Frescobol ( Portuguese, lit. ''fresh ball'') is a

racket sport Racket sports (or racquet sports) are games in which players use a racket or paddle to hit a ball or other object. A racket has a handled frame with an open hoop that supports a network of tightly stretched strings. A paddle, sometimes called a b ...

originating in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in the 1950s. The game is played between 2 (or occasionally 3) players with solid rackets, most often made of wood or fibreglass, and the aim of the game is to hit a small rubber ball between players for as long as possible. It is often considered a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

activity.

History

Equipment

The racket used is made out of wood or composite materials such as

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

. It can be hollow or solid. The maximum measurements are a width of 25 centimetres and a height of 50 centimetres. It should weight between 300 and 400 grams, depending on player preference. A non-slip grip can be added to the handle. P2080037 forzanes

The ball is a hollow sphere of pressurized

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

. Often

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...

balls are used.

Similar games

Frescobol is very similar to the Israeli sport

matkot Matkot ( lit. "racquets") is a popular List of racket sports, paddle sport in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to by Israelis as their national beach sport. History Matkot has been played on the beaches of Israel since the 1920s. ...

/kadima. They are identical in how they are played, but matkot is usually played with round rackets instead of the teardrop shaped rackets used in frescobol.

References

{{Reflist Racket sports Beach sports