers gave accounts of most of these illustrated by demonstrations, slides and videos. In an article such as this it is possible to give only a brief outline of the principal modalities - the findings of the congress are due to be published in greater detail later.

    Countries attending with description of their Handball game

    SPAIN: The term pelota is much misunderstood. It is usually applied to Jai Alai, a Basque game played with the 'Chistera', a claw-shaped basket. Pelota means ball and is a term covering seven different ball games played with basket claw, small bat, racquet or bare hands (pelotamano). The courts up to 180' long have three walls (no right side wall). This is an excellent arrangement for spectators who are protected by a heavy net running the length of the court. Pelota games are played in Latin America, in Italy and in the Basque regions of France. World championships are held every three years and the top professional Ruben Beloki earns almost £200k per annum playing mano.

    IRELAND:There are over 800 indoor courts called alleys spread throughout the country. The size of the court and type of ball used varies but most popular now is the four walled 40' x 20' court (with play allowed off the ceiling) where a small hard rubber ball is used. The game has gone to many lands and regular internationals take place. This year Ireland hosts the eighth world games and the countries competing will be, United States (who have almost a million regular players), Canada, Mexico (home of the last two world champions), Australia, Japan and Britain (represented by players from the Irish Centre in London). In America one walled handball is popular on the beaches and in the parks of coastal cities in the 1950s handball was the number one participant sport in New York.

    WALES: In Glamorgan, a game containing elements of handball and fives has been played for at least 100 years. In the village of Nelson about 1900 the landlord of the Royal Oak built a 60' x 30' three walled court to lure customers away from the rival establishments. Regular Welsh championships are held and this year's winners will go on to represent Wales at the Dublin games.

    FINLAND: A version of handball called Fist Ball was played in Estonia early this century. In the 1980s students from the Baltic brought the game to Tampere in Finland and it became popular at the University; The game is played in squash courts and the rules permitted the use of feet and head to return the ball. They are at present rewriting the rules to bring them closer to the mainstream games. Not until 1990 did they learn of the existence of similar codes such as fives and handball from inter-Net (the electronic news facility between academies).

    FRANCE: One walled Handball is played in parts of Department Nord and around the village of Wieze in Belgium. Called Balle-Au-Mur it is played indoors against a large portable screen and is played as singles, doubles or even triples. The scoring is similar to tennis with alternative serves, and the game has become very popular in the schools.

    MEXICO: Among the Olriecs and a Aztecs of the Mexican Plateau, ball games were part of their religious and fertility rites. 'Hip-ball' is probably best known but temple images also depict handball from as early as 1000 BC. There are at present over 400 one walled courts in the states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi. Golf balls wrapped in cow hair and in a stitched leather cover give an extremely hard and high bouncing ball.

    Early European Wall Games

    Our rebound against the wall games have their origin in je de paumie a hand tennis game played in Europe as early as the 14th century. Variations of this play is still popular in regions of France and Belgium (Ardennes), Holland (Friesland), Sweden (Gotland), Spain (Valencia), Italy (Lombardy) and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It was a demonstration sport at the Amsterdam '24 and Stockholm '12 Olympics. Teams of up to seven play in indoor courts called trinquets (similar to real tennis courts) and in the narrow streets and parks of the towns. Great accuracy, strength and dexterity is required to drive the hard leather balls distances of up to 180 metres.

    At the congress, there were reports of handball games being played in Ghana, Croatia, South africa and Somalia but few details were available.

    World Federation

    It was decided at the congress to form a world federation of hand played games, as a conduit for information and co-operation between the various codes. Already organised is a five nations tournament for the hand tennis codes in the French town of Le Quesnoy and it is proposed to make the tournament an annual event. In October many players of the rebound modalities will be coming to Dublin to see the World Handball Games and to demonstrate their own sport. Being organised in conjunction with the games is a special One Wall Tournament for our 'sister games'.

    A pleasing result of the congress was the realisation that we are not alone in this rather eccentric activity to which we are addicted. When we visit other countries we can often find like minded people and 'try our hand' at their game. What impressed mostly was not the similarities or differences between the hand played games but the friendship and camaraderie that readily crossed the barriers of language and nationality.

    T.O'C.

    Handball 'A Whole New Ball Game' by Tom O'Connor
    Created 19th November 2001
    efa@etonfives.co.uk

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