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Fistball is an outdoor team sport (called Faustball in German) which has a lot of similarities to volleyball. The sport has been played for a very long time, but its origin is not very clear. Fistball was officially codified in the late 1960's and is currently played by both men and women.

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Like volleyball, the objective of the game is to place the ball in the opponents' half of the field in such a way that it cannot get returned. The main differences to volleyball is that in fistball the ball is struck with either the fist or arm but never with open hands, and it is allowed to bounce once after each contact.

A match is played between two teams, with five players on each team, on a rectangular court split into two halves by a net in the middle. Each play starts with a serve.

The serve and all other subsequent shots should be returned to the opposing team, within a maximum of three touches. Balls can be touched only with players closed fists. The ball is allowed to bounce off the ground once before each touch.

Points are awarded to a team if the opponents are unable return the ball back inbounds, within three valid touches. After the initial serve, a team that concedes the point will serve next.

A match is played in best of five sets format, where a team that wins three sets wins the match. Each set is played for 11 points, and the winner should at least have a 2 point lead. If not, the match continues till a team has a 2 point lead, or reaches 15 points, whichever comes first.

The Fistball World Championship is the highest level of international competition conducted for the sport. It's held every four years for both men and women separately.

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Similar Sports

• Volleyball — a game for two teams of six players, in which a large ball is hit by hand over a high net, the aim being to score points by making the ball reach the ground on the opponent's side of the court.
• Catchball — an easier version of volleyball in which players catch and throw the ball rather than hit it.
• Seatball — a sport like sitting volleyball for disabled and non-disabled athletes, played on a larger court and allowing for the ball to bounce once between touches (also called Sitzball or Sitball).

Related Pages

• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports