Rules, fouls, important terms: What you need to know about handball

With today’s game against Iceland (3:30 p.m. on ORF1), Austria’s handball players have a small but historic chance of reaching the European Championship semi-finals. The euphoria is great. However, few know the rules of the game, which is played equally by men and women.

More on this:

• “We’re tearing ourselves apart for this”: Handball players are facing a historic European Championship opportunity
• National handball team: What makes Vienna so much better than the rest of Austria?

One thing first: If you want to play handball, you have to be tough. The shots are powerful, and in contrast to football or similar sports, there are no helmets or protectors. Anyone who is tall and athletic, has a strong sense of tactics and above-average coordination skills has the best qualifications.

The game idea

The round must also be square in handball. The game is played with two teams, each with six field players and a goalkeeper; the ball is played exclusively with the hand (only goalkeepers are allowed to defend with their feet or body). The goalkeeper can also be replaced by a field player (superiority in attack). You can change at any time and as often as you like.

The playing positions

• goalie
• Backcourt left, backcourt middle, backcourt right
• Left winger, pivot, right winger

Handball

The playing field

The field has a side length of 40×20 meters. We are talking about two sidelines and two goal lines. The goal area is a semicircle with a radius of 6 meters. The center line separates the field into two halves. If the ball leaves the field of play over one of the sidelines, the move is stopped and the opposing team continues with a throw-in.

The ball

The ball measures 19.1 centimeters in diameter and weighs 475 grams. When thrown, a maximum speed of around 120 km/h was measured.

Ball control

Players are allowed to take three steps without dribbling. The ball may be held for a maximum of three seconds – then you have to dribble, pass or throw it at the goal.

Playing time

The game is played twice for 30 minutes, with a 10-minute break in between. If the game is interrupted, the clock can be stopped. If the referee does not recognize that the attacking team is making a “goal move,” he raises his hand and signals a “time game.” Now the attacking team can only need six passes before the goal is thrown.

Fouls

The opponent may be touched, but not held. Fouls are punished with free throws; for more serious fouls (grabbing the arms, pushing while jumping, entering the circle when defending) a seven-meter penalty, similar to the penalty in football, can be given. Time penalties (2 minutes) or exclusions through red cards are also possible.

Important terms:

• 6 meter line: marks the goal area, which may only be entered by the goalkeeper
• 7 meter line: Penalty throw after a (gross) violation of the rules, for example a foul on a player who was about to throw a goal
• 9 meter line: also called the free throw line, 9 meter radius around the goal area. To prevent crowding in front of the goal area line, no player on the attacking team is allowed to cross the free throw line until the ball is back in play.
• Jump shot: Players can jump over the 6-meter line when attacking, but must throw the ball before it lands in the goalie’s zone.