Handball History, Rules and Tactical Fundamentals

The Origins of Handball

Handball was created by German professor Karl Schelenz in 1919. Following the rules published by the German Federation of Gymnastics, the sport began to be played competitively in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. In this initial phase, handball matches were held on grassy fields, similar to football. As in soccer, each handball team was composed of eleven players.

Key Historical Milestones

• 1925: The first international handball match was held between teams from Germany and Austria.
• 1934: The IOC (International Olympic Committee) included handball as an Olympic sport.
• 1938: The first world handball championship was played in Germany.
• 1946: On July 18, the IHF (International Handball Federation) was founded, currently headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.
• 1966: Grass field handball games were discontinued, and the sport transitioned to indoor courts.

Today, the sport is practiced in 183 countries, involving over a million teams and thirty million professionals, including players and coaches.

Handball in Brazil

• Until the 1930s: The sport was restricted to the state of São Paulo as a field sport before spreading to schools throughout Brazil.
• 1940: The Federação Paulista de Handball was established.
• 1954: The official indoor sport was introduced in Brazil by Professor Auguste Listels during the International Course in Santos.
• 1971: The ECM included handball in the Summer School and Brazilian University games.
• 1979: The CBHb (Brazilian Handball Confederation) was founded.

Technical and Tactical Fundamentals

Core Concepts

• Technique: The set of individual actions specific to the development of the game.
• Tactics: All collective actions combined with technique to obtain a positive result against an opponent, which can be offensive or defensive.

Individual Skills

• Dribble: The action of bouncing the ball toward the ground one or more times without losing control. It is used to move on the court or retain the ball in specific situations. Types include: high, medium, and low.
• Feint: An action performed by an athlete with or without the ball to divert the opponent's attention, causing an imbalance to deceive them. Types include: exchange of hand, changing direction, throwing, and passing.

Defensive and Offensive Systems

Types of Defense

• Individual
• By area/sector
• Combined

Phases of Attack

• Counter Attack: The quickest way to achieve a goal after stealing the ball.
• Organization: After a failed attack, the team retains the ball to occupy specific positions.
• Attack Systems: 5x1 (1 pivot) and 4x2 (2 centers).
• Attack Strategy: The orderly distribution of players in the attack, according to the potential of each individual to develop their game accurately in a specific position.