Handball rules!
I played handball when I was at school, a lot! I was pretty good too. My skimmer was super low and I could play both right and left handed. We used to call it four square and hand tennis. At MVPS we call it handball and in some other far-flung places they call it downball. Whatever you call it, it rules! And speaking of rules, the rules of this game are the most disputed rules in competitive sports history, anecdotally speaking.
Check out this Behind The News report showcasing 16 year old Noah and his school project that has become Australia’s first downball league, Downball Australia.
Noah’s story is inspiring, isn’t it? I wonder if you and your children have or have had a passion project or something that you’re really interested in that you pursued and were proud of. Mine is to create a body of fine art photography work that can be exhibited at an arts festival or gallery. Leave a thought or two about your and your children’s passion projects in the comments, or send us an email.
One of the things that I love about OSHC is that we can take children’s interests and expand on them to see them grow. It doesn’t have to be big stuff like Downball Australia or a photography exhibition, but those things are pretty cool!
Recently we’ve had behaviour issues during handball play at OSHC. Like Noah had, many children struggle with the fierce competitiveness of others, inconsistent rules, and just plain not winning. Recently we asked mOSHCers to create a list of handball rules and we held a meeting to discuss the definitions of each rule and how they impact on the game. There are a few interesting rules out there!
Here is a list of the more sensible rules that the group came up with and our interpretation of them:
BUS STOP- A bus stop us when you hold the ball in your hand and then play it into your square. Your hand must be open and not gripped like it has been caught
CUP- Similar to bus stop but with two cupped hands
LOB- An illegal move, the ball is played over a line into another player’s square
BODY LOB- A legal move, return the ball played to you with any part of your body, except for your hand. When you do a body lob, the ball must have to cross over the line and not bounce in your own square
POWER FISTS- At your own peril, but don’t lob it!
TARGET/CAN’T TARGET- Targeting someone is when you are trying to get someone out by playing the ball to them
CHALLENGE- A player can issue a challenge and if their opponent accepts, they rally
DOG SHOT- A player hits the ball to one side of their opponent, and then the other
QUEEN SERVES- A queen always serves the ball after a lines, into, or a re-do. The ball should be bounced at the intersection of the lines of each square
CHERRY BOMB- The King, or Queen in the case that it is a queen serves, can give the serve to another player. This might happen when the King has left their position and called poison to get a drink or some other important reason
POISON- A temporary pause to your play and position to tie shoelaces or get a drink etc. If play continues and the ball is played into a poison square, that player is out
SWEEP- The ball is played low to the ground, skimming across the surface of the court
INTERFERENCE/INTO- The game stops until the interference is over. Whoever has the ball at that time can call it and hold the ball. Into is not to be used as an excuse and the King should approve
KING’S REVENGE- When the King is out that player can choose to go back to Dunce
DOUBLE BOUNCE- The ball is played to your square and it bounces twice before you play it, or you play it back and it bounces twice before it plays into an opponent’s square
OUT OF SQUARE- The ball bounces from play out of the boundary of the square
TEA PARTY- All players sit down to play
TREE TOPS- A legal move, a player hits the ball hard causing it to bounce high
PLAY ONS- When play continues after an illegal move: a) The player who made the illegal move is out, despite continued play b) The last player to play on the illegal move is out
REBOUNDS- Play the ball off of the wall
ON and OFF- Only the King calls out what is on and what is off and only at the beginning of their reign
What do you think? What handball rules did you play by when you were at school? If you or your children have any feedback for us, please leave a comment!
Check out the following video and poster from Downball Australia for their rules of play. They call it Old School Rules and I agree, old school rules! Note that what we call a ‘lob’, they call a ‘full’.
Old School Rules, Downball Australia
Downball Australia has not just created rules for play, but a system for playing better. They emphasise that Downball is a game for everyone.
EVERYONE is invited to play downball
EVERYONE can play downball
EVERYONE needs to play downball
They also promote three core values- INCLUSIVENESS, ENTHUSIASM, and RESPECT.
INCLUSIVENESS
Everyone is welcome to play, regardless of their age, gender or ability. If you are a living, breathing human, you are invited to play this great game.
ENTHUSIASM
Bring your energy, a positive attitude and most importantly, fun. Skill level does not determine participation. Your can-do attitude is all you need to get on that court and play with all your might.
RESPECT
Respect the Old School Rules, respect each other. If you can show your mad skills on the concrete, you can show respect everyone.
They have also created Codes of Conduct for players, referees and spectators. The ‘Funatic’ Players Code of Conduct is as follows:
Promote the Old School Rules
Don’t argue or get angry- we’re here to have fun
Be a good sport- gain the respect of other players and referees
Play for the love of the game and to improve your skills
Don’t make remarks based on gender, race or ability- it’s not cool
When I went online to see if there was any research or interest out there to do with handball, I didn’t expect to find something as interesting and complete as Noah’s story and Downball Australia. There’s nothing wrong with modifying a game and making it your own, but it can be problematic when the rules or gameplay are inconsistent and sometimes used to play dishonestly. I think it’s time for a reset and for us to begin again by taking the lead from Downball Australia. Who’s in?
We’ll begin by consulting with mOSHCers to plan mini tournaments for the October school holidays and Term 4. I’m happy to be a referee, of course, but I’m more excited about an OSHC educator battle!
AO + contributors JW, TT, JP