Australian Handball
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Australian Handball is a popular schoolyard game in Australia. It is a variation of Chinese Handball, with many similarities to other Chinese Handball games, but more rigidly defined rules. It is known in Australia simply as "handball", "downball" or "four-square".
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[edit] Playing Area
While traditionally Australian handball can be played on any solid surface with a line dividing two or more spaces, many schools have handball courts. These usually consist of four adjacent squares, measuring approximately one-and-a-half to two metres square. They can be arranged as a large square or in a row. Any walls adjacent to the squares are considered to be in play, and any balls which bounce off walls or similar objects can still be considered in play if called. also it is very easy to play in a bat tennis court with the outside areas counted as a foul.
The ball used is usually a tennis ball, although any ball which bounces can be used - including small rubber balls, basketballs and volley balls. Even golf balls have been used.
[edit] The Game
As with many versions of Chinese Handball, Australian Handball is usually confined to four players only: Ace, King, Queen and Jack. The rules are fairly rigid, considering the game is a schoolyard pass-time, and reasonably straightforward. Each player is expected to hit the ball (usually a tennisball) in such a way that it bounces once in his square before bouncing in another player's square. The ball must bounce once in that player's square before she is entitled to hit it herself. Thus, each ball must bounce once, be struck by the player's hand, then bounce again before leaving the player's square if it is to remain in play. Some variants do not require the ball to land in a player's square before that player can hit the ball, but such an action includes slightly higher risk and can potentially save the opposing player if the ball would have fallen outside of the squares. It can however enable faster and more controlled play, allowing a player to play more difficult shots.
Any variation to this pattern is considered to be a foul (although the word "foul" is rarely used) and whoever was responsible for that foul is demoted, to the call of "out". There are no points, only positions. The highest positions are held by the players who have spent the longest time "not out".
In the most popular form of the game, any player in a position higher than "Jack" is relegated to "Jack" once they are "out", and all other players move up one place. In some versions of the game, each player only moves down one place when they are "out". The position of "Jack" is the most vulnerable in the terms of the game. If more than four players wish to play, the other players wait until "Jack" is out, and then come in as the new "Jack". They can then play up from that position, while the previous "Jack" goes to the end of the cue to wait another turn.
Start of game is signalled when one of the other players calls "service", at which point the "Ace" must serve the ball to that player. If more than one player calls "service" at the same time, the "Ace" may serve to whomever he wishes. The "Ace" always serves at the start of play.
Whoever was the last person to hit the ball is the "server", and the intended recipient of the serve is the "receiver". The ball can be served to any square, provided the server has the skill to direct the ball so that it bounces once in each square before the other player hits it. Thus, the "Ace" can serve to the "Queen" or the "Jack", bypassing the "King" if he desires. However, it does not matter if the ball lands in a square other than the server intended - wherever it first bounces, that player is regarded as the receiver and must play the ball.
The game can be played with only two or three players, or with more than four if there is enough room. If only two players, the "Ace" is the only position named, of only three, the positions are "Ace, "King" and "Jack". If more than four, each position after "Jack" is numbered, so that the game would run Ace-King-Queen-Jack-One-Two-Three-etc.
[edit] The Tricks
In a game of hand ball skilled players rarly hit the ball with miss. they can do back hands and are able to do drags (the ball just skims the surface and is so fast and hard that it is impossible to hit back{ other wise known as fire ball, super and lows}) hitting the ball between the legs is a really hard trick and is rarly attempted because it has a high miss rate. also really hard hits that have been hit by the reciver would normally not be hit back twice in a row because the ball can hurt.
[edit] The Calls
All fouls have to be "called" by one or more of the players in order to count. It does not matter how obvious the foul was, if no one calls it within a socially reasonable space of time the play continues with no movement of the players.
As previously mentioned, the word "foul" is rarely used. Instead, the actual name of the foul is called, followed by either "out" if the player is to move, or "play on" if the player is to remain (as would happen if there were no other players to replace them).
The most common fouls are:
Doubles - When the ball bounces twice in a player's square without being hit. The receiver is at fault. Full - When the ball is struck by a player before it has bounced once. The server is at fault. Out of Bounds - When the ball is struck so that it doesn't land in any square. The server is at fault. Lines or Liner - when the ball lands on a line between squares rather than within the square proper. The server is at fault. This call is often rendered a "play on" or is left to the discretion of the receiver to decide whether to play on or not. Some forms of the game result in the ball being bounced off of the line by the player who called it. The ball is played on by the owner of whatever square it lands in. Double Tap or Double Touch - When a player fumbles the ball, and touches it more than once. That player is at fault. Played - Usually called as "Played my ___". When a player hits the ball after another player performed a foul, the player who hits it second is "out" rather than the player who made the original foul. For example, one player "Fulls" the ball and another player hits it, not noticing the original full and this is called by the player who originally fulled the ball, sending the second player out. This can even occur after a player has already played a foul, sending a third player in the chain out. Often limits are placed on how many times the ball can be hit this way and still result in a foul.
Should the ball bounce off an obstacle (such as a wall, or a passer-by), there are two possible calls: "rebound" or "interference". Rebounds are usually played-on, while after "interference" the point is replayed, with the "Ace" beginning another serve.
Varitations In some high schools in australia it is common to play a type of handball called team square which uses the whole bat tennis court. the back areas are included and all lines are negated except the line in the middle seperating the two sides. it is mostly played with two players on each side and the players are teamed up. so its like a 2 on 2 type of downball. this variation means more space to do supers and play cheap (hitting into corners)
[edit] Points of Interest
While this game is played in almost every school in Australia, with most upper-primary and middle school students well versed in the rules, it is not a recognised sport and is rarely played as part of a Physical Education course, or as an interschool competition.
Unlike football or strings, this game is considered to be completely unisex. Any discrimination between girls and boys is at a personal level - the game itself is neither a girls' game or a boys' game.
