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Tokyo Olympics - Handball Thread


tian447

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It's the Olympics again, which means there will be some weird and wonderful sports and events on TV that you don't often watch.  One of those is handball, which is a genuinely fun sport, which is fast paced and physical as hell.  I've been playing it for the past 5 years and it's something that I think people who are into sport should check out if they get a chance, and the Olympics are a good excuse to watch at least a couple of minutes of it.  It should be available on the Red Button for BBC coverage, but might be worth checking out closer to the time.

 

Intro

 

What is handball?  It's effectively 7-aside football played with a smaller ball, in your hands, over 2x 30 minute halves.  There is no added time, and the clock only stops for bad injuries or if the referees need to sort something out.  It's also full contact, and you get some wonderful crunching tackles that come out of it, as well as some physics-defying shots that make you wonder how the hell they managed to score.  Like 7-aside, only the goalkeepers** are allowed in "the box", which is a 6 metre semi-circle.  Unlike 7-aside football, there is goals galore.  Matches will often end up with 60+ goals shared between the teams, and the teams attack as a whole, and defend as a whole, so there isn't the same sort of positioning that you would get in football, or at least, to a certain extent.  You still have pretty well defined positions: Left Wing, Left/Half Back, Centre, Line, Right/Half Back, Right Wing, Goalkeeper.   There are 2 zones to bear in mind: The 6 metre box, and the 9 metre line.  **Only the goalkeeper is allowed to be in the 6 metre area, with the exception of players taking shots: you can jump into the area and shoot, as long as you release the ball before touching the ground.  Defenders are not allowed in the 6 metre area, and penalties will be given for encroaching to gain an advantage (e.g. cutting through the area to make a tackle).  There are also no corners - if the goalkeeper makes a save and it goes behind, it is a "goal throw".  This means it's often in the keepers interest to tip things around the post, or deliberately put it out of play if they can.

 

field.png?sha=27f83aa5c019d533

 

Players must pass the ball, and must dribble/bounce after every 3 steps they take, but like basketball you cannot dribble then take control of the ball with both hands, then dribble again.  This is a double-dribble foul and is an instant turnover in play.  Tackles can result in a "good" foul - e.g. you stopped your opponent from advancing, which results in a free-throw for the opponent's team from the dotted 9 metre line, or a "bad" foul which results in other penalties.  Fouls can be punished with a yellow card, or a 2-minute suspension for either cynical fouls or rule breaches - including throwing the ball away (football, take note of this one), entering the court illegally (e.g. at substitutions, if you come on before the player you are replacing is off, again football....), deliberately trying to obstruct the other teams free-throws, or mouthing off to the ref.  Red cards are for dangerous tackles, or after your 3rd personal 2-minute suspension. 

 

It's a lot to take on board, but give one of the games a watch, and you'll quickly suss it out.   There's a handy website here which breaks things down a bit better: https://www.sportmember.co.uk/en/sports-rules/handball-rules

 

Matches

 

Unfortunately, they're all at shite times for us based in the UK, but a few of interest at reasonable times should be:


Saturday 24th July - 13:30 - Denmark v Japan

Friday 30th July - 11:30 - Portugal v Denmark

Friday 30th July - 13:30 - Germany v Norway

Sunday 1st August - 13:30 - Sweden v Denmark

 

The Scandinavian countries are always worth a watch, they play some terrific and fast-paced stuff. 

 

There are also some Women's matches at reasonable times, but some of the qualified teams are absolutely pants and probably worth prioritising the following matches:

 

Thursday 29th July - 13:30 - Sweden v France

Saturday 31st July - 11:30 - Hungary v Spain

Saturday 31st July - 13:30 - Norway v Netherlands

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Konrad von Carstein

Thanks for posting that,  its popular in Poland, my BiL played it through school and Uni.

I think you spent time there/had a bursd from there so that maybe piqued your interest?

 

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Konrad von Carstein
3 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

Thanks for posting that,  its popular in Poland, my BiL played it through school and Uni.

I think you spent time there/had a bursd from there so that maybe piqued your interest?

 

Just checked,  they failed to qualify for Tokyo :lol:

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37 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

 

I think you spent time there/had a bursd from there so that maybe piqued your interest?

 

 

Good memory, my ex-bursd was Polish.  Actually, sadly, that has very little to do with it!

 

I was bored one evening when I was still studying at the Uni, and looked to see what sports were on in the hall that evening.  Seen that handball training was on, and I'd watched a few matches during the 2012 Olympics and thought why not.

 

Ended up loving it, and being half decent at it. Once you get over the "what the **** is happening here" with the pace of it, it's an enjoyable watch. Some of the tactics and plays that teams make are unreal. 

 

Definitely worth a watch whilst it's on, and it's probably one of the only things I'll actually bother with at the Olympics this year! 

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24 minutes ago, Boof said:

Thanks for the heads-up, @tian447 love to see a bit of handball despite suspecting I'd be absolutely shite at it :lol: 

 

Definitely more enjoyable to kick back with a beer and just watch the games, rather than playing anyway! 

 

Although, the half 11 kick-offs (and earlier) might be a little bit suspect for starting on the beers :lol:

 

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9 hours ago, jonesy said:

Didn't Peter Schmeichel say one of the reasons for him making it to the level he did in football was his love of handball and learning the goalie techniques, including spreading himself wide when facing a shot?

I was always a keeper when younger. Going through training on the RAF, the PTIs had us playing g handball regularly. I actually found it harder in goals even though the goals are smaller.

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4 hours ago, superjack said:

I was always a keeper when younger. Going through training on the RAF, the PTIs had us playing g handball regularly. I actually found it harder in goals even though the goals are smaller.

 

That's because the ball is smaller, and even though the goals are only 3m x 2m (6.5ft x 9.8ft in old money) it gets thrown at you so quickly from anywhere up to 4 metres away.  I've played in goals in a few competitive matches when our goalkeeper was injured, and it was absolutely brutal.  My wrists were aching by the end, I had the word "Select" and a hexagonal pattern branded on my thigh for about a week, caught a fair few in the stomach, and let's just say I was very glad I was wearing a box.  I still conceded 40 goals, even though we won the match.

 

In handball, it's such a high scoring game that you have to ignore the fact that you let in 40, and focus on the fact that you saved a couple and your team were able to score on the break.

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First of the games throwing off tonight:

 

Norway** v Brazil (01:00) 

France** v Argentina (03:00)

Sweden** v Bahrain (06:15)

Germany v Spain* (08:15)

Portugal* v Egypt (11:30)

Denmark** v Japan (13:00)

 

* denotes favourites, ** for heavy favourites. 

 

Not sure how fair it is on the teams having games spread out over the course of 12 hours, with different teams ending up with totally different schedules. Imagine a Hearts game with an 8am kick-off for example, compared to a normal evening kick off. 

 

Looking forward to seeing how the Danes get on, Japan are no mugs, but Denmark are favourites overall so should be looking to lay down a bit of a marker, especially given their rivals Norway and Sweden are highly rated.  Having watched some of their stuff in the past, they are more than capable of absolutely hammering someone, and Japan may end up on the arse end of an arse kicking. 

 

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ArcticJambo
35 minutes ago, tian447 said:

First of the games throwing off tonight:

 

Norway** v Brazil (01:00) 

France** v Argentina (03:00)

Sweden** v Bahrain (06:15)

Germany v Spain* (08:15)

Portugal* v Egypt (11:30)

Denmark** v Japan (13:00)

 

* denotes favourites, ** for heavy favourites. 

 

Not sure how fair it is on the teams having games spread out over the course of 12 hours, with different teams ending up with totally different schedules. Imagine a Hearts game with an 8am kick-off for example, compared to a normal evening kick off. 

 

Looking forward to seeing how the Danes get on, Japan are no mugs, but Denmark are favourites overall so should be looking to lay down a bit of a marker, especially given their rivals Norway and Sweden are highly rated.  Having watched some of their stuff in the past, they are more than capable of absolutely hammering someone, and Japan may end up on the arse end of an arse kicking. 

 

where can I watch it live?

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17 minutes ago, ArcticJambo said:

where can I watch it live?

 

Not entirely sure mate. I assumed it would be on the Red Button of BBC, but I'm not getting anything.  Same on iPlayer, the link for handball:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cps6j

 

Doesn't seem to be showing anything. 

 

I'll have a poke around and see if I can find anything. I can tell you Brazil are currently 12-11 up! 

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Struggling big time. Bit of a let down really, even Eurosport don't seem to have much. 

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Half time, Norway 12-13 Brazil. 

 

That's all I can tell you thanks to the BBC not bothering to cover it.  Hoping it's just because it's an awkward time, and the games tomorrow (today) afternoon might be easier to get hold of. 

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15 minutes to go, Norway back in control with a 21-17 score. 

 

Sorry for anyone looking in, not got much else to go on other than live betting stats. Was hoping to share a bit more in the way of entertainment. 

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It finishes Norway 27-24 Brazil. 

 

Sounds like a hard fought win for the Norwegians.  Brazil were on top for the first half, and fell apart in the second half. 

 

Norway will definitely need to do better in their other games.  The South American teams can play, but you would normally expect the European teams to beat them comfortably. 

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Additional note for anyone not overly clued up on handball:

 

Brazil recieved a red card with 3 minutes to go for Borges' 3rd 2-minute suspension.  At the time, it was 27-22, and they scored straight after even though a man down. 

 

Unlike football, a red card does not mean you play the rest of the game a man down.  After 2 minutes, a new player can enter the field, but the red carded player cannot return at all. 

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In the next game, France are 3-1 up against Argentina after 8 minutes of play. 

 

That will be my last update for the evening :lol:

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millerjames398
On 21/07/2021 at 17:11, tian447 said:

It's the Olympics again, which means there will be some weird and wonderful sports and events on TV that you don't often watch.  One of those is handball, which is a genuinely fun sport, which is fast paced and physical as hell.  I've been playing it for the past 5 years and it's something that I think people who are into sport should check out if they get a chance, and the Olympics are a good excuse to watch at least a couple of minutes of it.  It should be available on the Red Button for BBC coverage, but might be worth checking out closer to the time.

 

Intro

 

What is handball?  It's effectively 7-aside football played with a smaller ball, in your hands, over 2x 30 minute halves.  There is no added time, and the clock only stops for bad injuries or if the referees need to sort something out.  It's also full contact, and you get some wonderful crunching tackles that come out of it, as well as some physics-defying shots that make you wonder how the hell they managed to score.  Like 7-aside, only the goalkeepers** are allowed in "the box", which is a 6 metre semi-circle.  Unlike 7-aside football, there is goals galore.  Matches will often end up with 60+ goals shared between the teams, and the teams attack as a whole, and defend as a whole, so there isn't the same sort of positioning that you would get in football, or at least, to a certain extent.  You still have pretty well defined positions: Left Wing, Left/Half Back, Centre, Line, Right/Half Back, Right Wing, Goalkeeper.   There are 2 zones to bear in mind: The 6 metre box, and the 9 metre line.  **Only the goalkeeper is allowed to be in the 6 metre area, with the exception of players taking shots: you can jump into the area and shoot, as long as you release the ball before touching the ground.  Defenders are not allowed in the 6 metre area, and penalties will be given for encroaching to gain an advantage (e.g. cutting through the area to make a tackle).  There are also no corners - if the goalkeeper makes a save and it goes behind, it is a "goal throw".  This means it's often in the keepers interest to tip things around the post, or deliberately put it out of play if they can.

 

field.png?sha=27f83aa5c019d533

 

Players must pass the ball, and must dribble/bounce after every 3 steps they take, but like basketball you cannot dribble then take control of the ball with both hands, then dribble again.  This is a double-dribble foul and is an instant turnover in play.  Tackles can result in a "good" foul - e.g. you stopped your opponent from advancing, which results in a free-throw for the opponent's team from the dotted 9 metre line, or a "bad" foul which results in other penalties.  Fouls can be punished with a yellow card, or a 2-minute suspension for either cynical fouls or rule breaches - including throwing the ball away (football, take note of this one), entering the court illegally (e.g. at substitutions, if you come on before the player you are replacing is off, again football....), deliberately trying to obstruct the other teams free-throws, or mouthing off to the ref.  Red cards are for dangerous tackles, or after your 3rd personal 2-minute suspension. 

 

It's a lot to take on board, but give one of the games a watch, and you'll quickly suss it out.   There's a handy website here which breaks things down a bit better: https://www.sportmember.co.uk/en/sports-rules/handball-rules

 

Matches

 

Unfortunately, they're all at shite times for us based in the UK, but a few of interest at reasonable times should be:


Saturday 24th July - 13:30 - Denmark v Japan

Friday 30th July - 11:30 - Portugal v Denmark

Friday 30th July - 13:30 - Germany v Norway

Sunday 1st August - 13:30 - Sweden v Denmark

 

The Scandinavian countries are always worth a watch, they play some terrific and fast-paced stuff. 

 

There are also some Women's matches at reasonable times, but some of the qualified teams are absolutely pants and probably worth prioritising the following matches:

 

Thursday 29th July - 13:30 - Sweden v France

Saturday 31st July - 11:30 - Hungary v Spain

Saturday 31st July - 13:30 - Norway v Netherlands

I'm sure i read Peter schmeichel played handball in his youth, and credited it for his reflexes, and the way he threw and spread himself making saves, at close range in his football career.

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ArcticJambo
6 hours ago, tian447 said:

Struggling big time. Bit of a let down really, even Eurosport don't seem to have much. 

NP, I ended up watching a hard-fought win by the Japanese mixed doubles badminton team over their Danish counterparts. The former are favourites to win the Gold so credit to the danish pair for running them close. 68mins of birdie flying left, right, front back.  :thumbsup:

 

Hopefully get a handball game on the go sometime.

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