Hitball is a one of a kind sport which was developed with the intent to create a sport that has continuous game play. The sport was invented in Italy by Luigi Gigante, a physical education teacher, in 1986, which quickly spread across the entire country. Hitball is currently also played in Australia.
The sport is played in a court measuring 20m length x10m width x5m height, with goalposts that extends the entire width and is 2.2m high. The court is divided into two halves, and each half is split into three zones, neutral zone, attack zone and defense zone.
The only equipment required for playing the sport is an inflated ball about the size of a volleyball.
A match is played between two 5-player teams for three 15-minute periods. The game play consists of teams alternately striking the ball onto the opponent’s goal post only using the upper limbs, while the other team defends. Only three players in a team are allowed to be in the defensive zone. Teams cannot maintain possession for more than five seconds. Goals scored from the attacking zone are worth one point and goals scored from the defensive zone are worth two points.
Hitball is played competitively only at a national and regional level in Italy and Australia.
Similar Sports
- Team Handball — a sport usually played indoors between teams of seven players, who pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team.
Related Pages
- About Sport in Italy
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports