Beach handball from A to Z

Today the European Beach Handball Championships 2015 will throw off in the Spanish city of Lloret de Mar.

To give a closer insight into the exciting summer sport, we had a look at the rules and at the game itself to tell you what all the action on the sandy courts ia about.

A for attempt

It is not permitted to keep the ball in the team’s possession without making any recognisable attempt to attack or to shoot on goal. This is regarded as passive play, which is to be penalised with a free-throw against the team in possession of the ball.

B for ball

The game is played with a round, non-slippery rubber ball. The men‘s ball weighs 350 to 370 g and has a circumference of 54 to 56 cm; the women‘s ball weighs 280 to 300 g and has a circumference of 50 to 52 cm.

C for coin toss

Before the match the referees undertake a coin toss to determine the choice of ends and substitution areas. The winning team shall then choose either one of the ends of the court or the respective side of the substitution area. The other team makes its choice in accordance with the first
team‘s decision. After the half-time break the teams change ends. They do not change the substitution areas.

D for diving

Diving for the ball when it is lying or rolling on the ground is permitted. However, the ‘most common’ way to play is to either throw, catch, stop, push or hit the ball, by using hands (open or closed),arms head, torso, thighs and knees

E for equipment

All the court players of a team must wear identical sleeveless shirts. The combinations of colors and design for the two teams must be clearly distinguishable from each other.

F for free throw

In principle, the referees interrupt the game and have it restarted with a free-throw for the opponents when: a) the team in possession of the ball commits a violation of the rules that must lead to a loss of possession; the defending team commits a violation of the rules that causes the team in possession of the ball to lose it.

G for goal and goal area

A goal is placed in the center of each (outer) goal line. It has an interior width of 3 meters and a height of 2 meters. In front of each goal there is a goal area.The goal area is defined by the goal-area line, and is created as follows: A band or rope is attached parallel to the (outer) goal line and 6 meters away from it. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to enter the goal area.

H for half

If the score is even at the end of a half, the “Golden Goal” is used. If both halves are won by the same team, this team is the overall winner, with the score 2:0. If each team wins a half, the result is a tie. As there must always be a winner, the “Shoot-out” (“One player against the goalkeeper“) is used to determine the winning team.

I for infraction

An infraction or infringement is a violation of a rule of the game.

J for jumping

Jumping plays an integral part in beach handball. However, it is not permitted and therefore considered a violation of the rules to jump into an opponent or to push an opponent who is jumping or running.

K for knockout match

The European Beach Handball Championships 2015 tart with a group phase. This is followed by a main round before knockout matches will determine the champions in the men’s and the women’s event from the quarter-finals onwards.

L for live event

If you are not lucky enough to be at Lloret de Mar for the championships, there are plenty of ways to follow the action. A live stream from all main court matches is available at http://lloretbeachhandball.com/live-tv/. Furthermore the EHF live ticker at http://ticker.ehf.eu is available for all games.

M for maximum

A player is only permitted to make a maximum of three steps with the ball.

N for number of players

In principle a team consists of up to 8 players. At least 6 players must be present at the beginning of the game. If the number of players eligible to play drops below 4, the game is discontinued and the other team is deemed the winner of the match. A maximum of 4 players per team (3 court players and 1 goalkeeper) may be on the playing court. The remaining players are substitutes who remain in their own substitution area.

O for “one player against the goalkeeper”

If both teams have won a half, a “shoot-out” (one player against the goalkeeper) is used. Five players who are eligible to play take throws alternating with the opposing team. The winner is the team that has scored more points after five throws.

P for playing court

The playing court is a 27 meters long and 12 meters wide rectangle, consisting of a playing area and
two goal areas.

Q for qualification

The teams ranked 1 to 4 in each group of the preliminary round of the 2015 European Beach Handball Championship qualify for the event’s main round. The other teams play the consolation round.

R for referee-throw

Each half, and also the “Golden Goal”, begins with a referee-throw. The referee–throw is taken in the centre of the court. One referee throws the ball vertically following a whistle signal from the other referee. The two players who are jumping for the ball shall stand next to the referee each on the side nearest to his own goal.

S for sand and surface

Sand is the surface that beach handball is played on. The surface of the playing court must consist of a layer of sand that is at least 40 cm deep.

T for time and team time-out

The game consists of two halves, which are scored separately. Each half lasts 10 minutes. The half-time break lasts 5 minutes. Each team has the right to receive a 1-minute team timeout in each half of the regular playing time. A team official of the team that wishes to request a team timeout must do so by showing clearly a “green card“.

U for unsportsmanlike conduct

Physical and verbal expressions that are incompatible with the spirit of good sportsmanship are regarded as constituting unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to both players and team officials, on or outside the playing court.

V for victory

The victory is what every team strives for at the European Beach Handball Championships 2015. To win a match, you have to either win the two halves of a match or the shoot-out should each team have won a half each.

W for wow-factor

In beach handball creative or spectacular goals are awarded with two points. The same amount of points is awarded when a goal is scored by 6m-throw and also if the goalkeeper scores a goal.

X (referee sign)

If a referee crosses his arms above his head, forming an ‘X’, it means that a player has been excluded from the game. Exclusion, for example, must be given when a player is guilty of an assault during the playing time on or outside the playing court. An exclusion is always for the entire remainder of the playing time, and the team must continue with one player less on the court.

Y for Younger Age Category

The Women’s 19 and Men’s 19 European Beach Handball Championships take place prior to the senior national teams’ tournament from 26 to 28 June also in Lloret de Mar, Spain.

Z

Z is last the 26th letter of the alphabet. There are also 26 teams (12 in the men’s, 14 in the women’s event) at the European Beach Handball Championship 2015.