Fair Play

The philosophy of Beach Handball is based on the principles of "Fair Play".

What this actually means? It means that every decision that is made has to be taken according to these principles.

"Fair Play" implies respect of the health of the players as well as the spirit, philosophy and the flow of the game. Also, taking an advantage by violating the rules of the game will never be tolerated.

Beach Handball is played on a sandy base. The playing court is rectagular with dimensions of 27 meters long and 12 meters wide. The sand must be at least 40 centimeters deep, free of rocks, seashells or anything that can be risk of injuries of the players.

The boundary lines have to be marked by an elastic, colored band or rope which has width up to 8 centimeters. The longer boundary lines are called side lines and the shorter ones are called the outer goal lines. The goal lines are drawn in the sand.

Dimension Courts

Two periods

10 minuts

The game consists of 2 sets. Each set lasts for 10 minutes. Break between the sets lasts 5 minutes. The winner of each set gets one point. If the score by the end of the set is even, the teams will play for a golden goal.

If both sets are won by the same team, this team is the winner, with the score 2:0.

If each team wins a set, the result is a tie. In that case, the teams participate in the shoot-out in order to determine the winner of the game.

The playing time ends with the final signal made by either the clock or the referee.

P.S. Next week, we'll talk more about the golden goal and shoot-out, so stay tuned!

As mentioned in our previous post, the game consists of 2 sets which last 10 minutes each. If the result by the end of the set is a tie, the winner is determined with a golden goal score. The teams will first try to win ball possession on a jump ball. The first team that scores a goal (either for one or two points) is the winner of the set.

Golden goals

Shout out

Like we said previously, if each team wins a set, the result is a tie and the teams participate in the shoot-out in order to determine the winner of the game.

Five players, who are eligible to play, take throws alternating with the opponent. If a goalkeeper is one of the throwers, he counts as a court player when he takes his throw. The winner is the team that scores more points after five throws.

If the winner is not determined after the first round, the shoot-out is continued. In this round, and any subsequent round, the match is decided as soon as one team takes the lead once there each team had equal number of attempts.

Before the match starts, captains of the two teams have to select their substitution side and defending goal. This is determined with rock-paper-scissors game.

Paper-Rock-Scissors

Failure

Each set as well as the Golden Goal begins with a referee-throw.

The referee-throw is taken in the center of the court. Two opposing players are facing each other while the referee throws the ball vertically between them. Both players jump at the same time and try to conquer the ball possession.

All other players in the game must remain at least three meters away from the referee while the ball throwing is being taken. They are allowed to position themselves anywhere else on the playing court.

A goal is scored when the entire ball has crossed the entire width of the goal line.

During the regular part of the game, if the goalkeeper or the specialist scores a goal, it's counted as 2 points, compared to a normal goal scored by an outfield player which counts as 1 point. As we mentioned earlier, beach handball is all about attractiveness. Therefore, creative or spectacular goals, such as 360 degree jumps or zeppelin shots, are awarded with 2 points.

Points

Specialist

Specialist, like the name says, is unlike regular field player in beach handball. To be better recognizable, he has to wear a different colored top than the other players from the team. What makes him so special is that he is the fourth attacker in the field. He can enter the field by substituting the goalkeeper, becoming an extra attacker. On top of that, each goal he scores is counted as a two-pointer. That way he doesn't have to do an alley-oop or 360 degree shot.

Just like in the indoor handball, playing balls for men are different then the ones for women. Balls are entirely made out of rubber, they are waterproof and designed to support sand sports. Another thing that is quite interesting is that the European ball is completely different than the one used on World Championships.

European ball is larger in circumference and weighs less then the World Championship ball. Also, players' general impression is that the European ball is more pleasant to play with, while the goalkeepers state that it hurts less on impact

Balls

Defense

Beach handball is a very attractive game whose main values are based on fair-play. Therefore, making a foul of almost any kind is sanctioned with a player exclusion. Second exclusion automatically becomes a red card. In order to play proper defense, field players are allowed to defend only using lateral movements and to block the shooting oponent with their hands and body.

Being a fair-play sport, beach handball is almost a contact-free game. Every deliberate contact with the oponent is sanctioned with an exclusion. We hope that this wasn’t the second one for the Norway girl, because it would mean a red card. Do you have any exclusion moments captured? Share your experience with us in the comment section.

Foul

Substitutions

One team has an entire side of the court reserved for substitutions. The players can make substitutions anywhere on their own team's substitution line, while goalkeeper and specialist can enter the court only through the goal keeper area.

Substitues may enter the game at any time and repeatedly, as long as the players they are replacing have already left the court.

Sand selection is probably the most important factor in court construction.

The size of the sand particles should be between 0.5 and 1 millimeter.

Sand

Emotions

"Sport is like rock 'n' roll. Both are dominant cultural forces, both speak an international language and both are all about emotions."

- Phil Knight