Alpine School District Team Handball Presentation Submitted by: Brandon Gustafson USA Team Handball Development 2330 California Ave. Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 463-2000
About Team Handball Team Handball, a Summer Olympic sport since 1972, is a fast paced, high-scoring game and the secondmost popular team sport in Europe. Two teams of seven players compete to score the most goals. The team with the most goals after two halves is the winner. An official game consists of two 30-minute periods and a 10 minute half time. The length of the game can be adjusted for children depending upon their age and the time available. The game is officiated by 1-2 referees. About USA Team Handball (USATH) USA Team Handball is the sport s National Governing Body and headquartered since 2008 in Salt Lake City, UT. We are recognized by the United States Olympic Committee to represent and develop our sport from grass roots to our Olympic Teams. In two years, USATH has demonstrated handball to more than 15,000 Utah kids in more than 40 schools. Alpine Handball League USATH proposes Utah s first scholastic league, with a 6-12 week game schedule (depending on how many clubs are formed). A round-robin, home-and-home regular season would be followed by a pair of semifinal games and a District Championship game. USA Team Handball will provide substantial resources to Alpine School District to facilitate the implementation of a league, including coaching staff, clinicians, equipment (discount, loan or donation), referee training, etc. The following is an example schedule of a four-team league: WEEK Game 1 Game 2 Week 1 Team 1 at Team 2 Team 3 at Team 4 Week 2 Team 3 at Team 1 Team 2 at Team 4 Week 3 Team 4 at Team 1 Team 2 at Team 3 Week 4 Team 1 at Team 3 Team 4 at Team 2 Week 5 Team 2 at Team 1 Team 4 at Team 4 Week 6 Team 1 at Team 4 Team3 at Team 2 Playoff Week Fourth Place at First Place Third Place at Second Place Championship Week Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner USATH recommends the league commence practice in the second week of February, once regular season basketball is over and gym space is more readily available. Each school that participates would designate a coach (club advisor) to be in charge of the students. This advisor would coordinate with USA Team Handball to schedule clinic(s), tryout(s), weekly practices and games. USATH will train this advisor on the sport of handball, as long as the advisor has basic coaching and/or sport administrative skills.
Equipment The ball is similar in size to a volleyball, but denser like a soccer ball. USATH recommends using Size 2 (approx. 55cm/12.5 circumference). USATH can provide balls for Alpine Handball League schools at a significant discount. The Goals are 2 meters high and 3 meters wide (6 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 10 inches) and are similar to the ones used in indoor soccer. They are placed at the center of each end of the playing field. Quality can range from PVC-made goals (<$100) to various degrees of certified goals ($500 - $1,500 per pair). USATH has 2-3 pairs available for loan, and relationships with vendors. Apparel: Players can wear basketball/indoor court shoes, shorts and t-shirts. Players may use mouthpieces, knee and elbow pads/. No additional protective gear is allowed nor required. The Court Officially, handball is played on a court which is 40 by 20 meters (131ft 66 ft) with a goal in the center at each end. High school and/or middle school gyms will be sufficient for Alpine Handball League even though they may lack length. The goals are surrounded by a near semicircular area called the goal area (in RED below). The goal area is 6 meters (19 feet 8 inches) from the goal. A dashed semicircular line, 9 meters (29 feet 6 inches) from the goal, marks the free-throw line (BLUE below). Additionally, there is a 7 meter (23 feet) line used for penalty shots. Teams sit near midcourt and players must enter/exit the court through a substitution area is marked 4.5 meters (14 feet 9 inches) from the center line on the side of the court,. USATH will consult with each school to modify court size to suit available space. USATH recommends using non-permanent floor tape to mark your courts.
The Basic Rules: 1. No players, other than the goalkeeper, are allowed inside the goal area. Goalkeepers are allowed to handle the ball in the goal area but may not carry the ball outside the area. They are allowed to leave the area without the ball. Offensive players may land in the goal area if the ball is released before landing in the area. 2. After receiving the ball, players can hold the ball for only three seconds after which they must either pass, dribble or shoot. If they dribble, they have an additional 3 seconds after which they must either pass or shoot the ball. They are not allowed to double dribble. 3. After receiving the ball, players can take up to three steps without dribbling. If players dribble, they may take an additional three steps. Each foot movement counts as a step. Dribbling is only used to gain additional steps. Passing the ball is the faster/better option. 4. Defensive players are allowed to use their body, arms, and hands to obstruct an opponent with or without the ball. 5. While handball allows more body contact than basketball, new handball players should first learn proper technique and use basketball-style, no contact defense focusing on blocking the opponent s path as well as stealing the ball rather than physical contact. 6. Handball players are allowed an unlimited number of fouls which are considered good defense and disruptive to the attacking team's rhythm. When a defender stops an attacker with their arms on the side, the play is stopped and restarted from the free-throw 9 meter line with a free throw with the attacking team in possession. 7. Teams are allowed unlimited substitutions on the fly as long as the substituted player enters the floor after the player being replaced has exited. Incorrect substitutions are punished by a 2 minute penalty. Substitutes enter/exit via the substitution area, near midcourt. 8. USATH recommends a single 5-minute overtime to break ties; otherwise games shall end in ties in regular season. In playoffs, if the game still remains tied, each team nominates 5 players to shoot a 7 meter penalty shot. Alternating shots are taken until the winner is decided. 9. The game is restarted at the court middle after a goal is scored, after a signal from the referee. The opposing team has to stay at least 3 meters away from the thrower when restarting the game. 10. A throw-in is taken when the ball goes out of bounds. It is taken on the sidelines of the court with the player out of bounds with one foot on the line. A team is awarded a throw-in when a player of the opposing team touches the ball last. 11. If the defense deflects the ball out of bounds and it goes over the goal line, the ball is inbounded from the corner by the offensive team. If the ball is deflected out of bounds by the goalie and goes over the goal line, the goalie s team is awarded possession of the ball. The goalie will then put the ball in play from the goal area.
Rosters / Positions Each Alpine Handball League team shall carry a maximum roster of 16 players but only 7 players can be on the court during play. This illustration shows the basic six court positions on offense. Goalie (abbreviated G) Only player allowed to move freely in the goal area. Can step outside the goalie zone but cannot do so while dribbling or holding the ball. If a goalie deflects the ball behind the goal line, he/she throws the ball back into play. If a defending player defects the ball over the goal line, the opposing team gets the ball in corner. Left and Right Wing (LW / RW) Typically excel at ball control and wide jumps from the outside of the goal perimeter to get a better shooting angle at the goal. Teams usually try to occupy the left wing position with a right-handed player and vice versa. Wings are usually fast and able to run fast-breaks (counter-attacks) for the team. Left, Center and Right Back (LB / CB / RB) Usually tall and able to jump high. Shots by these players are typically made by jumping and shooting over the defenders as well as by breaking-through in 1-on-1 defenses. Center back acts as a primary play-maker, like a basketball point guard. Circle (C) Like a basketball center, the Circle interferes with the opposing defense to create opportunities for the team by disrupting the defense or setting picks. THE BASIC DEFENSE The main objectives of all defensive actions are to prevent opposing team from scoring a goal and win the ball back to initiate the counter-attack. This illustration shows the six defenders (numbered) in a zone defense position in order to prevent shots by opponents. USATH will also introduce man-to-man defenses as well as other defensive formations.
Bottom Line USA Team Handball is prepared to invest substantial time and resources to support the Alpine Handball League. USA Team Handball has certified coaches and referees here in Salt Lake City, plus the resources of the federation and U.S. Olympic Committee to support this endeavor. For the Alpine Handball League, USA Team Handball recommends each school start a club-specific budget. Ideally this club budget would be around $2,000.00 but a startup budget of $1,000.00 could be sufficient for the first year. USATH is prepared to offer startup assistance to Alpine Handball League participants. A sample budget of $2,000.00 is shown here: Item Amount Pair of Goals & Nets $650* Balls (10) $250 Uniform Shirts (16) $320 Referee Fees (10 games) $300 Transportation tbd Miscellaneous tbd Coach Stipend tbd Total $2,000.00 * USATH recommends Item #THA at www.foldagoal.com, but more expensive goals are available, and less expensive ones can be built out of pvc (directions to make pvc goals can be found at usateamhandball.org). USATH approved organizations receive 20% discount off list prices. For more information please go to www.usateamhandball.org or contact Brandon via email at Brandon@usateamhandball.org or via telephone at (801) 463-2000. Thank you for your time and we look forward to the launch of the Alpine Handball League.