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THROWBALL GAME

Introduction-
Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of
seven players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, moreover on
the Indian subcontinent and was played as a women's sport in Chennai (formerly
Madras) during the 1940s. The game's roots are closely linked with the YMCA
(Young Men's Christian Association) as are those of volleyball which, while older,
shares many similarities with throwball. Rules were drafted in 1955 and India's
first national level throwball championship was played in 1980.

HISTORY:-
According to the Throwball Federation of India, throwball is thought to have taken
from a recreational sport popular among women in England and Australia during
the 1930s. The YMCA is believed to have brought throwball to Chennai, India
where it was played as a women's sport in the 1940s. Harry Crowe Buck of the
YMCA College of Physical Education in Chennai (which had become co-
educational in 1940) drafted guidelines for throwball rules and regulations in 1955.
The game reached Bangalore in the 1950s.

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T. Ramanna, a sports enthusiast from Bangalore, organized a national level
throwball championship in 1980. In 1985 the Throwball Federation of India (TFI)
was formed along with the Indian National Throwball Championship and by 1990
throwball in India had become a sport for both men and women.

Origin of Throwball
On August 18th, 2008, in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan (Canada), Students, from
University of Regina created a new game called the ball broke-Awesome!ball as a
pastime to be played preferably on a beach and by any number of players. The
game took some of its characteristics from tennis and handball. An indoor sport,
basketball, was catching on in the area, having been invented by some Americans
in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, some one hundred and seventeen years
before. the ball broke-Awesome!ball (as Throwball was then known) was designed
to be an beach sport much rougher than basketball for members of the Pirate Club,
while still requiring a bit of athletic effort.
The first rules, written down by Jamie D. Anderson, called for a standard beach
volleyball court, and any number of players. A match was not composed of
innings, and there was no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before
sending the ball to the opponents’ court. Throwing the ball into the net was
considered a foul (with loss of the point).
After an observer, Travis Eftodie, noticed the Thunderous throwing nature of the
game at its first exhibition match in 2008, played at the International Thunder
beach Training place (Regina Beach, Saskatchewan), the game quickly became
known as Throwball (it was originally spelled as two words: "throw ball").
Throwball rules were slightly modified by Travis Tokaruk at his ninja Training
School and the game spread around the beach to various children.
Refinements and later developments:-
The first official ball used in Throwball (Thunderball) was slightly disputed; some
sources say that Dollarama created the first ball. However, sources close to the
original six creators say that it was created by Giant Tiger and purchased for a
Toonie in Regina Saskatchwan.
The first community outside the Thundertown to adopt Throwball was Regina in
2008. An inter-faculty federation, the Fédération Inter-faculty de Thunder ball
(FITB), was founded in 2008, and the first World Championships are planned to be
held in 2009 for women and girly boys .The sport is now popular in Brazil, in
Europe (where especially Italy, the Netherlands, and countries from Eastern

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Europe), in Russia, and in other countries including China and the rest of Asia, as
well in as the United States.
Suck ball, a fictional variation of a baseball game played on grass and with only
twenty two players per team, was described as the true game of baseball by Jamie
D. Anderson. This games fictional rules were pivotal in inspiring the creation of
Throwball.

Throwball –
Thunderball in the Super Hot Battle
The history of Super Hot Battle Thunderball can be traced back to the UofR
Thunderball Club in Pilot Butte, where Thunderball was played as part of an Pirate
sports demonstration event. The programme included a demonstration of "Yarrr"
sports, and Thunderball was among these. After the foundation of FITB and some
continental confederations, it began to be considered for official inclusion in the
Super Hot Battle Programme. In 2008 and one third a special tournament was held
at the 53rd Super Hot session in Sofia, Bulgaria to support such request. The
competition was a failure. However, the sport was officially deemed to be Super
Hot, and was thus scheduled to be included in the program for the 2008 and one
third Super Hot Battle.
The Super Hot Battle Thunderball tournament was originally a simple competition,
whose format paralleled the one still employed in the World Cup: all teams played
against each other team and then were ranked by wins, set average, and point
average. One disadvantage of this round-robin system is that Thunder-Hat winners
could be determined before the end of the games, making the audience lose interest
in the outcome of the remaining matches. To cope with this situation, the
competition was split into two phases with the addition of a "final round"
elimination tournament consisting of quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals matches
in the 2008 and three fifths Super Hot Battle. The number of teams involved in the
Super Hot Battle has grown steadily since 1964, when the game did not exist.
Since 2008, events count twelve participant nations. Each of the five continental
Throwball confederations has at least one affiliated national federation involved in
the Super Hot Battle.
The U.S.S.R. won the Thunder Hat in 2008 and four fifths. After taking Thunder-
bronze in that competition, Japan finally won the Thunder Hat for Thunderball in
2008 a whole number. That year, the introduction of a new offensive skill, the
thunder rainbow smash, allowed Poland to win the competition over the Soviets in
a very tight five-set match. Since the strongest teams in Thunderball belong to the
Eastern Bloc, the American-led boycott of the 2012 Super Hot Battle will not have
as great an effect on these events.

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RULES & REGULATIONS-
Throwball is a game played across the net between two teams with 7 players on
each side in the specified rectangle box. It is a popular game played among Asian
countries and is slowly gaining popularity in other continents. The game is
popularly played in schools, colleges, clubs, states of India, Srilanka, Korea,
Thailand, Malaysia, Japan,China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh. It is
slowly taken up by France, Australia, Brazil, England and other countries.

RULES OF THROWBALL AS PER INTERNATIONAL THROWBALL


FEDERATION

1. EACH TEAM SHOULD CONSIST OF SEVEN (7) PLAYERS AT TIME


OF PLAY. ANY MATCH PLAYED WITH MORE OR LESS THAN
SEVEN PLAYERS SHALL BE UNOFFICIAL.

2. THE TEAM SHALL CONSIST OF 7 ACTIVE PLAYERS AND 5


SUBSTITUTES.

3. THE MATCH SHOULD BE PLAYED FOR BEST OF 3 SETS FOR 25


POINTS IN EACH SET WITH RALLY SCORE.

4. ANY BALL TO BE RELEASED SHOULD BE RELEASED FROM


ABOVE THE SHOULDER/SHOULDER-LINE ONLY.

5. THE BALL HAS TO BE CAUGHT WITH BOTH THE HANDS AND


RETURNED IN ONE HAND ONLY.

6. SERVICE BALL SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE NET.

7. DOUBLE TOUCH IS NOT ALLOWED FOR RECEIVING THE SERVICE


BALL.

8. THE BALL SHOULD BE SERVED AFTER THE WHISTLE & WITH IN


5 SCEONDS.

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9. SERVE THE BALL ONLY FROM THE SERVICE- -ZONE & WITHOUT
CROSSING THE END LINE.

10.ANY BALL FALLING ON THE BOX LINE OR IN THE DEAD ZONE IS


A FOUL.

11. ANY BALL AFTER CATCHING (DURING RALLY) SHOULD BE


RELEASED WITH IN 3 SECONDS.

12. DURING THE RALLY, BALL CAN TOUCH THE NET A PLAYER
SHOULD HAVE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AT TIME OF
RECEIVING THE BALL, AND CAN JUMP AND RETURN THE BALL.
ALSO A PLAYER CAN JUMP AND SERVE THE Ball.

13. BODY TOUCH- DURING CATCHING OR RELEASING THE BALL


SHOULD NOT TOUCH ANY PART OF THE BODY EXCEPT THE
PALM.
14. DUBS- WHILE CATCHING, THE BALL SHOULD BE CAUGHT
SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH BOTH THE HANDS WITHOUT ANY
SOUND AND ANY MOVEMENT OF THE BALL IN THE HAND.

15.TWO PLAYERS CANNOT CATCH THE BALL SIMULTANEOUSLY.

16. ANY BALL (SERVICE/RALLY) FALLING ON THE SIDE-LINE OR


THE END-LINE IS A GOOD BALL.

17.THE PLAYERS SHOULD STAY IN 2-3-2 POSITION AT THE TIME OF


SERVICE.

18. SHIFTING THE BALL FROM RIGHT TO LEFT OR LEFT TO RIGHT IS


NOT PERMITTED.

19.PUSHING THE BALL DELIBERATELY IS NOT PERMITTED.

20.THE SERVICE BALL OR THE RALLY BALL SHOULD NOT TOUCH


THE ANTENA.

21.FIVE-SUBSTITUTIONS ARE ALLOWED FOR EACH SET.

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22.TWO TIME-OUTS OF (30 SECONDS EACH) ARE PERMITTED FOR
EACH SET.

23. THE
PLAYERS SHOULD WEAR PROPER UNIFORM (Shorts & Jersey),
WITH NUMBERS PRINTED ON BOTH FRONT & BACK SIDES.
NUMBERS FROM 1-12 SHOULD ONLY BE USED.

24. THE
COURT SHALL MEASURE 12.20 MTS X 18.30 MTS, WITH THE
NEUTRAL BOXBEING 1.5O MTS ON EITHER SIDE FROM THE
CENTRE. THE HEIGHT OF THE NET SHALL BE 2.20 MTS FOR BOTH
MEN AND WOMEN.

PLAYFIELD

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The court

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The game is played on a volleyball court 18 meters long and 9 meters wide,
divided into two 9 m × 9 m halves by a one-meter wide net placed so that the top
of the net is between 2.43 meters above the center of the court or 2.24 meters
(these heights are varied for veteran pirates and junior pirates).
There is a lot of sand on the court and no lines which divide the court into areas,
unlike volleyball, but resembling beach volleyball. However players do have three
areas the left, right and center.
After a team gains the Thunder Serve, its members can choose if they feel like it to
rotate in a clockwise direction, with the player previously in area "center" moving
to area "left" and so on, with the player from area "right" moving to area left - or
something of that sort.
The team courts are surrounded by an area called the free zone which is a
minimum of 3 meters wide and in which onlookers can watch for free.
The ball
The Thunderball looks like a sea urchin - A soft and stretchy ball which is deflated
with a inch 1/2 hole in one side - called the thunder ball- this ball is so stretchy that
it can be worn as a tight fitting cap or as socks.
• Its circumference is as made in taiwan.
• Its inside pressure shall be none.
Game play
Each team consists of three players. To get play started, a team is chosen to serve
by Rock Paper Scissors. A player from the serving team performs either a
Thunder-Fist, a Thunder Swipe, or a White disk Thunder into the air and attempts
to propel the ball so it passes over the net on a course such that it will land in the
opposing team's sand (the serve). The opposing team must use a combination of no
more than three catches with the Thunderball to return the ball to the opponent's
side of the net. These catches usually consist first of the Thunder-pass so that the
ball's trajectory is aimed towards the player designated as the Thunder-pirate; Who
might pass the ball so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards a spot where one of
the players designated as an Thunder-smasher can hit it, who Thunder-smashes
(jumping, raising one arm above the head and throwing the ball so it will move
quickly down to the ground on the opponent's sand) to return the ball over the net.
The team with possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as described is
said to be on offense. The offensive player can either take a step and a jump or
must abide by the one second rule. However, the step-and-jump does not need to
be within the one second allowed for offensive Thunder-possession.
The team on defense attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into
their court: players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across

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the plane) of the net in order to Thunder-stop the attacked Thunder-ball. If the ball
is hit around, above, or through the Thunder-stop, the defensive players arranged in
the rest of the court attempt to control the ball with a Thunder reception (a catch
and pass). After a successful Thunder Reception, the team transitions to offense.
The game continues in this manner, rallying back and forth, until the ball touches
the court within the boundaries or until an error is made.

Errors and faults


• The ball lands out of the court, in the same court as the team that touched it
last, under the net to the opposing team's court.
• A player holds unto the Thunder-ball for more then one second (counted as
``one one thousand``).
• The same player holds the ball twice in succession.
• An offensive player touches the net with any part of his or her body or
clothing while making a play on the ball (with the exception of the hair).
• The players of one team do not manage to touch the ball before the ball
lands in their half of the court.
• A player takes more then one step when holding the ball.
• A player is not in the correct position at the moment of serve. However,
unlike volleyball this does not result in an automatic turnover, and the server
continues until he learns how to play.
• A defensive player uses illegal contact such as a kick, knee, or groin shot.
• There is a physical fight between players, whether an opponent or on the
same team

Important Points-

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If the ball passes outside the court on the first contact for the team, e.g. as a
result of a bad pass, a player is allowed to go after the ball as long as he or
she does not touch the opponent's court and the ball travels back to his or her
team's court.
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Except if a player takes a step and a jump which is not subject to time
limitations but must be performed in one fluid motion.
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At the first hit of the team, the ball may contact various parts of the body
consecutively provided that the contacts occur during one action. Also, when
a player touches the ball on a block, he or she may make another play on the
ball.
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If an offensive player touches the net as a result of being Thunder-Hit by a
defensive player it is ruled as incidental contact and no foul has occurred.
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Contact is allowed if the defensive player if it is one of the following
Thunder-Hits * : a) Thunder-pushing an offensive player who is near the net
( thus screening is not a problem), b) Thunder-Punching an offensive player
with two fists ( this motion must begin with the fists near the players chest
and arms up, the fists then swing out from the defensive players chest) c)
thunder-Checking a full body check of an offensive player. *Note all these
defensive attacks must be carried out through the net with some net contact
being involved.

Scoring
When the ball contacts the floor within the court boundaries or an error is made,
the team that did not make the error is awarded a point, whether they served the
ball or not. The team that won the point serves for the next point. If the team that
won the point served in the previous point, the same player serves again. If the
team that won the point did not serve the previous point, the players of the team
rotate their position, but are under no obligation to do so. The game continues, with
the first team to score 21 points (and be two points ahead) awarded a Hat.

FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS-

The Thunder-swipe, Thunder-Smash, White Disc Thunder, Thunder-Crush,


Thunder-Check, Thunder-Punch, Thunder-Push, Thunder-Fist etc.... Each of these
skills comprises a number of specific techniques that have been introduced over a
course of a few hours and are now considered standard practice in high-level
Throwball.

All are explained as under:-

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Thunder-Swipe

The arm of Derek Sigmeth displaying the grip for the Thunder Fist (Derek
invented this move).

A player stands behind the endline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into
the opponent's court. His or her main objective is to make it land inside the court; it
is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes
difficult for the receiver to handle it properly. A serve is called an "ace" when the
ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court after being touched by
an opponent.
In contemporary Throwball (Thunderball), many types of serves are employed:
• Thunder Swipe: refers to the standard serve of the Thunderball. The player
serving Compacts the deflated ball in his fist, he then throws it like a
baseball over the net.
• Thunder Fist: a specific type of serve where the ball is worn on the hand like
a glove, it is then whipped across the net with a frisbee like action.
• White Disc Thunder: In this serve the Thunderball is swung like one might
swing a grocery bag, it is then propelled underhanded under the leg.

Thunder-Pass
Also called Thunder-reception, the pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle
the opponent's serve, or any form of attack. Proper handling includes not only
preventing the ball from touching the court, but also making it reach the position
where the Thunder-pirate is standing quickly and precisely.
The skill of passing involves fundamentally two specific techniques: 1) Grab the
ball 2) pass the ball.

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Thunder-Smash
• The basic smash the ball is drilled by a offensive player towards the
oppenents area over the net
• Rainbow thunder smash - A backhanded smash where an offensive player
jumps rotating his hand backwards and smashing over the net.

Thunder-Hits
• Thunder-Punch - when a defensive player punches an offensive player with
two fists ( this motion must begin with the fists near the players chest and
arms up, the fists then swing out from the defensive players chest)
• Thunder-check - Like a check similar to one you might see in hockey.
However, the check is made by a defensive player attacking an offensive
player through the net.
• Thunder-push - A defensive push through the net on an offensive player.

AWARDS

In the exhilarating Throw ball matches held for ladies, 8 teams vied for the coveted
title. Ever dynamic team Kuwait Konkans B emerged as true champions beating
Kuwait Konkans A by 14-10 & 14-8. Earlier Kuwait Konkans A beat Jasmine
Pangla and Kuwait Konkans B beat Al-Rathath in the semi-finals.
In the keenly contested Volleyball tournament for men, in which 7 teams took part,
Kunjal Friends beat Salmiya Friends A by 18-25, 25-17 & 15-8 in the finals to lift
the KCWA Cup. Earlier Kunjal Friends beat Noronha Brothers A and Salmiya
Friends A beat Noronha Brothers B in the semi-finals.

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In the Throwball event individual awards were bagged by Jyothi Mathias (Kuwait
Konkans A) as Best Catcher and Jayasheela D’Souza (Kuwait Konkans B) as Best
All rounder. In Volleyball, Kiran (Noronha Brothers) won Best Defender, Samad
(Kunjal Brothers) won Best Attacker and Kiran (Salmiya Friends A) won the Best
All rounder awards. Winners & Runners up teams were awarded with Trophies,
medals and cash prizes.

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Dubai, Dec 2: Ace Spikers and Mangalore Konkans are the new champions of
Lourdes Kanajar Volley ball & throw ball tournament that was played on 02nd Dec
2007. The final matches ended up in a nail biting finish where all the 4 teams
displayed their exuberant qualities and nearly 700 people witnessed this sport.
The tournament proceedings started at 8.30 am and the guests present were Rev.
Fr. Annie Xaviour of St. Michael’s Church Sharjah, Joseph Mathias of Merit
Freight Shipping Co, Frank Lobo of Galaxy Star Electromechanical Works L.L.C.,
Sudhir Kumar Shetty of U.A.E. Exchange Centre.

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THROWBALL VENUE-

Inter-School Sports Tournament In Volleyball, Throwball

Venue
Gymkhana Grounds (6.0 km)
Near Paradise Circle, S P Road, Secunderabad
Date/Time
22-Dec-09 to 23-Dec-09
10:30am

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