Ninh explains - The Rules of Gaelic Handball The object of the game is to score more points
than your opponent.
Gaelic Handball is an Irish sport that is played similarly to other forms of Handball
played around the world, and can be played as singles or doubles.
Players play using their hand instead of a racket, and they must play the ball by hitting
it directly to the front wall.
The rules of the game are similar to Racquetball and Squash, but confusingly, Gaelic Handball
is played in several variations, and I’ll explain what these are later in the video.
The game starts with a player serving the ball.
To serve, a player must be behind the service line (in the serving zone) and bounce the
ball onto the floor before hitting it.
The ball must bounce behind the short line for a serve to be legal.
In general, you get two chances to serve legally.
The opponent must be 5 feet behind the short line during a serve.
The ball may hit with an open hand or clenched fist onto any of the walls, but you are only
allowed to let the ball bounce on the floor once.
If you let the ball bounce on the floor twice, your opponent wins a point.
The idea of this game is to make it difficult or impossible for your opponent to play a
good shot back, or to force an error out of your opponent.
This exchange is known as a rally.
In Gaelic Handball, you can only score a point if you serve the ball.
If the server wins the rally, they score one point and continues to serve.
If the opposing player wins the rally, no point is scored, but that player then takes
the next serve.
Once you play a shot, you have to try and get out of the way of the ball AND get out
of the way of your opponent.
The rules dictate that you must allow your opponent fair access to see and return the
ball.
If you tried to get out of the way but couldn’t, this is known as a ‘dead ball hinder’
and the point is replayed again.
If you obstruct your opponent to deny them an opportunity to return the ball, your opponent
will win the rally.
This is known as a ‘avoidable hinder’.
There are many other types of hinder, shown in this diagram, but these are the most common
that you’ll need to know about.
The first player to score 21 points wins the game, and Gaelic Handball is usually played
to the best of three games.
The last game is only played to 11 points.
The person who wins two games the fastest … wins.
So – what are the variations?
Gaelic Handball is played as four different events depending on the court type.
They include: One Wall – internationally called Wallball,
this is the most basic form of Gaelic Handball and is the most popular variation of the game
worldwide.
It’s played on a on a 34ft long court and as the name implies, it’s played with one
wall only, measuring 20ft x 16ft, Because there’s no other walls, playing
the ball can be more lateral as there are no side or back walls to help you.
This also means that you have to keep the ball within the dimensions of the court yourself.
This version of handball is popular because it can be played almost anywhere, indoors
or outdoors, so long as you have a solid wall to play against.
40 x 20 – sometimes called ‘Small Alley’, is named that because of the dimensions of
the court.
Courts are 40ft x 20ft and the front wall is 20ft squared.
The court itself has four walls and this ensures that the ball is kept in play at all times.
Players can use the side and the back walls to help them play the ball.
This is the most popular form of the game in Ireland AND in the US, as this game is
virtually identical to Four Wall American Handball.
Players from both countries can adapt to each other’s rule differences fairly easily.
60 x 30 – sometimes called ‘Big Alley’ is also played with four walls, on a court
that measures … you guessed it, 60ft x 30ft, with a front wall measuring 30ft x 27ft.
Like 40 x 20 it’s played with side and back walls, just on a bigger court.
But unlike 40 x 20 – there are two different events, hardball and softball.
Playing with a different ball changes the tactics of the game, so this is reflected
in the different events.
Unlike one wall and 40 x 20, 60 x 30 is only contested in Ireland.
That’s pretty much it, but there’s a few other things you’ll need to know before
playing or watching Gaelic Handball.
For example: Gloves and Eye Protection
Gloves are mandatory in almost all Gaelic Handball events, mainly for safety reasons,
but also because moisture from a player’s hands will cause the ball to react adversely.
Therefore gloves must also be changed if they get wet.
Gloves can be optional for 60 x 30 events, but in general, players wear gloves anyway
to protect their hands.
Eye guards are mandatory in all events.
Failure to ensure that you have the correct equipment results in a technical.
Technical For equipment violations and more serious
faults, a technical can be awarded against a player.
This results in a one-point deduction from their score.
Accruing three technicals in a game results in disqualification.
Appeals.
During the rally, if a player feels his opponent did not return the ball legally, they may
appeal to the referee at end of rally, who will review the previous play.
They must accept the decision of appeal, even if they don’t agree.
American Handball So what IS the difference between Gaelic and
American Handball?
Honestly, very little.
The American version is played identically to the sport of Racquetball just without the
racquet, and it also has its own variations, one wall, three wall and four wall, and games
are played to 15 points, but other than a few other minor differences – the game is
almost the same.
This explains why Gaelic and American Handballers can play each other in different sports and
adapt very well to each other’s rules.
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Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK