American Handball - About The Sport - Terms and Techniques

Terms and Techniques

• Ace

A serve in which the retriever is not only unable to return the ball, but is also unable to touch the ball. Same concept as in Tennis. In some games, any return from a serve which does not make it back to the wall is called an ace.

• Backhand

A technique of hitting the ball with the palm of the strong hand so that the hand is turned inwards and across the body. The arm is swung away from the body. This technique is usually used by players who have a weak off-hand or when the ball comes towards the midline of the body and the person doesn't have time to get into position.

• Ball on/in

A term used when another ball interferes with the game. The rally is replayed after the ball is removed from the court.

• Block

A term used when the ball hit by the receiver doesn't reach the wall, but instead directly hits another player.

• Bullet

A term in which the ball does not bounce.

• Moving block

A call from the receiver to indicate that an opposing player interfered in the receiver's ability to reach and return the ball during a rally.

• Ceiling shot

A defensive play in a four-wall court in which a player hits the ball hard and upward, so that it first contacts the ceiling and then the front wall, usually forcing the opponent to go to the back of the court to make a return.

• Crack

A situation in which the ball hits a physical crack on the Court. In outdoor handball courts, there are typically grooves approximately one inch wide that are coterminous with the lines on the court, including the side lines, the short line and the long line. Some of the grooves are deep or uneven, and thus when the ball hits these lines, it sometimes bounces erratically. In street handball, a ball hitting a crack does not affect play, though it can significantly disrupt the shot of the player who is trying to return the shot. (On a serve, a ball hitting the crack on the short line is a short serve but only because the ball did not go past the short line and land in the service box.)

• Cut/Chop/Slice

A shot in which the player puts a heavy spin on the ball, causing the ball to bounce off the wall in an erratic motion. To perform a cut, the ball must be struck by a sudden twist in the hand and/or fingers. The main purpose of these shots is to throw off the opponent's rhythm of hitting the ball.

• Double-down

A term which means both players in a doubles game lose their serves. A street handball rule which is invoked when the wrong player on a team serves.

• Fist shot

A way of hitting the ball so that the ball contacts off the knuckles. It is done by closing one's fingers to make a fist. The hard surface created by the fist gives the hitter a harder and faster hit, though sometimes less control. This shot is also referred to as "punching" the ball.

• Flags

A block that is right after a serve. The server or teammate waves his hand through or near the ball's trajectory thus blocking and interfering with the receiver, which is deemed a down.

• Fly shot

An advanced shot where instead of letting the ball take a bounce, the ball is stroked while it's still in the air - similar to a volley in tennis.

• Hook

A serve that is whipped so that after bouncing on the floor, it does not continue in a straight path, but veers off to one side. Hooks can be done to either the left or right no matter which hand is used to serve. Often used in small ball, as the ball can gain a greater momentum. A good hook will make the person who returns the ball have to make a quick change in their form so that he doesn't mis-hit the ball.

• Killer

A shot (usually side-arm or underhand) in which the player hits the ball so low that it just barely touches the wall first before hitting the ground. This shot can end a rally, although it is possible to pick up a kill. Although it helps the player win the rally immediately, it is a very risky shot for there is a chance of missing and hitting the floor. Thus, there is little room for error. A variation of the killer is the corner-kill. A corner-kill is a killer that is aimed at the extreme left or right of the wall. In one-wall, this shot has more risk than a normal kill because the player runs the risk of hitting the ball out. A corner-kill is often more difficult to pick up because players usually occupy the center of the court, making the shot harder to reach.

• Lob (overhead shot)

In one-wall handball, an under-hand shot in which the player hits the ball to the wall in a high arc such that the ball is launched back high above the top of the wall through a parabolic path that results in the ball landing near the long line. This tactic is mainly used against short players or players who hover near the front of the court. An overhead shot is similar, but can be used with an over-hand shot, must be hit near the top of the wall, and does not go any higher, unlike the lob.

• Long

When the ball is served over the long line.

• Man-on-court

When a person is on the court while the ball is in play.

"Out-on-wall"

In one-wall handball, any shot that hits over the outline on the wall and lands anywhere on court. Even though it hits inside the outline on the ground, it is still considered an out.

• Pass shot(corner shot)

A shot where the ball passes an opponent fairly low and fast near one of the side walls, out of the opponent's reach, thus winning the rally.

• Pick-up

A "pick-up" is when you hit the ball before it bounces a second time.

• Pop (choke)

A shot that touches both the floor and the wall simultaneously. The ball may either pop high up or bounce away from the wall momentarily and then come to an immediate halt. It is considered "out" and usually occurs when a player is attempting a kill. This shot is considered good in Chinese handball.

• Power side

The side with which the player is most comfortable. This term mainly applies in "doubles," in which each player guards his or her own side. The power side for right-handed players is the left side, with respect to facing the wall. The power side for left-handed players is the right side. The reason for this is that a player who stands on his "power side" will be able to take most of the shots that occur in the center with ease.

• Roller

Similar to a killer but instead of having any bounce, the ball rolls off the floor right after touching the very base of the wall. This shot takes tremendous skill and practice to pull off, and is impossible to pick up, since the rally is already over once the ball touches the ground.

• Spike

Similar to that in volleyball, the spike is a shot in which the player slams the ball down from a high altitude to hit the base of the wall. Doing so forces the ball to bounce up much higher than it usually would.

• Tree-top

In one-wall handball, the handball might hit the very edge of the top of the wall and pop up higher than normal. Even if the ball lands within the parameters of the court, it's still considered an "out."

• Screen serve (under-leg)

Only on a serve, if the ball passes under the server's legs, is it regarded as bad, and the server receives an automatic screen. Two consecutive screens make one full fault. Two faults and the server is "down" and becomes the receiver.

• Slicey

An effective but difficult move, the slicey is when the ball is hit close to the ground and really quickly. A notably fast slicey is called a sonicboom.

• Whip

A way of hitting the ball so that it is not simply slapped back to the wall. Instead, the player will put his hand in a cup shape so that the ball just glides off of his hand. The whip is an integral part of the hook serve. It can also relieve some of the pain that one would feel if simply slapping the ball (often the ace ball).

• Waterfall

When the first player serves, and the ball hits a high point on the wall, resulting in a fault.

• Underline

When the ball is served too low.