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Handball is a popular sport in many North American prisons; typically it is a simplified version of American handball. The popularity of handball in prisons can conceivably be attributed to its ease of play (requiring only two or four players to start a game), availability of suitable areas to play (prison courtyards almost always include at least one brick or cement wall to play off) and the low cost of the racquetball required to play (often supplied by the institution).
Sport includes all forms of competitive physical activity or games which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators. Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. In certain sports such as racing, many contestants may compete, simultaneously or consecutively, with one winner; in others, the contest is between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner and one loser. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.
A prison, also known as a correctional facility, jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, remand center, or internment facility, is a facility in which inmates are forcibly confined and denied a variety of freedoms under the authority of the state. Prisons are most commonly used within a criminal justice system: people charged with crimes may be imprisoned until their trial; those pleading or being found guilty of crimes at trial may be sentenced to a specified period of imprisonment. In simplest terms, a prison can also be described as a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed.
American handball, known as handball in the United States, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent cannot do the same without the ball touching the ground twice. The three versions are four-wall, three-wall and one-wall. Each version can be played either by two players (singles), three players (cutthroat) or four players (doubles), but in official tournaments, singles and doubles are the only versions played.
Basic rules
Each team has two players. They are alternated in a row facing the playing wall, i.e. from the left you have a player of team one, second to the right is a player of team two, third to the right is the second team one player, and farthest right is the second player of team two.
Service is started when the far left player from team one throws the ball to the playing wall. Unlike in standard American rules, the ball is thrown directly to the wall, not requiring a bounce before service. The only requirement of a serve is that it contacts the playing wall before bouncing off the floor. Service must be to the opposing player directly beside the server. (The two center players serve to the outside players). If the serve is faulty—too low or out of bounds—the server is allowed to re-serve.
Play continues until a player faults. Usually a limit is designated on the wall by a landmark to determine the out of bounds limit. Players can fault by failing to reach the play wall after striking the ball, or by hitting the play wall outside of the boundary. When the ball returns from the play wall, one bounce anywhere in the playing area is allowed before the receiver returns the ball.
Only the serving team can score a point when the opposing team faults during the rally. If the serving team faults during the rally, the opposing team gains the serve, but no points.
Games are usually played until one team scores 15, this is often lowered when there is a limited amount of time.
Special rules
Sometimes there is a condition that if you receive the ball, and are able to strike an opposing player (without bouncing) on your return strike, your team receives two points and the serve. This helps to prevent opposing players from standing in front of the receivers.
Commonly fixtures such as sconces, windows, and doors on the playing or side wall are not considered out of bounds. If the ball bounces off this type of feature and continues in a reasonable way play continues. In some cases the feature might cause the ball to go out of bounds or move in a way making unplayable, this is usually grounds for a re-serve.
A sconce is a type of light fixture affixed to a wall in such a way that it uses only the wall for support where the light is usually, but not always, directed upwards. It does not have a base on the ground. For this reason, lighting fixtures will need an electrical box to be installed. A sconce may be a traditional torch, candle or gas light, or a modern electric light source affixed in the same way. Modern fittings are more often called wall lights or similar terms, especially if the light source is wholly covered by glass.
Because prison courtyards are often open-air and without any ceiling, or the walls are of limited height, there is the risk of the ball going over the wall. In many cases there exists a rule that any player who sends the ball outside the yard (irretrievable) must do push-ups or some similar punishment.
In Texas Prisons, while serving, the server must bounce the ball on the ground before hitting it towards the wall. He or she, "AK", must serve behind the line, hit the ball above the line on the wall, and make the ball bounce back past the servers line, and on the receivers half of the court.[clarification needed] If the server is short, i.e. if the rebounding ball comes short of the serving line or does not reach the opponents half but is within bounds, he gets one additional try. Being short twice awards a point to the receiver, who then has the right to serve. A crack ball—a ball that bounces in the crack between the two walls—is counted as short on the first, but not on the second serve when the server can serve again. A point must be scored by the serving team, otherwise the serving right passes to the opposing team, the teams swap places and no point is awarded.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails, and private correctional facilities, funding and certain oversight of community supervision, and supervision of offenders released from prison on parole or mandatory supervision. The TDCJ operates the largest prison system in the United States.
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using small rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.
Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek is credited with inventing the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase velocity and control. Unlike most racquet sports, such as tennis and badminton, there is no net to hit the ball over, and, unlike squash, no tin to hit the ball above. Also, the court's walls, floor, and ceiling are legal playing surfaces, with the exception of court-specific designated hinders being out-of-bounds.
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives. It is played mainly in the United Kingdom.
Squash tennis is an American variant of squash, but played with a ball and racquets that are closer to the equipment used for lawn tennis, and with somewhat different rules. For younger players the game offers the complexity of squash and the speed of racquetball. It also has exercise and recreational potential for older players.
Chinese handball, is a form of American handball popular on the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, and Bridgewater, New Jersey during the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s and is still played today, mostly in New York City, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Different variations are played around the world. Its defining feature is that, unlike traditional handball, in Chinese or indirect handball, for a shot to be valid, the ball must hit the ground before it hits the wall. It would seem that this game, or mini variants of it, were highly popular almost worldwide in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a Wiffle Ball, over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis, with several modifications. Pickleball was invented in the mid 1960s as a children's backyard game.
A point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case it is won by the receiver; otherwise, it begins with a legal serve by one side's server to the receiver on the other, and continues until one side fails to make a legal return to the other, losing the point. Four points win a game, counted as 15, 30, 40. A game must be won by at least two points.
This page is a glossary of tennis terminology.
Ball badminton is a sport native to India. It is a racket game, played with a yellow ball made of wool, on a court of fixed dimensions divided by a net. The game was played as early as 1856 by the royal family in Tanjore, the capital of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India. It enjoys the greatest popularity in India. Ball badminton is a fast-paced game; it demands skill, quick reflexes, good judgment, agility, and the ability to control the ball with one's wrist.
Beer pong is a drinking game loosely based on ping pong that involves use of paddles to hit a ping pong ball into obstacles on the opposing side. The origin of beer pong is generally credited to Dartmouth College.
Llargues is the oldest Valencian pilota modality. It is played on the streets, where two teams formed by 3, 4 or 5 players throw each other the ball with the hand try to surpass an imaginary line which changes every game.
Raspall is a variant of the handball game, Valencian pilota, played mainly in the Valencian regions south to the Xúquer river: the Vall d'Albaida, the Safor, the Costera, the Marina Alta and the Marina Baixa. It is also popular in the Ribera Baixa. It is one of only two variants that have professional players—the other being Escala i corda.
Frontó is a modified Valencian pilota version of the original Basque Pelota game. The name frontó refers both to the game, ball and the playing area. Unlike some of the more popular Valencian Pilota rules, frontó is an indirect game, that is, players do not stand face-to-face but share a common playing area.
The International fronton is an indirect style ball game created to bring together some varieties, and to be played in the Handball International Championships. It is known as One Wall Handball.
Wallball is a type of school yard game similar to butts up, aces-kings-queens, Chinese handball, Pêl-Law and American handball. Kenny Mott is the founding father of wallball. The sport was played by a few schools in the Brandon Manitoba, then began gaining much popularity, resulting in a popular worldwide sport. Wallball is now played globally with the international federation, Wall Ball International, promoting the game. The game requires the ball to be hit to the floor before hitting the wall, but in other respects is similar to squash. It can be played as a singles, doubles or elimination game.
A serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player will hit the ball with a racquet so it will fall into the diagonally opposite service box without being stopped by the net. Normally players begin a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it. The ball can only touch the net on a return and will be considered good if it falls on the opposite side. If the ball contacts the net on the serve but then proceeds to the proper service box, it is called a let; this is not a legal serve in the major tours although it is also not a fault. Players normally serve overhead, however serving underhand is allowed. The serve is the only shot a player can take their time to set up instead of having to react to an opponent's shot. But as of 2012, there is a 25-second limit to be allowed between points.
School students in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and South East Asia often play a style of handball, also known as downball, four square, or - square, that differs from most other types of handball. The game is most frequently played at recess, lunchtime, or before and after school. It can also be played at home or anywhere that has a hard surface and at least one line. The quick set-up time, and the simple rules, contribute to the game's popularity.
Paddle-ball is a sport that can be played on a court half the size of a tennis court, using paddle racquets amongst two players or in doubles with two teams consisting of two players. The Paddle-ball racquet or paddle is plastic, smaller than a softball and has holes for less air friction. Below are the instructions for single games.
Roundnet is a net sport inspired primarily by concepts from volleyball. It was originally created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek although the equipment he created for the game was superseded in the 1990s. Since 2008, Kankakee Spikeball Inc., a manufacturer of equipment for the sport, has promoted it. There are multiple ways to play roundnet. Most games consist of four players, but there are also two- and six-player variants. Differences include where the players line up and infraction penalties, among others. The materials used in roundnet include a small trampoline-like object with string netting, a small bouncing ball with a 12-inch circumference, and four players. In standard play, players line up next to each other around the trampoline; in other versions, they line up across from each other. In all versions, the game starts with a serve from one team to another, continues as long as the ball is being hit from players back to the net, and ends when an infraction occurs between either the players or the ball.
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