Handball Rules

IM Handball Rules & Supplies

Rules for Handball and IM Adjustments

● The game consists of two teams of 7 (6 court players and 1 goalkeeper)
○ For IMs 4 court players and 1 goalie
● Two 30-minute halves, the team that scores the most goals at the end of regulation wins
● Teams typically have 2 timeouts per game, and can take 1 per half, otherwise
disregarding any lengthy delays such as an injury the clock is always running
○ Teams can only call time-outs with possession of the ball
● Substitutions can occur at any time during the game, similar to ice hockey
● The Court and Goals
○ Typical handball courts are ~130 ft long and ~65 feet wide
○ Goals are 3m wide and 2m tall (~10ft x 6.5ft)
○ In front of each goal is the Goal Area, which is 6m (~20ft) away from the goal
○ The free-throw line sits 9m away from the goal
● To modify the court for IMs, here are the following suggestions:

○Use the goal cutouts as goals

○The larger crease can be used as the Goal Area
○Free-throw line could be the red volleyball back line
○With the curtain down we don’t need sidelines or backlines, but what happens
when the ball hits the curtain/wall is TBD
● Throw-Off
 ○ The team taking the throw-off must be on their own side of the court, and
opposing players must be at least ~10 feet away from the thrower until the ball
leaves their hand
○ The thrower must be touching the center line with one foot
○ Throw-offs occur after every goal and at the start of each half (similar to soccer)
○ Modern handball allows for a “fast throw-off” after a goal where the team who
just conceded a goal can throw-off before the opposing team gets back to their
own half (the team throwing off still has to remain on their side)
● General Gameplay
○ A player with the ball can either pass, keep possession by dribbling, or shoot.
They can only remain stationary for 3 seconds before doing one of the three.
○ A player cannot touch the ball more than once unless it has touched another
player, touched the ground, or hit the goal post after a shot
■ Unless the player is fumbling the ball to gain control
○ Players can touch/play the ball with any part of their body intentionally except for
below the knees (i.e. they can’t kick the ball)
○ A player can take at most 3 steps before passing, shooting, or dribbling (dribbling
involves throwing the ball to the ground back to themselves)
○ A player can also play the ball while kneeling or lying on the floor
○ A player can’t run out of bounds to get around an opposing defender
● Scoring
○ A goal is awarded when the ball completely crosses the goal line after a legal shot
or deflection from the offensive team
○ Own goals also count as goals for the other team (except on Goalkeeper Throws)
○ Goals are also still awarded if the ball crosses the line while the defender commits
a foul (like an And-1)
○ Players are allowed to score goals off of a bounce or “skip” where the ball hits the
ground and then goes in the goal
● The Crease
○ Only the Goalkeeper is allowed in their crease/goal area (just like floor hockey)
○ If an offensive player plays the ball in the Crease or runs through the crease to
gain an advantage, it becomes a Goalie ball (could change this)
○ If a defender plays the ball in the Crease, it becomes a Penalty Shot for the
offensive team
○ An offensive player can jump into the crease and shoot/pass as long as the ball
leaves their hand before their feet make contact with the floor
● The Goalkeeper
○ One goalie must be assigned for every team
○ They are not allowed to leave the crease with the ball
○ The goalie can deflect a shot on goal with any part of their body
 ○ Outside the crease, the goalie is treated like any other court player
○ Goalkeeper Throw → offensive team has to retreat to their own half and the
goalie passes the ball to anyone on their team in their own half (like floor hockey)
■ The ball must be played by a player of the goalie’s team before half court,
or else a free throw is awarded to the other team
● Defense
○ Players on defense cannot hold, hit, push, or trip an offensive player. It is also
illegal to slap or strike the ball out of an offensive player’s hand
○ Defenders can use an open hand to play the ball out of an opponent’s hands, or
use their body to block the opponent in a struggle for position
○ Defenders can reasonably be as close to a ball-carrier as they want, as long as they
play legal defense
● Violations
○ Traveling - taking more than 3 steps with the ball
○ Double Dribble - dribbling the ball twice within 3 steps
○ Carrying - just like basketball
○ Charging - like a charge in basketball
○ Illegal Screen - just like basketball
○ Crease Violation - if any player enters the crease/goal area
● Penalties
○ Fouls committed by the defense/offense usually result in a Free-Throw from the
spot of interruption
■ A free-throw restarts play, similar to a free kick in soccer where the
defense gives the thrower space to throw (could be ~5ft), all free-throws
are direct (they can score directly off of one)
○ If a player keeps committing penalties, or if a penalty is especially egregious, the
referee can award a yellow card or red card just like soccer.
■ Players should be warned once before receiving a yellow card
■ 3 yellow cards = red card
■ Red Card = ejection and their team plays a player down for 2 minutes
○ Any penalty that prevents a clear scoring chance (such as in floor hockey) results
in a Penalty Shot
■ A Penalty Shot for IMs would be the shooting player standing 1 ft behind
the Crease while the Goalkeeper starts at their own goal line, and all other
players stand behind half court. Once the whistle is blown, the shooting
player takes a legal shot on goal. Either a goal is awarded or it becomes a
Goalkeeper Throw
● Referees & Supervisor
 ○ Each game consists of two referees, which would be run very similar to floor
hockey or indoor soccer where each referee stays along opposite sidelines and
ends of the court
○ The score table would be put in the goal cutout on the side wall, with the
supervisor keeping score with a scoreboard
■ If the ball enters the scorekeeper’s table, the ball would be ruled “out of
bounds” and possession is awarded to the team that didn’t touch the ball
out of play
○ Time could be kept by one of the referees, either with a stopwatch or their phone
if available
○ Referees would need to wear a striped ref’s shirt (no collar), black shorts/pants,
and their whistle
○ Further referee mechanics for certain plays (Penalty shots, free throws, etc.) could
be discussed during officials training
Supplies Needed for Handball
● The Ball
○ Handball balls are available online from brands such as Molten, Hummel, and
Select for ~$35 for a high quality ball and ~$25 for a lower quality ball
■ A concern is that handballs aren’t as widely available in the US since it is
mainly a European sport, but there are options available on Amazon
○ There are also two sizes of handballs
■ Men’s → 23”-24” circumference
■ Women’s → 21”-22” circumference
● Goals
○ Just use the cutouts
● Yellow/Red Cards
● Scoreboard
● Table
● Pinnies for teams playing