A fast-paced, energetic game in which competitors hit a ball with the hand against the walls of a court, handball originated in Ireland about 1,000 years ago. For hundreds of years the game’s popularity was limited primarily to Ireland. Then in the 1880s the Irish brought it to the United States.
Handball is most frequently played on either a four-wall court or a one-wall court. The four-wall game is most like the one that originated in Ireland. The one-wall variation was developed in New York City around 1900. The standard four-wall court is basically a rectangular box. The front wall is a 20-foot (6-meter) square, and the side walls are 40 feet (12 meters) long and 20 feet high. The short line crosses the middle of the floor, dividing it into two 20-foot squares. The service line also crosses the floor, 5 feet (1.5 meters) in front of the short line. The area between these two lines is called the service zone. The back wall is usually 12 feet (3.7 meters) high, with a gallery above where the referee and the scorer are stationed. Spectators may watch the game from the gallery. Some courts also have a glass back wall that gives spectators a better view of the action.
The ball used is made of black rubber, 1 7/8 inches (4.8 centimeters) in diameter and 2.3 ounces (65 grams) in weight. Although soft, it can sting the bare hands on its lively rebound from the walls. Players wear special gloves for protection. The gloves also keep moisture from affecting the ball during play. Players may strike the ball with either hand, but they may not use their feet or other parts of their bodies.
Two, three, or four persons may play. When two play, one is the server and the other is the receiver. In doubles, with four players, the server and his partner form the serving side and their opponents form the receiving side. The three-person game is called cut-throat handball. In it, a single server plays against two receivers, continuing to serve until put out. When that happens the left-most receiver takes over the serve and plays against the other two. The serve rotates in this way until one player wins by scoring 21 points.
To serve, the server stands in the service zone. The server drops the ball to the floor of the service zone and strikes it on the bounce so that it hits the front wall first and, on the rebound, lands on the floor behind the short line. A served ball landing in front of this line is a short. Two shorts in a row score an out against the server, who then becomes the receiver, and his opponent becomes the server. In doubles, the server’s partner must stand in the service box with his back to the wall until the ball passes the service line.
The receiver must stand behind the short line while the ball is being served. He must play the served ball either on the fly or on the first bounce so that the ball returns to the front wall without hitting the floor. The server then hits the ball on its rebound from the wall, and play continues with the opponents alternately hitting the ball until one of them fails to return it legally to the front wall.
If the server fails to make the return, an out is scored against him, and he then becomes the receiver. If the receiver fails to make the return, a point is awarded to the server, who continues to serve until he is out. Thus only the server or the serving side scores points. A game is 21 points; a match goes to the first player or team to win two out of three games.
The rules permit a served ball, after hitting the front wall, to strike one side wall before landing behind the short line. A returned ball is permitted to strike the side walls and ceiling before hitting the front wall. From there the ball may bound to the back of the court and may be played from the back wall.
One-wall handball is played on a court having a wall 20 feet wide and 16 feet (4.9 meters) high. The court is 20 feet wide and 34 feet (10.4 meters) long. The same ball and the same system of scoring are used as for four-wall handball. The basic difference is that because there is no ceiling or side and back walls, the ball must always be played off the front wall. The court is open on three sides, and considerable skill is required to keep the ball within bounds during a fast game. The one-wall court permits the game to be watched by more spectators than the four-wall court, and it costs less to build. The wall is often built long enough so that several courts can be laid out on both sides of it. This makes the one-wall game popular at playgrounds as well as in gymnasiums.
Another variation of the game uses a three-wall court. Three-wall courts may have two full side walls in addition to the front wall, or the front wall may be flanked by two triangular wings. The four-wall game, which allows play off all four walls plus the ceiling, is probably the most demanding form of the game. All of the versions of the game require both stamina and agility, however, and the fact that handball requires only two players and can be played indoors makes it an ideal way to keep in shape when darkness or bad weather makes some outdoor sports difficult.