Game Rules 101 (HANDBALL)

HANDBALL

1) Playing Court
The playing court is not according to an International Standard due to lack of official handball court in
Volgograd. However, necessary measures and steps had been taken to make the court playable and
present close similarity to the official standard.

2) Playing Time, Final Signal and Time-Out
  The playing time for all teams with is 2 halves, EACH of 10 minutes. The half-time break is 3
minutes.
  At the end of the 2nd half, if the game is tied, both teams will each share 1 (one) point for the team. No extra time will be given to decide the winner.
  Extra time will only be given to determine the winner in cases of :
1.  1st& 2nd placing for the whole competition.
2.  3RD & 4TH placing for the whole competition.
  The playing time begins with the referee‘s whistle for the initial throw-off.
  Injury time will be professionally determined by the referee on the court.
  Each team is allowed to call for 1-minute Time-Out, 2 times in one half of a game. (A total of
4 Time-Out per team, per game)

3) The Ball
  The organizer will provide a ball during each game.
  The ball will be according to the international standard of size and quality. (IHF size 3 for men
and IHF size 2 for women)

4) The Team, Substitutions, Equipment
  A team consists of minimum 10 players minimum, 12 players maximum.
  No more than 7 players may be present on the court at the same time. The remaining players
are substitutes.
  At all times during the game, the team must have one of the players on the court designated as
a goalkeeper. A player who is recognized as a goalkeeper may become a court player at any
time. Similarly, a court player may become a goalkeeper at any time.
  A team must have 7 players on the court at the start of the game.
  Only substitutes from the team (including the coach and officials) may call for Time-Out from
the referee.
  Substitutes may enter the court, at any time and repeatedly, without notifying the referee, as
long as the players they are replacing have already left the court.
  All the court players on a team must wear identical uniforms.
  The combinations of colors and design for the two teams must be clearly distinguishable from
each other. All players used in the goalkeeper position on a team must wear the same color, a
color that distinguishes them from the court players of both teams and the goalkeeper(s) of the
opposing team
  The players must wear sports shoes.
  It is not permitted to wear objects that could be dangerous to the players. This includes, for
instance, head protection, face masks, bracelets, watches, rings, visible piercing, necklaces or
chains, earrings, glasses without restraining bands or with solid frames, or any other objects
which could be dangerous. Flat rings, small earrings and visible piercing may be allowed, as
long as they are taped over in such a way that they are no longer deemed dangerous to other
players. Headbands are allowed, as long as they are made of soft, elastic material. Players
who do not meet this requirement will not be allowed to take part until they have corrected
the problem.
  A player who is bleeding or has blood on the body or uniform must leave the court
immediately and voluntarily (through a normal substitution), in order to have the bleeding
stopped, the wound covered, and the body and uniform cleaned off. The player must not
return to the court until this has been done.

5) The Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper is allowed to:
  Touch the ball with any part of his body while in the act of defense inside the goal area.
  Touch the ball when it is stationary or rolling on the floor outside the goal area, while he is
inside the goal area.
  Take the ball into the goal area when it is stationary or rolling on the floor outside the goal
area.
  Re-enter the goal area from the playing area with the ball.
  Touch the ball with the foot or the leg below the knee, when it is stationary on the floor in the
goal area or moving out towards the playing area.
  Cross the goalkeeper‘s restraining line (4-meter line) or its projection on either side, before the
ball has left the hand of the opponent who is executing a 7-meter throw.

6) The Goal Area
  Only the goalkeeper is allowed to enter the goal area. The goal area which includes the goal-area line is considered entered when a court player touches it with any part of the body.
When a court player enters the goal area, the decisions shall be as follows:
   Goalkeeper-throw when a player of the team in possession enters the goal area in possession
of the ball or enters without the ball but gains an advantage by doing so.
  Free-throw when a court player of the defending team enters the goal area and gains an
advantage, but without destroying a chance of scoring.
  7-meter throws when a court player of the defending team enters the goal area and because of
this destroys a clear chance of scoring.
Entering the goal area is not penalized when:
  A player enters the goal area after playing the ball, as long as this does not create a
disadvantage for the opponents
  A player from one of the teams enters the goal area without the ball and does not gain an
advantage by doing so.
The ball is considered to be ‗out of play‘ when the goalkeeper controls the ball with his hands in the
goal area. The ball must be put back into play through a goalkeeper-throw.

7) Playing the Ball, Passive Play
It is permitted to:
7:1 throw, catch, stop, push or hit the ball, by using hands (open or closed), arms, head, torso, thighs,
and knees;
7:2 hold the ball for a maximum of 3 seconds, also when it is lying on the floor
7:3 take a maximum of 3 steps with the ball; one step is considered taken when:
a) a player who is standing with both feet on the floor lifts one foot and puts it down again, or moves
one foot from one place to
another;
b) a player is touching the floor with one foot only, catches the ball and then touches the floor with the
other foot;
c) a player after a jump touches the floor with one foot only, and then hops on the same foot or
touches the floor with the other foot;
d) a player after a jump touches the floor with both feet simultaneously, and then lifts one foot and
puts it down again, or moves one foot from one place to another.
7:4 while standing or running:
a) bounce the ball once and catch it again with one or both hands;
b) bounce the ball repeatedly with one hand (dribble), and then
catch it or pick it up again with one or both hands;
c) roll the ball on the floor repeatedly with one hand, and then catch
it or pick it up again with one or both hands.
As soon as the ball thereafter is held in one or both hands, it must
be played within 3 seconds or after no more than 3 steps.
The bouncing or dribbling is considered to have started when the player touches the ball with any part
of his body and directs it towards the floor.
After the ball has touched another player or the goal, the player is allowed to tap the ball or bounce it
and catch it.
7:5 move the ball from one hand into the other one;
7:6 play the ball while kneeling, sitting or lying on the floor; this means that is it permitted to execute
a throw (for instance a free-throw), from such a position, if the requirement of having a part of one
foot in constant contact with the floor.
It is not permitted to:
7:7 after the ball has been controlled, to touch it more than once, unless it has touched the floor,
another player, or the goal in the meantime;  however, touching it more than once is not penalized, if
the player is ‗fumbling‘ the ball, i.e, failing to control it when trying to catch or stop it;
7:8 touch the ball with a foot or leg below the knee, except when the ball has been thrown at the
player by an opponent
7:9 Play continues if the ball touches a referee on the court.
7:10 If a player with the ball moves outside the playing court with one or both feet (while the ball is
still inside the court), for instance to get around a defending player, this shall lead to a free-throw for
the opponents.
Passive Play
7:11 It is not permitted to keep the ball in the team‘s possession without making any recognizable
attempt to attack or to shoot on goal.
Similarly, it is not allowed to delay repeatedly the execution of a throw-off, free-throw, throw-in, or
goalkeeper-throw for one‘s own team. This is regarded as passive play, which is to be penalized with
a free-throw against the team in possession of the ball unless the passive tendency ceases. The free-throw is taken from the spot where the ball was when play was interrupted.
7:12 When a tendency to passive play is recognized, the forewarning Signal is shown. This gives the
team in possession of the ball the opportunity to change its way of attacking in order to avoid losing
possession. If the way of attacking does not change after the forewarning signal has been shown, or no
shot on goal is taken, then a free-throw is called against the team in possession.
In certain situations the referees can call a free throw against the team in possession also without any
prior forewarning signal, e.g. when a player intentionally refrains from trying to utilize a clear scoring
chance.

8) Fouls and Unsportsmanlike Conduct
It is permitted to:
8:1 a) use arms and hands to block or gain possession of the ball;
b) Use an open hand to play the ball away from the opponent from any direction;
c) Use the body to obstruct an opponent, even when the opponent is not in possession of the ball;
d) Make body contact with an opponent, when facing him and with bent arms, and maintain this
contact in order to monitor and follow the opponent.
It is not permitted to:
8:2
a) Pull or hit the ball out of the hands of an opponent;
b) Block or force away an opponent with arms, hands or legs;
c) Restrain or hold (body or uniform), push, run or jump into an opponent;
d) Endanger an opponent (with or without the ball).
8:3
Violations of Rule 8:2 may occur in the struggle for the ball; however, violations where the action is
mainly or exclusively directed at the opponent and not at the ball, are to be punished ‗progressively‘.
This means that, in addition to a free-throw or 7-meter throw, there is also a need for a personal
punishment, beginning with a warning, followed by increasingly severe punishments, such as
suspensions and disqualifications.
However, the referees have the right to determine that a particular violation warrants an immediate 2-minute suspension, even if the player did not previously have a warning.
8:4 Physical and verbal expressions that are incompatible with the spirit of good sportsmanship are
regarded as constituting unsportsmanlike conduct (for example see Clarification No. 5). This applies
to both players and team officials on or off the playing court. Progressive punishment also applies in
the case of unsportsmanlike conduct.
8:5 A player who endangers the opponent's health when attacking him, shall be disqualified
particularly if he:
a) From the side or from behind, either strikes or pulls back the throwing arm of a player who is in the
process of throwing or passing the ball;
b) takes any action resulting in the opponent being struck on the head or neck;
c) Deliberately hits the body of an opponent with his foot or knee or in any other way; this includes
tripping;
d) pushes an opponent who is running or jumping, or attacks him in such a way that the opponent
loses control of his body; this also applies when a goalkeeper leaves his goal area in connection with a
counter-attack from the opponents;
e) hits a defending player in the head with a free-throw taken as a direct shot on goal, assuming that
the defending player was not moving; or similarly, hits the goalkeeper in the head with a 7-meter
throw, assuming that the goalkeeper was not moving.
8:6 Seriously unsportsmanlike conduct by a player or team official on or outside the court shall be
punished with disqualification.
8:7 A player who is guilty of assault during the playing time shall be excluded. Assault outside the
playing time leads to a disqualification. A team official who is guilty of assault shall be disqualified.

9) Scoring
9:1 A goal is scored when the entire ball has completely crossed the goal line, provided that no
violation of the rules has been committed by the thrower, a teammate or a team official before or
during the throw. A goal shall be awarded if there is a violation of the rules by a defender but the ball
still goes into the goal. A goal cannot be awarded if a referee has interrupted the game before the ball
has completely crossed the goal line. A goal shall be awarded to the opponents if a player plays the
ball into his own goal, except in the situation where a goalkeeper is executing a goalkeeper-throw.
9:2 A goal that has been awarded can no longer be disallowed, once the referee has blown the whistle
for the subsequent throw-off to be taken. (See, however, Rule 2:9 Comment).
The referees must make clear (without a throw-off) that they have awarded a goal, if the signal for the
end of a half sounds immediately after a goal is scored and before a throw-off can be taken.

10) The 7-Meter Throw
14:1 A 7-meter throw is awarded when:
a) A clear chance of scoring is illegally destroyed anywhere on the court by a player or a team official
of the opposing team;
b) There is an unwarranted whistle signal at the time of a clear chance of scoring;
c) A clear chance of scoring is destroyed through the interference of someone not participating in the
game, for instance a spectator entering the court or stopping the players through a whistle signal By
analogy, this rule also applies in the case of a ‗force majeure‘, such as a sudden electrical failure, that
stops the game precisely during a clear chance of scoring.

11) The Punishments
1.  All punishments given by the referee must be followed respectively.

12) The Referees
1.  Only 1 referee will be in-charge during a game.
2.  Referee will be selected based on availability (DESCENDING priority):
  Club, National handball player.
  Handball Coach
  University‘s Handball player.
  Teachers from Department of Physical Training and Sports
3.  The referee will have full professional authorities in judging and conducting the game.
4.  Any orders from the referee must be followed and obeyed throughout the game play.