Handball

Everyone benefits when everyone is in the know! We are excited to be rolling out Phase Two of our Online Player Orientations (OPOs) as part of our commitment to ensuring players are set up for a successful season.

In the Spring 2017 season we eliminated in-person Pre-Season player meetings, by popular demand, replacing them with an Online Orientation. As part of our continued effort to improve the player experience and the Online Player Orientation, our team has been hard at work on enhancements that we are proud to be rolling out for the Fall 2017 season!

While all ESSC leagues are fun first, winning second, let’s face it, scoring is fun! When you step out on to that court, primal nature takes over and the need to score is fierce. There’s just one problem, it’s not always that easy!

You see this small net with very few openings and wonder how you are supposed to get the ball through. Well, there are a few strategies to try to give your team the edge.

One small step with the ball to deke the defender, a large step to get away, a pivot to find a teammate on the other side of the defender, and a second pivot to go the other way. The lane opens up and a great pass is made to a teammate down the court! Sadly, the play is called as traveling, and possession turned over to the opponent. Why?! Due to a violation of the 3 step rule.

If you’ve watched any kind of competitive Handball, you know it’s an aggressive sport. Players are pushing, pulling, and grabbing to try and gain an advantage. However, one of the biggest differences between ESSC Handball and most other Handball being played is the level of body contact. To keep with our fun first attitude, we’ve implemented a NO CONTACT rule that takes the physicality out of the game. So what exactly does that mean and how does it affect your gameplay?

Whether you’re new to the sport or you’ve played before, here are a few strategies you and your team will want to know before hitting the court.

Offensive Strategies:

Whether you are a veteran ESSCer or are new to the Club, you know that all of our leagues are self-officiated. Yes, we run our leagues this way on purpose, and no, it’s not because we don’t want to deal with the added cost of a referee.

The ESSC is above all a fun-first league that focuses on “play”; namely, “adult play.” We always position ourselves in this way and we truly believe in our fun-first, winning-second philosophy. We also believe that most adults can regulate themselves appropriately in play, so why give someone a babysitter when they don’t need it?

Hello Handballers! Brace yourselves for an incredibly technical, but incredibly necessary, headline about our favourite part of any game; the rules! 

After our inaugural season in Fall 2015, the Handball rules have been restructured to include more detail and clarity for our players (that’s you!). These updates include major rule changes in regards to the 3 step/3 second rule as well as violations and fouls, so pay attention. 

Ball Possession: 

Handball is a brand new sport for the ESSC, which was first offered in the Fall of 2015. Due to the fact that Handball is not a widely played sport in North America, there are some things that all new players must learn before making their way to the court.

Anyone who is new to Handball might notice that it has certain similarities to a number of other sports that we offer.

First, it is played (in our leagues) with indoor soccer nets for goals which likens it to Soccer. Once a player has a ball, they start to move like a Basketball player; you are allowed to pivot on one foot, just like in Basketball.

When we first added Handball to our sport lineup, we had a lot of questions from our players who didn't know much about it. They weren't too familiar with this new sport and actually thought it was strictly a European game. That's not true at all! Here are a few facts that will make you realize just how Canadian (and Albertan) Handball is becoming: