Handball, also called team handball or Olympic handball, is a fast indoor team sport that mixes the passing of basketball, the shooting of football and the physicality of a contact sport. Two teams of seven players try to throw a ball into the opponent's goal, and with professional teams often scoring between 20 and 35 goals each, it is one of the highest-scoring team games there is.

The court and the players

Handball is played on an indoor court 40 metres long and 20 metres wide. At each end stands a goal 3 metres wide and 2 metres high. In front of each goal is a 6-metre line marking the goal area, a semicircle only the goalkeeper may enter. A 9-metre line marks where free throws are taken, and a 7-metre line marks the spot for penalty throws.

Each team has seven players on court: six outfield players and one goalkeeper. Squads can have up to 16 players, and substitutions are unlimited, with players swapping in and out through a designated area while play continues. Teams often use "flying" substitutions, pulling the goalkeeper off for an extra attacker when chasing a goal.

The ball is small enough to grip with one hand. For senior men it is size 3, with a circumference of 58 to 60 centimetres and a weight of 425 to 475 grams. Many players use resin on their hands to grip the ball better.

The core rules

The rules that define handball are simple but strict. A player may hold the ball for a maximum of three seconds and take a maximum of three steps without dribbling. After dribbling, they must pass or shoot within three seconds. Players move the ball with their hands, arms, head, torso, thighs or knees, but never with their feet, except for the goalkeeper inside the goal area.

A goal is scored when the entire ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. Attackers may jump into the goal area to shoot, as long as they release the ball before landing inside it. Only the goalkeeper may stand inside the 6-metre zone.

Fouls lead to free throws, taken from the 9-metre line with defenders three metres back. A serious foul that stops a clear scoring chance leads to a 7-metre throw, handball's version of a penalty, taken with only the goalkeeper defending. Repeated or cynical fouls bring two-minute suspensions, and in the current rules a deliberate headshot on the goalkeeper is punished with a two-minute suspension rather than a red card.

Scoring and match format

Every goal counts as one, no matter where the shot is taken from. There are no two-point or three-point shots. A standard adult match lasts two halves of 30 minutes with a 10-minute half-time break. If a knockout match is level, overtime of two five-minute periods is played.

Because the court is small and the goals are large, matches are high-scoring and fast. Teams attack in waves, and the team that defends best usually wins, because a save or a steal starts a fast break the other way. The team with more goals at the end wins, and drawn league matches are possible.

The positions

Each position has a clear job. The goalkeeper defends the goal and starts counter-attacks with fast outlet passes. The two wings are the fastest players, scoring from tight angles on the flanks. The left and right backs are the long-range shooters, firing from nine metres out. The centre back is the playmaker, directing the attack and choosing when to pass, shoot or feed the pivot. The pivot, also called the line player, plays with their back to goal on the 6-metre line, screening defenders and creating space for teammates.

Most teams defend in a 6-0 formation, with all six outfield players lined up along the 6-metre line, or a 5-1 formation, with one defender pushed out to harass the playmaker. Attacking teams run set plays, screens and fast breaks to break these walls down.

Formats and major competitions

The sport is governed by the International Handball Federation, the IHF, founded in 1946. The modern game was codified in Denmark and Germany in the early twentieth century and has been dominated by European nations ever since.

The biggest events are the World Championships for men and women, held every two years, the Olympic Games, and the continental championships, including the European Championship. At club level, the EHF Champions League is the top competition in Europe, where the best club teams in the world meet. Domestic leagues in countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Denmark are among the strongest in the world.

A brief history

Handball grew out of ball games played in northern Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The modern indoor game took shape in Denmark and Germany, and the IHF was founded in 1946 to govern it internationally. The sport has been an Olympic event for decades and has grown from a European game into a global one, with strong teams now emerging from Africa, Asia and South America.

How to follow it

If you are new to handball, watch the goalkeepers first. A great save is the sport's most spectacular moment, and it often decides close matches. Then watch the centre back: they control the tempo, and when they find the pivot with a clever pass, the defence is beaten. Count the goals rather than the clock, because a four-goal lead can disappear in five minutes in this sport.