Handball

About

Handball, commonly referred to as 'team handball', was originally created in northern Europe in the 1800's. The more modernized variant began in 1917 and grew so quickly that by 1936, handball was already an Olympic sport. While played throughout the world, it is most popular and widely-played in Europe.

Handball is played on a rectangular court with a goal on either end. Each team fields six attacking and defending players and one goalie. The teams attempt to score goals by throwing a hand-sized ball into the net. Handball coaches can substitute their bench players in as they wish, with no restrictions to when or how many changes they can make.

Each regulation game takes 60 minutes, with two equal halves and a break in between. The winning team is whoever has the most goals when time expires.

To move the ball, players can pass to a teammate, dribble by bouncing the ball on the ground and/or they can take three steps. If they travel by taking more than the allotted number of steps, then a turnover occurs. There is a semi-circle surrounding the goal, called the crease, that only the goalie is allowed into. If a player steps inside it is a violation. However, they can land inside the crease if they jump and shoot from behind the line.

It is illegal for players to kick the ball or to strike an opponent in anyway. The referee can award a penalty shot for a serious foul or infraction and can discipline the offending player with a yellow or red card.

The IHF (International Handball Federation) is the supreme governing body for the sport of handball.