There are numerous sports being played in the Asian countries that are driven from sports like Volleyball, Tennis and other such sports that are played in a court halved by a net. Throwball is one of them.
This game is quite popular in India, but according to the national Throwball federation of India, this game is drawn from a recreational sport that was popular among women in England and Australia during the 1930s.
Because of the fact that this game shares its roots with Volleyball, there are many similarities in the rules of both but both games can be easily distinguished by some primary differences. The playing field is a combination of elements taken from the tennis field and volleyball field.
The game of throwball is now a popular sport in India which is played by both males and females, and by looking at the simplicity and competitiveness of the sport, we can say that soon it’ll be played in other regions of the world too.
Object of Playing Throwball
The object of the game is to score more points than your opponent. To score a point, you have to send the ball in your opponent’s half in such a way that each of your opponent misses the ball. And similarly, you have to hit every ball that comes in your half.
The point scoring mechanism in Throwball is the same as we have in Volleyball. Unlike in Volleyball, you can catch the ball and actually have to throw it instead of hitting with hands or kicks.
How to Play?
Throwball involves two teams of equal number of players, each of them having its own side, the entire playing court is divided into two. Throughout the game, players keep throwing the ball in their opponent’s half and try to make them miss the ball or commit a foul by doing a wrong throw. Every foul earns the opposition a point and games are won by winning the most number of sets.
Before you start playing Throwball, you need to learn who takes the first serve, and what are the common fouls you must avoid to keep your opponent’s point at minimum. For your convenience, every rule has been discussed below in an easy to understandable way.
General Rules of the Game
- Each team consists of 12 players.
- Only seven of them can play on the field at a time.
- Rest of the players can come in as a substitute if needed.
- Points are scored whenever one of the sides fail to return the ball or fail to return it properly.
- If the ball hits the net during a service, the non-service side will get a point.
- Unlike volleyball, the balls are not volleyed here but caught and thrown quickly.
- No passes are allowed, the player who receives the service is supposed to return the ball as well to the other side of the net.
- Two players together can’t catch the ball simultaneously.
Toss
A coin toss takes place between the captains of both teams, based on which they decide which team will serve first and take which side.
Time Duration of the Game
All matches are played on a best of 3 sets exercise and each set ends when one team has scored 25 points. The first to score 25 points wins the set, so there is no time restriction on how long a set is going to last.
A single set can last for 30 minutes or more, depending upon the competitiveness of the game.
Playing Field
As per Indian Throwbal federation, the width of the court should be 12.20 meters and length of 18.30 meters.
In the middle of the court, a similar net like Volleyball is stretched horizontally. In a nutshell, the playing field of Throwball is almost identical to Volleyball field.
Playing Equipment
There is no such equipment required for the game, except the ball and the net. There are no such specified dimensions for the ball and net used in it because the game is yet to be accepted universally as an international sport and there is no international governing body.
Winning the Game
Generally, throwball games are played in best of 3 set practices. The first to score 25 points in a set is declared winner of the set. And the first to win 2 sets is called the winner of the match. Due to the clear cut format, there are no draws in Throwball.
Umpire
There are two on-field umpires that supervise a Throwball game. Their job is to maintain order in the game, and pass unbiased judgements on fouls and goals.
Famous Throwball Tournaments
The game is yet to have any annual international tournament like a World Championship but domestic level tournaments are held in India for both women and men. Moreover, the game has shown little bit of progress in Saudi Arabia where it is getting popularity among youth.
Governing Body
The game doesn’t have an international governing body yet. However, in India, where it’s more popular than any other country, the national level Throwball tournaments are held under the banner of Throwball Federation of India.