ACOG - handball - IBM

Spectator's Guide to Handball

The Basics

Handball is normally fast-paced, physical and entertaining to witness. Some of the most exciting moments may occur on fast breaks when, similar to basketball, the offensive team gains a numerical advantage by beating the defense downcourt, resulting in a one-on-one confrontation between a shooter and the goalie and on penalty throws. A typical game takes less than 2 hours to play and the score if often in the high teens or 20s.

Team Composition

For the Olympic tournament, each team has a roster of 16 players, although only seven — a goalie and six court players — appear on the court at any given time. Goalies are easily recognizable because their jersey is a different color than those worn by the court players. In addition to the goalie, each lineup consists of two wings, a circle runner, two backcourt players and a middle backcourt player.

Competition Format

Teams are seeded into two pools based on recent prior results in international competition. Each team plays every other member of its pool in a round-robin format, with 2 points awarded for a win and 1 for a tie. There are six teams in each men's pool and four in each women's pool; so each men's squad plays five times and each women's squad three times prior to the medal round. At the conclusion of round-robin pool play, the top two teams in each pool advance to the medal round while the other teams will play classification games to determine 5th – 12th (5th – 8th for women) places. Ties in the standings will be broken by goal differential margin or head-to-head results. With so few games in the round-robin format, the outcome of each contest is crucial in determining which teams advance to battle for gold, silver and bronze medals.

In the semifinals, the team with the best record in pool A faces the team with the second-best record in pool B, and vice-versa. The two semifinal winners meet for the gold medal while the semifinal losers battle for the bronze. Therefore, no teams will meet more than twice during the tournament — once during pool play and, potentially, once in a gold or bronze medal game or in a classification game.

Length of Play

Games are divided into 30-minute halves with a 15-minute intermission. During the preliminary round, games may end in a tie, resulting in 1 point for each team. In the medal round and classification games, a winner must be determined. A maximum of two 5-minute overtimes are permitted if regulation play ends in a tie score. If the score remains tied at the end of two overtimes, the outcome will be determined in a shoot-out. Each team alternately takes five shots on goal and the team converting the most shots is declared the winner. In the event both teams convert an equal number of shots, the shoot-out continues in a sudden death format in which the first team to gain an advantage (after an equal number of shots have been attempted by both sides) is the winner.

Objective

The object of the game is to shoot the round leather ball into the opponents' goal. Each goal is worth 1 point, regardless of where on the court the shot is attempted from. All shots must originate from outside of the goal area, marked by an arc 6 meters from the net. Only the goalie is allowed in this zone, although it is common for players to jump from behind the arc, release a shot in mid air and land inside the goal area. The goal itself is 2 meters high and 3 meters wide.

The Court

The court — measuring 20 x 40 meters — is slightly larger than the one used in basketball and is divided into two halves. The solid line closest to the goal defines the goal area. The dotted arc further out is the 9-meter line, which is used for free throws awarded for minor fouls and also is where play resumes following a common foul. A small mark at the 7-meter point indicates the spot for penalty throws awarded as a result of certain major fouls.

Rules

Players may dribble, pass or shoot the ball. Unlike basketball, a players is permitted three steps before and after a dribble. A team loses possession of the ball if a players takes too many steps, holds the ball for more than 3 seconds without movement, enters the goal area or is the last to touch the ball before it crosses the sideline or endline.

Common fouls are called when a defensive player makes body contact with an offensive player, hindering movement or the ability to pass or shoot. No penalty shots are awarded for common fouls, but the offensive team retains possession at the 9-meter line. More serious fouls, usually occurring when an opponent is in the act of shooting, result in the awarding of a penalty throw — a cross between basketball's free throw and hockey's penalty shot. A designated shooter is given one shot against the goalie which must be taken from the 7-meter mark without leaving the ground. Certain types of fouls may draw a 2-minute penalty as in hockey giving the opposing team a crucial numerical advantage.

Strategy

Like its basketball, hockey and soccer counterparts, the sport of handball has a lengthy set of rules and sophisticated strategies all its own. While the players, coaches and officials spend years refining their techniques, a few brief pointers can help even the first-time spectator understand and enjoy the game more fully.

Offense

Because court players are not allowed in the goal area, it is quite common for shooters to employ a variety of jump shots, dive shots and wing shots in an attempt to elude a defender and gain a clear shot at the goal. More than 25 percent of the goals in a typical game result from fast breaks. When relegated to a half-court attack, teams use a variety of formations, screens and picks in an attempt to free a shooter from his/her defender for the split second needed to release a shot.

Wings are usually the team's most athletic and acrobatic players and among the leading scorers while circle runners position themselves along the 6-meter line, setting picks and attempting to get open for an occasional dive shot. Backcourt players attempt shots from long range over the defenders or try to penetrate the defensive line and either shoot or pass to an open teammate after drawing the defense's attention.

Defense

The object of the defensive team is to aid the goalie by contesting and deflecting the offensive player's shot and making it more difficult for the players to get an unobstructed view of the goal. The basic handball defense is a 6 – 0, with all six court players positioned like a wall along the 6-meter line. Variations include the 5 – 1, with a single defender positioned on the 9-meter line, and the 3 – 2 – 1, a layered defensive alignment similar to those used in basketball. Double-teaming the player with the ball is a common strategy as are a variety of traps designed to clog passing and shooting lanes.

Goalie

As in soccer or hockey, a quality performance by the goalie is essential to a team's success. During the course of a game, a goalie will face a wide variety of shots from a dizzying array of angles, including fastbreaks and penalty shots. Often left alone, the goalie's effectiveness can spell the difference between victory and defeat.

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight and Dianna Drayson. Special thanks to Mark Vinson and the U.S. Team Handball Federation.


Olympic Factoid
More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined.