Fistball

Fistball is a team sport in which two teams compete against each other on two half-fields, similar to volleyball. They are separated by a center line and a net stretched between two posts up to two meters in height. If the net or posts are touched by either a player or the ball during play, this is considered an error.

A fistball team defends

Each team consists of five players, with players trying to play the ball across the net from one half of the field of play to the opponents' half – using only their arm or closed fist (unlike in volleyball where open hands are allowed) – in a way in which the opponents cannot return it. After clearing the net, the ball may be contacted up to three times by the five players on each team – with a bounce being permissible before each contact (also unlike in volleyball where no bounce is allowed), but no repeat hits by any individual player within the three attempts. Similar to volleyball, the three hits are ideally used to save, set and spike the ball back into the opponents half, in that order.

The game is played for points and sets. If a team cannot return the ball or makes an error, the other team gets a point. The team that lost the last point or committed the last error makes the next service. A set ends when one team has scored 11 points and is at least 2 points in the lead (i.e. at least 11:9). If the score reaches 10:10, play will be extended automatically until one of the teams takes the lead by 2, or is the first to win 15 points (scores may therefore end 15–14). The number of winning sets varies depending on the game class, but is generally played to best of five or three.

In some cases, set results are limited by time, and this can be common in large tournaments for organizational purposes.

The most important errors (i.e. points to the opposing team) are as follows:

• The ball or a player touches the net or post.
• The ball touches the ground outside the court.
• The ball touches the ground twice in a row without any contact by a player in between.
• The ball is played on the side of the post past or below the net into the opponent's box.
• More than three players on a team to touch the ball during a game turn.
• A player touches the ball a second time within a turn.
• The ball touches a part of the body other than the upper or lower arm or fist. For example, the ball cannot touch the head, foot, or open palm of the hand.
• A player's first grounding foot lands over the service line on a serve.

Formations used for outdoor (A) and indoor (B)

In contrast to volleyball, where the players rotate and assume a different position after each change of service, in fistball each player has a fixed position. While players can rotate into different positions during a game, this is rather unusual, as each player is a specialist in his or her position. Another difference from volleyball is that a fistball playing field is much larger, and fistball teams have fewer players on the field at one time than volleyball teams, and therefore fistball players are required to cover much more space during play. The main reason for these differences is because the ball can bounce once between each player's hit, resulting in differing strategies to volleyball.

Depending on playing conditions (hardwood or grass, wet ground etc.), formations can change. In the image, two different formations are shown:

Team A shows the typical formation for outdoor play on grass ( W-shape ). The setter covers the front middle to be ready for short balls (e.g. drop shots) played by the opposition. However, the setter also need to be prepared for hard attacking shots played through the middle by the opposition, and quick reflexes are required to be able to defend these.

Team B shows the typical formation for indoor play on hardwood ( U-shape ). As the bounce of the ball indoors is more predictable, short balls are not as effective. Therefore, the setter moves to the rear foul line to assist on defense. However, the setter constantly runs to the front after each defense in order to set the ball for the attackers.

At international levels, outdoor fistball is also played in the U-shape, mainly due to the better defenses that it can provide against fast and powerful attacking shots. The players playing at this level are required to have significant speed and fitness in order to cover the ground for both defending and attacking hits.

Another formation option, although rare, is the V-shape. This is generally used when playing on wet grass. In this case the setter stands behind the baseline and the two defensive players move diagonally inwards to form a V shape. As an attacking shot hit on wet grass tends to slip more and bounce less, this formation gives teams more chance to get underneath the bounce of the ball to hit it upward in return.

Substitutions may be anywhere at any position field, but only before that team is about to serve, during a time out, between sets, or whenever the referee has stopped play.

Trajectory of a standard serve to an opponent's defender

Force, accuracy and fluid sequence of body movements are necessary to make full effect of the service. With a service, the server will attempt to achieve a direct point with it via an "ace", or will at least hope to force the opponent into a difficult first hit, thereby affecting the buildup of the opponent's return hit. The ball is hit mostly with the inner surface of the fist, due to control. However, if the server wishes to hit the ball with full force, they will use the edge of a clenched hand. This is called a "hammer hit", and carries greater risk of failure due to the smaller impact surface than the inner surface of the fist.

The server will attempt to hit the ball into an area on the opposition's side of the field that will be difficult for the opposition to return. For example, this can be done by hitting the ball long to the back line, directly at the feet of an opposition player, diagonally across the court, or with a short ball just over the net.

A fistballer prepares to serve the ball

A difficult, yet highly effective variation to the serve is to add curve to the hit. This can be done by sweeping across the ball from left to right, or vice versa, when hitting with the inside surface of the fist. If done correctly, the ball should appear to curve away from or into the opposition, confusing their return.

When preparing to serve, the server must stand behind the service line (3-meter line). Upon completion of the service hit, the server's first contact with the ground must be behind the service line. For example, if the server jumps while serving, the first foot to touch the ground upon landing must be behind the line. The second foot may then land in front of the line. This same rule applies for standing serves. If this is not correctly complete, the server will be charged with a fault, and the opposition will receive a point. In addition, the ball must visibly leave the hand prior to hitting (i.e. it must be thrown). It must not be pushed away out of the holding hand in an attempt to surprise the opponent, as this will also count as an error.

Ideal trajectory of a defended ball

A fistballer defends the ball at full stretch

The defender must be skillful in order to ensure their team can launch an effective attack. If a defensive shot is returned ineffectively, there will be little chance for a strong attack. The ball from an opponent's strong attacking hit or serve can be very hard to return, and most successful defenses are the result of running hard for the return. Players will often be required to jump or dive in order to reach the ball even before it hits the ground for the second time.

A good defense is performed using the inside of the forearm while positioned behind the ball, facing the net. If the inside of the forearm not exactly behind the ball, the ball will not go in the desired direction, and will instead go erratically sideways. This is especially the case when the ball is wet.

In order to lower the physical impact of the hit, one can carefully retract the arm at the moment of impact, but this is an art that few can master. A good defender possesses great agility, speed, responsiveness, technical ability, positional sense and the courage to put in extra physical effort to make contact. This unconditional commitment of each player makes up the foundation of the fistball sport dynamic.

The trajectory of a standard indirect set

A fistballer sets the ball

The setter substantially affects the nature of the following attack. The setter must be able to position the ball in the air and on the field in a place that an attack can effectively take place. This hit may need to take place from anywhere on the field, including the baseline, close to the net or even from outside the field of play.

If the ball is set for the attack by hitting the ball in the air and allowing for a bounce, this is called an indirect set. The setter has to calculate the trajectory of the hit so that the bounce is at its highest point approximately 2.5 - 3.0 m in height, as this is the most effective height for an attacker to jump and strike the ball over the net. The field conditions, distance to the net and possibly the wind direction all have to be taken into account when performing the set. In addition, the ball should ideally have some forward spin so that the attacker can use this forward momentum in his or her attacking hit.

The setter can also hit the ball so that it is hit directly by the attacker without the ball first touching the ground; this is called a direct set. The setter will often call "direct" or "indirect" prior to the set, to allow the attacker to adjust his or her approach.

Most sets are performed by the setter, however in many situations one of the attackers will be required to set due either to positioning, or the setter having already been forced to hit in defense. A good attacker must also be competent in setting the ball.

The trajectory of a long hit by an attacker

An attacker prepares to strike the ball

A good attacker will be able to hit the ball with high impact (good hits will reach speeds of over 100 km/h), be able to access weaknesses in the positional play of the opponent and have a great repertoire of strokes. The primary attacker is positioned next to the server, who acts as the secondary attacker. The attacker uses the forward spin of a well-placed ball from a set to jump and hit it with full force into the gaps of opposing defenses.

Ideally, the attacker must be unpredictable to the opposition, ensuring the direction and speed of the attack can not be predicted by the defense until the hit takes place. As with the server, the attacker has a wide range of possible variations for attack, but the choice and effectiveness of each hit are particularly dependent on the success or failure of his team's ability to set up the attack from defense.

For indoor fistball, the dimensions of the court change the approach of the attack, as the run-out section for indoor play is usually very limited due to the close proximity of walls. This fact is exploited by the setter, who will try to place the ball just about the net so that the attacker can hit the ball sharply across the court, restricting the opponents ability to get behind the ball before it hits the wall. In order to stop this occurring, the opponent must attempt to block the ball at the net, similar to volleyball. This has significant effect on the formation and strategy of defending teams.