Matkot players on the beach in Tel Aviv Israel

Matkot ( he, מטקות lit. "racquets") is a popular

Padel ball Padel ( es, Pádel) is a racket sport typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. Scoring is the same as normal tennis, and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The main ...

game in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

similar to

beach tennis ''For the sport called "beach paddleball", see Matkot. For other sports called "paddleball", see Paddleball (sport).'' Beach tennis is a game combining elements of tennis and volleyball and played on a beach. Forms Beach tennis Beach tennis ...

, often referred to by Israelis as their national beach sport.

History

Matkot has been played on the beaches of

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

since the 1920s. Early documentation of the game includes a 1932 Tel Aviv beach scene by Israeli artist Nahum Gutman showing two young men holding rounded paddles and hitting a ball back and forth on the beach. The goal of the game is to hit a small rubber ball with a wooden racket as many times as possible without dropping it. Two or more players hit the ball back and forth using paddles. The sport is named after the racquet, the ; the origin of this word is unclear. The racquets are traditionally made of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. Carbon fiber is also used. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. The heads are circular and about in diameter. The racquet handles are short, and with very little trunk between the handle and the racquet head. The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

. However, novice and intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but lighter and/or bouncier. The game has developed a moderate level of popularity outside of Israel as a participatory sport, particularly where there is either a strong beach culture (e.g.

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where it is also highly popular, but more commonly known as or frescobol), or a significant number of Israelis living abroad (e.g.

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

). In the United States, the sport is known as . The first Israeli matkot competition was held in 2000, capped by a national championship in Tel Aviv.In Israel, sounds of spring include thwack of paddleballs
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References

External links

How To Play Matkot

find the best Matkot in israel
{{Sports of the World Games program Israeli culture Israeli games Racket sports Sport in Israel Sports originating in Israel Beach sports

History

See also

References

External links