Valencian Pilota
Valencian Pilota is a traditional handball sport from Spain, usually just played in the Valencian Community. It is considered a variation of Basque Pelota. The ball is usually struck with a bare hand in a game involving two teams, who are placed face to face separated either by a line on the ground or a net. There are no records as to where this sport originated, but some have said it was derived from the medieval jeu de paume.
There are variations to the rules of the game, it depends on where it is played, but the common rule is the players must hit the ball with bare or minimally protected hands. The sport has two teams, with up to five players each; this sport can also be played one on one.
The teams play throwing each other the ball until one of the players cannot send it back to the opposing team. The players of this sport are either called pilotaris or pilotaires. This is played in a court separated by a line or a net. Valencian Pilota can either be played outdoors, in the streets, or indoors, in a trinquet.
Similar Sports
- Valencian Frontó — modified Valencian Pilota version of the original Basque Pelota game. The players don't stand face-to-face as in the more popular Valencian Pilota but share a common playing area.
- Palla — a traditional street game played in villages of Italy.
- Basque Pelota — a range of fast-paced sports in which teams alternatively hit a ball against a wall.
- Frontenis — players use a racket to hit a rubber ball against a wall
- Jeu de Paume — originally played with the hand, the precursor to real tennis and modern lawn tennis.
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
- About Sport in Spain
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