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ACKNOWLEDEGMENT
 HANDBALL

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of

seven players each (six outcourt players and
a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with
the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other
team. A standard match consists of two periods
of 30 minutes, and the team that scores the
most goals wins.
Modern handball is played on a court of 40 by 20
meters (131 by 66 ft), with a goal in the middle of
each end. The goals are surrounded by a 6-meter
(20 ft) zone where only the defending goalkeeper is
allowed; goals must be scored by throwing the ball
from outside the zone or while "diving" into it. The
sport is usually played indoors, but outdoor variants
exist in the forms of field handball and Czech
handball (which were more common in the past)
and beach handball.
The game is fast and high-scoring: professional
teams now typically score between 20 and 35 goals
each, though lower scores were not uncommon until
a few decades ago. Body contact is permitted, the
defenders trying to stop the attackers from
approaching the goal.

HISTORY OF HANDBALL
Here is evidence of ancient Roman women playing a
version of handball called expulsim ludere.[5] There
are records of handball-like games in
medieval France, and among the Inuit in Greenland,
in the Middle Ages. By the 19th century, there
existed similar games
of håndbold from Denmark, házená I n the Czech
Republic, handbol in Ukraine,
and torball in Germany.
The team handball game of today was codified at
the end of the 19th century in northern Europe:
primarily
in Denmark, Germany, Norwayand Sweden. The
first written set of team handball rules was published
in 1906 by the Danish gym teacher, lieutenant and
Olympic medalist Holger
Nielsen from Ordrup grammar school, north
of Copenhagen. The modern set of rules was
published on 29 October 1917 by Max Heiser, Karl
Schelenz, and Erich Konigh from Germany. After
1919 these rules were improved by Karl Schelenz.
The first international games were played under
these rules, between Germany and Belgium by men
in 1925 and between Germany and Austria by
women in 1930.
In 1926, the Congress of the International Amateur
Athletics Federation nominated a committee to draw
up international rules for field handball. The
International Amateur Handball Federation was
formed in 1928 and later the International Handball
Federation was formed in 1946.
Men's field handball was played at the 1936
Summer Olympics in Berlin. During the next several
decades, indoor handball flourished and evolved in
the Scandinavian countries. The sport re-emerged
onto the world stage as team handball for the 1972
Summer Olympics in Munich. Women's team
handball was added at the 1976 Summer
Olympics in Montreal. Due to its popularity in the
region, the Eastern European countries that refined
the event became the dominant force in the sport
when it was reintroduced.
The International Handball Federation organised the
men's world championship in 1938 and every four
(sometimes three) years from World War II to 1995.
Since the 1995 world championship in Iceland, the
competition has been held every two years. The
women's world championship has been held since
1957. The IHF also organizes women's and men's
junior world championships. By July 2009, the IHF
listed 166 member federations - approximately
795,000 teams and 19 million players.

GENERAL RULES

Playing court
Handball is played on a court 40 by 20
metres (131 ft × 66 ft), with a goal in the
centre of each end. The goals are
surrounded by a near-semicircular area,
called the zone or the crease, defined by a
line six meters from the goal. A dashed
near-semicircular line nine metres from the
goal marks the free-throw line. Each line on
the court is part of the area it encompasses.
This implies that the middle line belongs to
both halves at the same time.
Goals
The goals are two meters high and three
meters wide. They must be securely bolted
either to the floor or the wall behind.
The goal posts and the crossbar must be
made out of the same material
(e.g., wood or aluminium) and feature a
quadratic cross section with sides of 8 cm
(3 in). The three sides of the beams visible
from the playing field must be painted
alternatingly in two contrasting colors which
both have to contrast against the
background. The colors on both goals must
be the same.
Each goal must feature a net. This must be
fastened in such a way that a ball thrown
into the goal does not leave or pass the
goal under normal circumstances. If
necessary, a second net may be clasped to
the back of the net on the inside.
D-Zone
The goals are surrounded by the crease.
This area is delineated by two quarter
circles with a radius of six metres around
the far corners of each goal post and a
connecting line parallel to the goal line.
Only the defending goalkeeper is allowed
inside this zone. However, the court players
may catch and touch the ball in the air
within it as long as the player starts his
jump outside the zone and releases the ball
before he lands (landing inside the
perimeter is allowed in this case as long as
the ball has been released).
If a player without the ball contacts the
ground inside the goal perimeter, or the line
surrounding the perimeter, he must take the
most direct path out of it. However, should
a player cross the zone in an attempt to
gain an advantage (e.g., better position)
their team cedes the ball. Similarly, violation
of the zone by a defending player is
penalized only if they do so in order to gain
an advantage in defending.
Substitution area
Outside of one long edge of the playing
field to both sides of the middle line are the
substitution areas for each team. The areas
usually contain the benches as seating
opportunities. Team officials, substitutes,
and suspended players must wait within
this area. The area always lies to the same
side as the team's own goal. During half-
time, substitution areas are swapped. Any
player entering or leaving the play must
cross the substitution line which is part of
the side line and extends 4.5 metres (15 ft)
from the middle line to the team's side.
Duration
A standard match for all teams of at least
age 16 has two 30-minute halves with a 10-
to 15-minute halftime break. At half-time,
teams switch sides of the court as well as
benches. For youths the length of the
halves is reduced—25 minutes at ages 12
to 15, and 20 minutes at ages 8 to 11;
though national federations of some
countries may differ in their implementation
from the official guidelines.[8]
If a decision must be reached in a particular
match (e.g., in a tournament) and it ends in
a draw after regular time, there are at
maximum two overtimes, each consisting of
two straight 5-minute periods with a one-
minute break in between. Should these not
decide the game either, the winning team is
determined in a penalty shootout (best-of-
five rounds; if still tied, extra rounds
afterwards until won by one team).
The referees may call timeout according to
their sole discretion; typical reasons are
injuries, suspensions, or court cleaning.
Penalty throws should trigger a timeout only
for lengthy delays, such as a change of the
goalkeeper.
Since 2012, teams can call 3 team
timeouts per game (up to two per half),
which last one minute each. This right may
only be invoked by team in ball possession.
Team representatives must show a green
card marked with a black T on the
timekeeper's desk. The timekeeper then
immediately interrupts the game by
sounding an acoustic signal and stops the
time. Before that, it was one per half. For
purpose of calling timeouts, overtime and
shootouts are extensions of the second
half.
 Referees
A handball match is adjudicated by two
equal referees. Some national bodies allow
games with only a single referee in special
cases like illness on short notice. Should
the referees disagree on any occasion, a
decision is made on mutual agreement
during a short timeout; or, in case of
punishments, the more severe of the two
comes into effect. The referees are obliged
to make their decisions "on the basis of
their observations of facts".[9] Their
judgements are final and can be appealed
against only if not in compliance with the
rules.
The referees position themselves in such a
way that the team players are confined
between them. They stand diagonally
aligned so that each can observe one side
line. Depending on their positions, one is
called field referee and the other goal
referee. These positions automatically
switch on ball turnover. They physically
exchange their positions approximately
every 10 minutes (long exchange), and
change sides every five minutes (short
exchange).
The IHF defines 18 hand signals for quick
visual communication with players and
officials. The signal for warning or
disqualification is accompanied by a yellow
or red card,[10] respectively. The referees
also use whistle blows to indicate
infractions or to restart the play.
The referees are supported by
a scorekeeper and a timekeeper who
attend to formal things such as keeping
track of goals and suspensions, or starting
and stopping the clock, respectively. They
also keep an eye on the benches and notify
the referees on substitution errors. Their
desk is located between the two
substitution areas.
Team players, substitutes,
and officials
Each team consists of seven players on
court and seven substitute players on the
bench. One player on the court must be the
designated goalkeeper, differing in his
clothing from the rest of the field players.
Substitution of players can be done in any
number and at any time during game play.
An exchange takes place over the
substitution line. A prior notification of the
referees is not necessary.
Some national bodies, such as the
Deutsche Handball Bund (DHB, "German
Handball Federation"), allow substitution in
junior teams only when in ball possession
or during timeouts. This restriction is
intended to prevent early specialization of
players to offence or defence.
Field players
Field players are allowed to touch the ball
with any part of their bodies above and
including the knee. As in several other team
sports, a distinction is made between
catching and dribbling. A player who is in
possession of the ball may stand stationary
for only three seconds, and may take only
three steps. They must then either shoot,
pass, or dribble the ball. Taking more than
three steps at any time is considered
travelling, and results in a turnover. A
player may dribble as many times as they
want (though, since passing is faster, it is
the preferred method of attack), as long as
during each dribble the hand contacts only
the top of the ball. Therefore, carrying is
completely prohibited, and results in a
turnover. After the dribble is picked up, the
player has the right to another three
seconds or three steps. The ball must then
be passed or shot, as further holding or
dribbling will result in a double
dribble turnover and a free throw for the
other team. Other offensive infractions that
result in a turnover include charging and
setting an illegal screen. Carrying the ball
into the six-meter zone results either in ball
possession by the goalkeeper (by attacker)
or turnover (by defender).
Goalkeeper
Only the goalkeepers are allowed to move
freely within the goal perimeter, although
they may not cross the goal perimeter line
while carrying or dribbling the ball. Within
the zone, they are allowed to touch the ball
with all parts of their bodies, including their
feet, with a defensive aim (for other actions,
they are subject to the same restrictions as
the field players). The goalkeepers may
participate in the normal play of their
teammates. They may be substituted by a
regular field player if their team elects to
use this scheme in order to outnumber the
defending players. Earlier, this field player
become the designated goalkeeper on the
court; and had to wear some vest or bib to
be identified as such. That shirt had to be
equal in colour and form to the goalkeeper's
shirt, to avoid confusion. A rule change
meant to make the game more offensive
now allows any player to substitute with the
goalkeeper. The new rule resembles the
one used in ice hockey. This rule was first
used in the women's world championship in
December 2015 and has since been used
by the men's European championship in
January 2016 and by both genders in the
Olympic tournament in Rio in 2016.
If either goalkeeper deflects the ball over
the outer goal line, their team stays in
possession of the ball, in contrast to other
sports like football. The goalkeeper
resumes the play with a throw from within
the zone ("goalkeeper throw"). Passing to
one's own goalkeeper results in a turnover.
In a penalty shot, throwing the ball against
the head of a goalkeeper who is not moving
risks a direct disqualification ("red card").
Outside of own D-zone, the goalkeeper is
treated as a current field player, and has to
follow field players' rules; holding or tackling
an opponent player outside the area risks a
direct disqualification. The goalkeeper may
not return to the area with the ball.

Awarded throws
The referees may award a special throw to
a team. This usually happens after certain
events such as scored goals, off-court balls,
turnovers and timeouts. All of these special
throws require the thrower to obtain a
certain position, and pose restrictions on
the positions of all other players.
Sometimes the execution must wait for a
whistle blow by the referee.
Throw-off
A throw-off takes place from the center of
the court. The thrower must touch the
middle line with one foot, and all the other
offensive players must stay in their half until
the referee restarts the game. The
defending players must keep a distance of
at least three meters from the thrower until
the ball leaves his hand. A throw-off occurs
at the beginning of each period and after
the opposing team scores a goal. It must be
cleared by the referees.
Modern handball introduced the "fast throw-
off" concept; i.e., the play will be
immediately restarted by the referees as
soon as the executing team fulfills its
requirements. Many teams leverage this
rule to score easy goals before the
opposition has time to form a stable
defense line.
 Throw-in
The team which did not touch the ball last is
awarded a throw-in when the ball fully
crosses the side line or touches the ceiling.
If the ball crosses the outer goal line, a
throw-in is awarded only if the defending
field players touched the ball last. Execution
requires the thrower to place one foot on
the nearest outer line to the cause. All
defending players must keep a distance of
three metres (9.8 ft). However, they are
allowed to stand immediately outside their
own goal area even when the distance is
less than three meters.

Goalkeeper-throw
If the ball crosses the outer goal line without
interference from the defending team or
when deflected by the defending team's
goalkeeper, or when the attacking team
violates the D-zone as described above, a
goalkeeper-throw is awarded to the
defending team. This is the most common
turnover. The goalkeeper resumes the play
with a throw from anywhere within the goal
area.

Free-throw
A free-throw restarts the play after an
interruption by the referees. It takes places
from the spot where the interruption was
caused, as long as this spot is outside of
the free-throw line of the opposing team. In
the latter case, the throw is deferred to the
nearest spot on the free-throw line. Free-
throws are the equivalent to free-kicks in
association football; however, conceding
them is typically not seen as poor
sportsmanship for the defending side, and
in itself, they carry no major disadvantages.
(In particular, being awarded a free throw
while being on warning for passive play will
not reset the warning, whereas a shot on
goal will.) The thrower may take a direct
attempt for a goal which, however, is rarely
feasible if the defending team has
organised a defense. However, if a free
throw is awarded and the half or game
ends, a direct throw at the goal is typically
attempted, which occasionally goes in.
Seven-meter throw
A seven-meter throw is awarded when a
clear chance
of scoring is illegally prevented anywhere
on the court by an opposing team player,
official, or spectator. It is awarded also
when the referees have interrupted a
legitimate scoring chance for any reason.
The thrower steps with one foot behind the
seven-metre (23 ft) line with only the
defending goalkeeper between him and the
goal. The goalkeeper must keep a distance
of three metres (9.8 ft), which is marked by
a short tick on the floor. All other players
must remain behind the free-throw line until
execution and the defending field players
must keep a distance of three meters. The
thrower must await the whistle blow of the
referee. A seven-meter throw is the
equivalent to a penalty kick in association
football; however, it is far more common
and typically occurs several times in a
single game.
Penalties
Penalties are given to players, in
progressive format, for fouls that require
more punishment than just a free-throw.
Actions directed mainly at the opponent and
not the ball (such as reaching around,
holding, pushing, tripping, and jumping into
opponent) as well as contact from the side,
from behind a player or impeding the
opponent's counterattack are all considered
illegal and are subject to penalty. Any
infraction that prevents a clear scoring
opportunity will result in a seven-meter
penalty shot.
Typically the referee will give a warning
yellow card for an illegal action; but, if the
contact was particularly dangerous, like
striking the opponent in the head, neck or
throat, the referee can forego the warning
for an immediate two-minute suspension. A
player can get only one warning before
receiving a two-minute suspension. One
player is only permitted two two-minute
suspensions; after the third time, they will
be shown the red card.
A red card results in an ejection from the
game and a two-minute penalty for the
team. A player may receive a red card
directly for particularly rough penalties. For
instance, any contact from behind during a
fast break is now being treated with a red
card. A red-carded player has to leave the
playing area completely. A player who is
disqualified may be substituted with another
player after the two-minute penalty is
served. A coach or official can also be
penalized progressively. Any coach or
official who receives a two-minute
suspension will have to pull out one of their
players for two minutes; however, the
player is not the one punished, and can be
substituted in again, as the penalty consists
of the team playing with a one player less
than the opposing team.
After referees award the ball to the
opponents for whatever reason, the player
currently in possession of the ball has to lay
it down quickly, or risk a two-minute
suspension. Also, gesticulating or verbally
questioning the referee's order, as well as
arguing with the officials' decisions, will
normally result in a two-minute suspension.
If the suspended player protests further,
does not walk straight off the field to the
bench, or if the referee deems the tempo
deliberately slow, the player can be given
an additional two-minute suspension. Illegal
substitution (outside of the dedicated area,
or if the replacement player enters too
early) is also punishable by a two-minute
suspension.

GAMEPLAY
Formations
Players are typically referred to by the positions
they are playing. The positions are always
denoted from the view of the respective
goalkeeper, so that a defender on the right
opposes an attacker on the left. However, not
all of the following positions may be occupied
depending on the formation or potential
suspensions.

Offense
 Left and right wingman.These typically
are fast players who excel at ball control
and wide jumps from the outside of the
goal perimeter in order to get into a better
 shooting angle at the goal. Teams usually
try to occupy the left position with a right-
handed player and vice versa.
 Left and right backcourt. Goal attempts by

these players are typically made by

jumping high and shooting over the
defenders. Thus, it is usually
advantageous to have tall players with a
powerful shot for these positions.
 Centre backcourt. A player with

experience is preferred on this position

who acts as playmaker and the handball
equivalent of a basketball point guard.
 Pivot (left and right, if applicable). This

player tends to intermingle with the

defence, setting picks and attempting to
disrupt the defence's formation. This
positions requires the least jumping skills;
but ball control and physical strength are
an advantage.
Sometimes, the offense uses formations
with two pivot players.
 Defense
There are many variations in defensive
formations. Usually, they are described
as n:m formations, where n is the number
of players defending at the goal line
and m the number of players defending
more offensive. Exceptions are the 3:2:1
defense and n+m formation (e.g. 5+1),
where m players defend some offensive
player in man coverage (instead of the
usual zone coverage).
 Far left and far right. The opponents of
the wingmen.
 Half left and half right. The opponents of
the left and right backcourts.
 Back center (left and right). Opponent of
the pivot.
 Front center. Opponent of the center
backcourt, may also be set against
another specific backcourt player.