Did you know that you can play handball on the beach? There are several teams that specialize in competing in this sport on the sand. Also known as “beach handball”, it originated from traditional court handball, but has its own particularities in relation to the sport. To find out all about beach handball, read on!
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All about Beach Handball: history
The history of beach handball began in 1992, when two Italians, Gianni Buttarelli and Franco Schiano, decided that their teams would play handball on the beach due to the scarcity of courts for training.
Realizing that the new version of the sport was quickly gaining many followers, the creators founded the first association dedicated to the sport, the Beach Handball Organizing Committee;
With the increasing number of international competitions in which Brazilian teams often excelled, the sport grew in popularity and vigor. Brazil currently has the most decorated national teams.
In the men’s and women’s categories, Brazil won eight gold medals, three silver and three bronze.
In 2000, beach handball was made official by the European Handball Federation (EHF), and the first EHF European Beach Handball Championship took place in Gaeta, Italy, that year;
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The sport continued to evolve with the support of the International Handball Federation (IHF) and began to reach a global audience;
In 2004, the first Beach Handball World Championship was held in Egypt, and in 2017, the first IHF U-17 World Championship took place in Mauritius;
In this event, Spain won the men’s category and Hungary won gold in the women’s category.
Beach handball, a new variant of handball, made its debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018.
This sport replaced indoor handball, which had been included in the Singapore 2010 and Nanjing 2014 editions;
At Buenos Aires 2018, beach handball stood out for having the largest number of athletes among the new disciplines, totaling 215 competitors between men and women. Spain’s men’s team and Argentina’s women’s team won gold medals.
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All about Beach Handball: difference to court handball
Although beach handball originated from indoor handball, the presence of sand significantly alters the dynamics of the game.
The soft landing facilitates spectacular aerial moves, with players often spinning in the air to deceive the goalkeeper;
Different from indoo handball, beach handball is a non-contact sport, and each period has its own separate goal count;
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The winner of a period gets a point. In the event of a draw, the match is decided by a goal shootout, where the player faces the goalkeeper individually, similar to soccer.
Each team has five attempts, and if the tie persists, sudden death determines the winner.
In beach handball, four players from a team of 10 – nine at the Olympic Games – take to the court at a time: three line players and a goalkeeper;
As in indoor handball, goals are scored when the ball enters the opponent’s goal;
Spectacular goals, such as those scored by spinning in the air, by the goalkeeper or in “penalty” situations, are worth an extra point. The games are quick, with two 10-minute halves each.
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All about Beach Handball: rules and regulations
The biggest differences between beach and court handball are in the rules of the game. Check them all out now!
Equipment and court
- The playing court is 27 meters long and 12 meters wide.
- The goals are 3 meters wide and 2 meters high.
- The goal area is a semicircle with a radius of 6 meters.
- The ball used is smaller and lighter than that of indoor handball.
Teams
- Each team is made up of up to 10 players.
- Only 4 players (3 line players and 1 goalkeeper) from each team are on the court at the same time.
- Substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time.
Game duration
- The game is divided into two halves of 10 minutes each.
- There is a 5-minute break between times.
- If each team wins a time, a shoot-out decides the winner.
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Scoring system
- Normal goals are worth 1 point.
- Creative goals (aerial moves or spins in the air) are worth 2 points.
- Goals from 6 meters are worth 2 points.
- Goals scored by goalkeepers are worth 2 points.
What you can and can’t do
- The game is without intentional physical contact; excessive contact is penalized.
- Dribbling is allowed, but the player may not hold the ball for more than 3 seconds.
- The player can take up to 3 steps with the ball in hand.
- The ball can be passed, thrown, bounced or rolled.
Start and restart of the game
- The game starts with a throw-in from the center of the court.
- After each goal, the game is restarted with a shot from the goalkeeper of the team that conceded the goal.
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Penalties
- Fouls result in free kicks.
- Serious fouls result in temporary exclusion (2 minutes out of the game).
- Unsporting behavior can lead to disqualification (red card).
Draw and deciding game
- If a period ends in a draw, the decision goes to the Golden Goal, where the first to score wins the period.
- If each team wins a period, a shoot-out takes place. Each team has 5 shots, where the player faces the goalkeeper individually. If the tie persists, sudden death determines the winner.
Referees
- Two referees are responsible for applying the rules of the game.
- They have the authority to sanction players and teams as necessary.
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Discipline and conduct
- Players and coaches must respect the referees’ decisions.
- Unsportsmanlike behavior is severely penalized and can lead to disqualification.
- These rules ensure that beach handball is a dynamic, exciting and fair sport, valuing players’ technical skills and creativity.
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