Traits
The vaqueta ball has a diameter of 44 mm, its circumference is 138 mm, and its weight is around 42 and 48 gr, depending on the variant (in Escala i corda lighter balls are preferred, while in Raspall heavier balls are used).
The actual weight of the balls is the end of a process, that is, historical pilotaris such as Quart in the 1930s played with balls around 28 and 33 gr. The lighter the ball the slower it goes and the less it flies (its direction). This change of weight has been favoured by "rest" players, who tend to be stronger and have to send the ball longer, but it's an extra handicap for "mitger" and "punter" players, who have to stop the ball or strike it in the middle of its trajectory and while it's still carrying a lot of force.
During the matches, and before beginning every "quinze", the team who stands at the "dau" is allowed to change one of the 6 disposable balls (each team previously chose 3 of them). This way, if playing again a double team, a trio would choose a new ball, which are fast and with a long bounce, so that the opposing two players are forced to move constantly. Otherwise, the attacking team tends to choose heavier balls, since they exhaust more when defensing.
Read more about this topic: Vaqueta Ball
Famous quotes containing the word traits:
“Practically everyone now bemoans Western man’s sense of alienation, lack of community, and inability to find ways of organizing society for human ends. We have reached the end of the road that is built on the set of traits held out for male identity—advance at any cost, pay any price, drive out all competitors, and kill them if necessary.”
—Jean Baker Miller (20th century)
“A man finds room in the few square inches of the face for the traits of all his ancestors; for the expression of all his history, and his wants.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“If we justify war, it is because all peoples always justify the traits of which they find themselves possessed, not because war will bear an objective examination of its merits.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)