One-wall handball, also known as 1-wall, wallball or international fronton, is a wall game (indirect style) where the player hits a small rubber ball with their hand against a wall. The goal of the game is to score more points than the opponent. The player then hits the ball, and the ball bounces off the wall and the floor within court lines, if the opponent fails to return the ball, the player scores a point. The sport was created to bring together varieties, such as

American handball American handball, known as handball in the United States and sometimes referred to as wallball, is a sport in which players use their hands to hit a small, rubber ball against a wall such that their opponent(s) cannot do the same without the ba ...

Basque pelota Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

Patball Patball is a non-contact competitive ball game played in many forms using one's hands or head to hit the ball against a wall – the objective being to get the succeeding player out. The game is popular in school playgrounds during break-t ...

Gaelic handball Gaelic handball (known in Ireland simply as handball; ) is a sport where players hit a ball with a hand or fist against a wall in such a way as to make a shot the opposition cannot return, and that may be played with two (singles) or four player ...

, Pêl-Law (Welsh handball) and Valencian frontó.

Courtfield

International fronton uses the most basic courtfield layout of the indirect style: one wall where the ball must bounce. This only wall, the fronton, is wide and high. From the left and right corners two lines are drawn on the ground, long, that mark the place into which the ball may bounce, this is the courtfield. There must be some free space out the courtfield for the players to play balls that are risking to bounce twice. At from the fronton wall there is a line on the ground, the fault line. The serving player must throw the ball before that line, and the ball must surpass it after bouncing on the fronton. At from the fronton there is another line on the ground, the back line, which the ball may not bounce from. In agreement with

(and unlike

and Valencian frontó) there is no left or back wall, the ball may bounce on the lines, and, specially, there is no line on the fronton for the ball to ball over.

Ball

The One Wall ball / International fronton ball ('big ball') is a synthetic one, without any default colour. According to the GAA Handball 1-Wall playing rules s of January 2019(which is in line with United States Handball Association playing rules), the ball used shall be in line with the following: # Material. The material should be rubber or synthetic material. # Colour. Colour is optional. # Size. 1 and 7/8-inch diameter, with a variation of 1/32-inch, +/- # Weight. The ball shall be 61 grams, with a variation of 3 grams, +/- # Rebound. Rebound from free fall, 70-inch drop to a hardwood floor is 48 to 52 inches at a Temperature of 68 degrees F. This ball is also used in the 'Big Ball' grades at the World Handball Championships organised by the World Handball Council. The One wall ball is widely available - manufacturers of the One Wall ball include O'Neills,

Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

'Urball' brand, MacSports 'Challenger' brand & Sky Bounce. The 'small ball' (mainly used in 4-Wall

competitions) is also used in the 'small ball' one-wall/wallball grades at the World Championships.

Rules

Two players (1 against 1) or four players (2 against 2) play to score points until one of them attain two sets (composed by 21 points). (In case of a tie, 1-1 sets, a third set is played, where the first service is done by the winner of the previous set) Players strike the ball with the hand so that it bounces on the fronton and falls into the courtfield. Whoever fails to do so commits a fault and so loses a point, then the opponent serves. A fault is committed if: * The player hits the ball with any other part of the body but the hand, * The ball does not bounce on the fronton, * The ball's first bounce on the ground is out the courtfield, * The player strikes the ball after a second bounce on the ground.

Competitions

There are several major international competitions held in the sport, in addition to clubs/communities/regional associations across the globe hosting their own local/regional tournaments. The European 1-Wall Tour is a Wallball circuit around Europe. Six to eight nations host an Open each year, each one inclusive and encouraging with grades for top senior players right through to beginners. The Handball International Championships are organised by the International Ball game Confederation (CIJB) annually with the country federations that are part of the CIJB represented (Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay and England). A World Championships for the sport is also organised by the World Handball Council every three years (with the World Handball Council representing the handball federations of USA (United States Handball Association), Ireland ( GAA Handball Ireland), Canada (Canadian Handball Association), Australia, Japan, Puerto Rico and Czech Republic) although players representing countries not formally part of the council are welcome to take part in the council's World Championships. The 2024 World Wallball Championships took place in Ireland from August 18–23 at the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

Sports Arena, with players from 13 different countries taking part.

2023 & 2024 events

* 2023 European Youth 1-Wall Championships, organised by the European 1-Wall Tour * 2023 Dutch and UK Opens, organised by the European 1-Wall Tour, which took place in the first half of 2023 * 2023 GAA World Games taking place in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

in Northern Ireland. According to the 2023 GAA World Games social media pages, exhibition handball matches are due to take place at the 2023 World Games. * 2023 Pilota World Cup, Alzira, taking place in Alzira in the province of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, Spain, organised by the CIJB * 2023 US Wallball Nationals ig ball organised by the United States Handball Association * 2023 US One-Wall Nationals mall ball organised by the United States Handball Association * 2023 Irish Wallball Nationals, taking place on 19 and 20 August 2023, organised by GAA Handball * 2023 All-Ireland Wallball Championships, organised by GAA Handball * 2023 Welsh, Spanish, Belgian & French Opens, taking place in the second half of 2023, organised by the European 1-Wall Tour * 2024 Dutch & UK Opens, both taking place in early 2024, organised by the European 1-Wall Tour * 2024 World Handball Championships, taking place in Ireland. This event is organised by both the World Handball Council and GAA Handball

References