Modern handball is played on a court 40 by 20 meters,
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 the
forms of field handball and beach handball.
The History: The game was codified at the end
of the 19th century in northern Europe. The modern set of rules was published
in 1917 in Germany, and had several revisions since. The first international
games were played under these rules for men in 1925 and for women in 1930.
Men's handball was first played at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin as outdoors, and
the next time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as indoors, and has been an Olympic sport
since. Women's team handball was added at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
The International Handball Federation was formed in 1946 and, as of 2016, has 197
member federations. The sport is most popular in the countries of
continental Europe.
The team handball game of today was codified at the
end of the 19th century in northern Europe—primarily in Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden. 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 on 29
October 1917 by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz, and Erich Konigh from Germany.
The International Handball Federation organized the men's world championship, the
competition has been held every two years since 1995. The women's world
championship has been held since 1957. By July 2009, the IHF listed 166 member
federations.
Playing
field: 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
the middle line belongs to both halves at the same time.
D-Zone: The goals are surrounded by the
crease. This area is delineated by two quarter circles with a radius of six
meters around the far corners of each goal post and a connecting line parallel
to the goal line. Only the defending goalkeeper is allowed inside this zone.
However, the court players may catch and touch the ball in the air within it as
long as the player starts his jump outside the zone and releases the ball before
he lands (landing inside the perimeter is allowed in this case as long as the
ball has been released).
Duration: A standard match for all teams
of at least age 16 has two 30-minute halves with a 10- to 15-minute halftime
break. 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.
If a decision must be reached in a particular match
(e.g., in a tournament) and it ends in a draw after regular time, there are at
maximum two overtimes, each consisting of two straight 5-minute periods with a
one-minute break in between. Should these not decide the game either, the
winning team is determined in a penalty shootout.
The referees may call timeout according to their sole discretion; typical
reasons are injuries, suspensions, or court cleaning. Penalty throws should
trigger a timeout only for lengthy delays, such as a change of the
goalkeeper.The IHF defines 18 had signals for quick visual communication with
players and officials. The referees use whistle blows to indicate infractions
or to restart the play.
The referees are supported by a scorekeeper and
a timekeeper who attend to formal things such as keeping track
of goals and suspensions, or starting and stopping the clock, respectively.
Their desk is located between the two substitution areas.
Team
players, substitutes, and officials: Each team consists of seven players on 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 field
players. Substitution of players can be done in any number and at any time
during game play. An exchange takes place over the substitution line. A prior
notification of the referees is not necessary.
Field
players: Field
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
must then either shoot, pass, or dribble the ball. Taking more than three steps
at any time is considered travelling, 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 attacker) or
turnover (by defender).
Awarded
throws
The referees may award a special throw to a team.
This usually happens after certain events such as scored goals, off-court
balls, turnovers and timeouts.
Throw-off:
A
throw-off takes place from the centre of the court. The thrower must touch the
middle line with one foot, and all the other offensive players must stay in
their half until the referee restarts the game. The defending players must keep
a distance of at least three meters from the thrower until the ball leaves his
hand. A throw-off occurs at the beginning of each period and after the opposing
team scores a goal. It must be cleared by the referees.
Throw-in:
The team
which did not touch the ball last is awarded a throw-in when the ball fully
crosses the side line or touches the ceiling. If the ball crosses the outer
goal line, a throw-in is awarded only if the defending field players touched
the ball last. Execution requires the thrower to place one foot on the nearest
outer line to the cause. All defending players must keep a distance of three
metres. Goalkeeper-throw: If the ball crosses the outer goal line
without interference from the defending team or when deflected by the defending
team's goalkeeper, or when the attacking team violates the D-zone as described
above, a goalkeeper-throw is awarded to the defending team. The goalkeeper
resumes the play with a throw from anywhere within the goal area.
Free-throw: It takes
places from the spot where the interruption was caused, as long as this spot is
outside of the free-throw line of the opposing team. In the latter case, the
throw is deferred to the nearest spot on the free-throw line. The thrower may
take a direct attempt for a goal which, however, is rarely feasible if the
defending team has organised a defence.
Seven-meter
throw: A
seven-meter throw is awarded when a clear chance of scoring is illegally
prevented anywhere on the court by an opposing team player, official, or
spectator. The goalkeeper must keep a distance of three meters. The thrower
must await the whistle blow of the referee.
Penalties: Actions directed mainly at the
opponent and not the ball as well as contact from the side, from behind a
player or impeding the opponent's counterattack are all considered illegal and
are subject to penalty. Typically the referee will give a warning yellow card
for an illegal action; but, if the contact was particularly dangerous, like striking
the opponent in the head, neck or throat, the referee can forego the warning
for an immediate two-minute suspension. A player can get only one warning
before receiving a two-minute suspension. One player is only permitted two
two-minute suspensions; after the third time, they will be shown the red card. A
red card results in an ejection from the game and a two-minute penalty for the
team. As per the penalty, playing with a one player less than the opposing
team.
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