🤾Glossary

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5-1 defence 5-1 defence

A defensive system where five players hold the six-meter line while one advances to roughly the nine-meter arc to pressure the opposing center back directly. The advanced defender's goal is disrupting rhythm rather than stealing the ball outright: tying up the playmaker, slowing passes into the backcourt, and cutting off the direct pass to the pivot. Teams switch into it when they're chasing the game and need a turnover, or when an opponent's long-range shooting is running hot. The cost is a gap left by having one fewer defender on the main line.

6-0 defence 6-0 defence

The most common defensive system, with all six players lined up along the six-meter arc, forming the backbone of French, Danish and German defense. No one advances permanently; the entire line slides side to side as one unit, following the ball. The goal is cutting off the pass to the pivot and forcing opponents into low-percentage, contested nine-meter shots, and it only really functions with a goalkeeper capable of stopping those shots.

Backcourt Backcourt

Collective term for the three players positioned around the nine-meter line: left back, center back and right back. Their job is pulling the defense out of shape with long-range shots and crossing plays, and they're typically a team's tallest players with the strongest throwing arms. Standard positioning puts a left-hander on the right side and a right-hander on the left, so the throwing arm faces the goal, which is why left-handed backcourt players are valued highly on any roster.

Block Block

A defender raising both arms to cut off a shot's path. In handball, a block exists to split responsibility with the goalkeeper rather than to swat the ball away outright — typically the blocker covers one side of the goal while the goalkeeper covers only the other half. Swinging the arms downward or striking the shooting arm is a foul, and keeping feet planted rather than jumping while raising the arms is both safer and, in practice, more effective.

Blue card Blue card

A card introduced in 2016 that is shown together with a red card, signaling that a written report will follow and further disciplinary action may result. Referees use it when they judge a foul to be violent conduct or serious unsporting behavior beyond an ordinary in-game disqualification. A blue card itself does not confirm a suspension; a tournament's disciplinary body makes that call afterward based on the report.

Centre back Centre back

The playmaker position, standing at the center of the nine-meter line to call plays, initiate crossing patterns, and feed the pivot. Vision and pass timing matter more than height here, which is why a relatively small player can still reach the top level in this role. It's the first target when an opponent switches to a 5-1 defense, and this player is also usually the one calling out the remaining pass count aloud after a passive-play warning.

Corner throw Corner throw

A restart awarded to the attacking team when the ball goes out over the goal line off a defending field player's body, taken from the spot where the goal line meets the sideline. It doesn't apply if the ball deflects off the goalkeeper, which instead becomes a goalkeeper throw. It resembles a corner kick's position in soccer, but teams more often have a short, rehearsed set play ready that leads directly into a shot.

Crossing Crossing

A core handball attacking pattern where two backcourt players run diagonally across each other's paths, either handing off the ball or faking to do so. The goal is forcing each marking defender to decide, mid-motion, whether to trail their man across the other's path or switch assignments, and the single step of hesitation that decision creates is often all a nine-meter shooter needs. Nearly all team offense is built from variations of this pattern.

Double dribble Double dribble

A foul called when a player who has stopped dribbling and taken full two-handed control of the ball begins dribbling again, resulting in a free throw for the opponent. Continuously bouncing the ball with one hand has no limit on its own, but once a player has taken full control, the only options left are the three-step count, a pass, or a shot. It's one of the most common mistakes made by beginners coming over from basketball, alongside traveling.

Fast break Fast break

A transition attack finished before the defense can get back into position, right after an opponent's missed shot or a save. Both wings start sprinting the instant the goalkeeper makes the save, and a single long throw can put a player in a one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper within four seconds. This is why a handball goalkeeper is judged on throwing ability nearly as much as shot-stopping, and why speed is the first thing scouted for the wing position.

Fast centre Fast centre

A set play in which a team restarts play from center immediately after conceding, while the opponent is still celebrating, to answer within seconds. It became possible after a 2016 rule change allowed immediate restarts, and it requires a pre-arranged pair: one player ready to throw and one already sprinting toward the far end. Because of it, every team now keeps one player held back the instant its own attack ends, at the cost of one fewer player crashing the offensive boards.

Feint Feint

An individual technique that uses body direction, eye line and shooting motion to deceive a defender and slip past in the opposite direction. Most handball feints are upper-body feints — raising the throwing arm into a shooting motion to draw a defender's hands and weight upward, then driving in underneath. Because the three-step limit restricts how much footwork a player can use, the basic principle is deceiving with the torso and the ball rather than the feet.

Free throw Free throw

The restart awarded for a standard foul, taken from the spot where the foul occurred, comparable to an indirect free kick in soccer. If the foul happens between the six- and nine-meter lines, the throw is taken from the nearest point on the nine-meter line instead. Defenders must stand three meters away, but in practice play often restarts immediately without a whistle, so a free throw itself frequently becomes the starting point for a rehearsed set play.

Goal area Goal area

The six-meter radius semicircle around the goal that only the goalkeeper may enter; stepping on the line itself counts as entering. An attacking player may leap into the air and shoot from above this zone, but must release the ball before landing — landing with the ball still in hand while inside the line costs possession. If a defender enters the area to gain an advantage, it results in a seven-metre throw. This single semicircle governs nearly every decisive moment in the sport.

Goalkeeper throw Goalkeeper throw

The restart used when the ball goes out over the goal line off an attacker or the goalkeeper, or when the goalkeeper gains full control of the ball inside the goal area. The goalkeeper can release it immediately from within the area without waiting for a referee's whistle, making it the starting point of a fast break. A well-timed long throw straight off a save to a wing already sprinting the other way is exactly where this restart leads, and it's why a handball goalkeeper is judged on throwing ability as much as shot-stopping.

Half defender Half defender

The two players positioned between the outside defenders and the center defender in a 6-0 or 5-1 system. They have to step out to challenge the opposing left and right back's nine-meter shots while also cutting off the pass lane to the pivot, giving them the most ground to cover and the most in-game decisions to make of anyone on the defensive line. If either half defender is even half a step late, the spacing of the entire 6-0 collapses.

Handball ball sizes Handball ball sizes

Balls come in three main size classes. Adult men and players 16 and over use size 3, at 58-60cm circumference and 425-475g; adult women and boys aged 12-16 use size 2, at 54-56cm and 325-375g; younger children use size 1, and mini handball uses size 0. Because the ball is designed to be palmed one-handed, a player with smaller hands should start on the next size down to properly build grip and wrist snap.

Jump shot Jump shot

Handball's basic airborne shot. A right-handed shooter takes off from the left foot, drives the right knee up to open the hips, and arches the torso back in the air before whipping forward to throw. The jump serves two purposes: clearing a defender's block, and carrying the shooter's body over the goal area to shorten the distance to the goal. Landing inside the six-meter line is completely legal as long as the ball has already left the hand.

Kempa Kempa

A play in which a teammate lobs a pass over the goal area for a jumping player to catch in mid-air and finish before landing — handball's equivalent of an alley-oop in basketball. It's named for German player Bernhard Kempa, who popularized it. Because the receiving player must release the ball before landing, timing is everything, and because it clears the defensive wall entirely rather than threading through it, teams typically prepare it as a rehearsed set play.

Mini handball Mini handball

A scaled-down version of the sport designed for young children and complete beginners, using a smaller, lighter size 0 or 1 ball along with a smaller court and goal. Team size is also reduced, to four or five per side, which sharply increases how often each player touches the ball. It's the standard entry format in school sports programs and youth clinics, and for adult beginners who can't find access to a regulation court, it's a practical alternative alongside club handball's small-sided format.

Nine-metre shot Nine-metre shot

A long-range shot, also called a backcourt shot, taken by a backcourt player jumping near the free-throw line to fire over the defensive wall. It's the basic threat of any handball offense and also its lowest-percentage shot. A genuinely dangerous nine-meter shooter forces the defense off the line, and backcourt and wing players exploit the interior space that opens up as a result. The key skill is twisting the torso in the air to find a gap between raised defensive arms.

Passive play Passive play

A rule under which a referee raises one arm to warn an attacking team that is circulating the ball without attempting a shot, and from that signal the team must shoot within six more passes. A seventh pass results in an immediate free throw for the opponent. In a sport with no shot clock, this is the only mechanism that prevents stalling, and it's why a leading team can't simply run the ball around safely late in the second half. Major tournaments display the remaining pass count on the scoreboard.

Pivot (line player) Pivot (line player)

A line player who works with their back to the goal, positioned just inside the opposing defensive wall. Their main job isn't scoring but legally standing in a defender's path as a screen, denying that defender the ability to step out and challenge a shooter — one well-placed screen at the right moment can turn a 6-0 into effectively a 5-0. They roll off that screen into the space it creates to finish one-handed in a crowd. It's the most physically contested position on the court, and on defense a pivot usually plays a central defender.

Red card Red card

A disqualification: the player is removed from the match entirely, and the team plays the following two minutes short-handed with no replacement. It's issued automatically on a player's third two-minute suspension, and it can also be shown immediately for a dangerous foul, such as contact to the head or neck or a tackle on a player already airborne. If officials judge that further discipline is warranted, a blue card is issued alongside it.

Resin Resin

A sticky substance applied to the palm to secure a one-handed grip on the ball, called harts in Europe. A 500-gram tin runs roughly $15-$35 in the US market, with a dedicated remover sold separately. The catch is that it leaves marks on floors, walls and the ball, so a great many public and school gyms ban it outright, and tournament rules sometimes prohibit it explicitly. Water-soluble formulas are somewhat more likely to be permitted.

Second wave Second wave

A follow-up transition attack that comes right after a first fast-break attempt has been stopped, when trailing backcourt players arriving late at a full sprint catch a still-unorganized defense before it can reset. The window is only a few seconds, before the six-meter wall fully re-forms. Teams that build their offense around transition don't treat this as a bonus opportunity but as a fully scripted phase of play, with practiced movement patterns of its own, and it accounts for a large share of scoring in the modern game.

Seven against six Seven against six

A tactic where a team pulls its goalkeeper for a seventh field player, playing seven attackers against a six-man defense, also called an empty-goal attack. It became a routine option after a 2016 rule change removed the requirement that a substitute goalkeeper wear a distinct jersey. It guarantees one attacker goes unmarked by the numbers, but a turnover means conceding into an empty net. It's typically used late in a close game or to offset a numerical disadvantage.

Seven-metre throw Seven-metre throw

A penalty awarded when a clear scoring chance anywhere on the court is stopped by a foul, or when a defender enters the goal area to gain an advantage. The shooter must throw from the seven-meter line within three seconds of the whistle, every other player must stand outside the nine-meter line, and the goalkeeper cannot come out past the four-meter line. Success rates at the top level run roughly 70-80 percent, making it a rare moment of pure one-on-one in an otherwise physical, contact-heavy sport.

Sliding defence Sliding defence

The core principle underlying both the 6-0 and 5-1 systems: instead of each defender individually chasing an assigned attacker, all six move side to side as a single unit, tracking the ball. When the ball swings left, the entire line shifts left, and the far-side outside defender abandons their wing to step in and cover the pivot. The slide has to begin the instant the ball leaves a passer's hand, not when it arrives, and feet stay planted sideways rather than crossing.

Spin shot Spin shot

A shot given heavy side spin so that it deflects off the floor in a direction the goalkeeper doesn't expect. It's used often from the wing, where the shooting angle is poor, and on seven-metre throws, targeting the gap between a goalkeeper's legs or the far side of their body. Because the spin comes from a final flick of the wrist and fingers, it requires a secure grip, which is why it shows up far more often in leagues where resin use is permitted.

Substitution Substitution

Handball substitutions require neither a limited count nor a referee's permission. Players must enter and exit only through their own team's substitution zone, within 4.5 meters of the halfway line on the bench side, and the exiting player must have fully crossed the line before the incoming player enters, or it becomes an illegal substitution. This rule lets many teams swap their entire offensive and defensive units every time possession changes, giving nearly the whole roster real playing time.

Team time-out Team time-out

Each team gets three one-minute team time-outs per match, no more than two per half, and none at all in the final five minutes if both of a team's first-half time-outs were already used. A team requests one by placing a green card on the scorer's table. The most common reason to call one is breaking an opponent's run of three unanswered goals, and it's also frequently used right after going down a player to a two-minute suspension.

Three-second rule Three-second rule

A player holding the ball while standing still may keep it for a maximum of three seconds before dribbling, passing or shooting. Leaving the ball motionless on the ground for more than three seconds is also a violation. Combined with the three-step limit, it produces handball's signature rhythm of three steps, one bounce, three more steps, and breaking it hands the opponent a free throw — which is exactly why standing still with the ball has zero upside.

Three-step rule Three-step rule

A player holding the ball may take a maximum of three steps before dribbling, passing or shooting. Fully gathering the ball with both hands after finishing a dribble resets the step count, and dribbling again from that point is a double dribble. Referees count steps by contact with the floor, which is why beginners most often overlook that catching the ball while still running and landing already uses up part of the step count. This traveling-style violation is the most common turnover at every level of play.

Throw-in Throw-in

The restart used when the ball fully crosses a sideline or strikes an overhead structure, taken by the opposing team from outside that sideline. One foot must stay on the line, and no whistle is required. A ball deflected off a defender's body out over the goal line is a corner throw rather than a throw-in, and one deflected off an attacker or the goalkeeper is a goalkeeper throw, so keeping the three restart types distinct makes reading the flow of a game much easier.

Throw-off Throw-off

The restart used at the start of each half and after every goal, taken from the center of the halfway line. Since 2016, a thrower needs only one foot touching the center line to release the ball immediately, without waiting for the opponent to retreat, which gave rise to the fast centre set play answering a goal within seconds. It's a clean example of how a small procedural rule change reshaped the entire pace of the sport.

Turnover Turnover

Any mistake that hands possession to the opponent without a shot attempt. In handball, the leading causes are a traveling-style violation, a double dribble, entering the goal area, a bad pass, or exceeding the passive-play pass limit. Because the court is small and transitions are fast, a single turnover very often converts directly into an opposing fast break, which is why top teams treat keeping this number in the low single digits per half as a core goal.

Two-minute suspension Two-minute suspension

Handball's standard sanction: the fouling player leaves the court for two minutes, and the team plays that stretch a player short with no substitute. It's issued for serious or repeated fouls, unsporting conduct, or an illegal substitution. A team typically concedes one or two goals over those two minutes, so in a close match this penalty alone can decide the outcome, and it's the most common reason a coach calls a time-out. A player's third two-minute suspension results in an automatic disqualification.

Wing Wing

The two positions stationed at either end of the six-meter line, right against the sidelines. Because they shoot from the worst angle on the court, wings are fighting geometry as much as the goalkeeper. The basic technique is either cutting toward the center to open the far corner, or driving toward the goal line to release early before the goalkeeper can react. It's also the first position to sprint on a fast break, which is why speed is the top scouting criterion here, and wings also help stretch the defense wide to open interior space for others.

Yellow card Yellow card

A warning shown for a repeated or unsporting foul that carries no penalty on its own. Each team can receive a maximum of three per match; after that, a foul of the same nature results immediately in a two-minute suspension instead. Because of that cap, a well-organized defense learns in training to spread fouls evenly across all six players on the floor rather than loading them onto one.

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