Handball is considered by proponents to be "The Perfect Game". Handball develops cardiovascular endurance, speed, agility, balance, flexibility, hand-eye coordination and strength. Strategy, total concentration and patience are all important elements to successful play.
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Handball has been rated the #1 competitive sport for overall conditioning by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
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Sports such as handball that use both sides of the body help to develop both sides of the brain and aid in young people’s learning capabilities.
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Size makes no difference on a handball court. All youth have an opportunity to succeed.
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The game promotes social competencies. The concepts of fair play and honor are embedded in the rules of the play for handball.
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Handball is a lightning fast calorie-buster. It is estimated that the average player uses 600 calories in an hour of play.
History of Handball
The earliest records of people using their hands to play ball games against a wall was 1427 in Scotland & 1527 in Ireland. The earliest records of people playing handball are 1700 in Ireland & 1742 in England. In 1880, in America, (Ben Thum reports that "...a combination pub and handball court, the Shamrock Saloon and Ball Alley at 543 Market St. as the oldest published record of a handball court in America: San Francisco City Directory 1851.")
The original ball used was made of tightly rolled cloth pieces stitched together and this would have given little bounce against a wall. The game of Jeux de Paume with the addition of larger and longer gloves finally became the game of tennis. The hand versus racquet controversy was commented on by Erasmus the Dutch Philosopher in 1524, "You may sweat more but the game is prettier when played with the hand."