Basic Handball Tactics
Primary 6 · Physical Education
Basic Handball Tactics
Lesson 1 of 3
18 min
Let's begin
Every time Keza gets the ball, the same defender steps in front of her. Then Keza leans to the left... the defender leans too... and Keza pushes off to the right and is gone, with a clear shot at goal!
That trick is called a body feint. Today you will learn individual tactics in handball: how to beat a defender on your own, and how to stop an attacker fairly.
Jog around the court. Then play "shadow": follow a partner who keeps changing speed and direction, staying one step behind them. Finish with arm circles, wrist rolls and 10 shoulder passes each way.
With the ball in your hands you may take up to 3 steps and hold it for up to 3 seconds. Court players may touch the ball with any part of the body above and including the knee, but not with the lower legs or feet.
A feint must be quick and believable: lean your shoulders and look the way you are pretending to go. And remember the step rule: the whole move must fit into your 3 steps.
Handball allows some body contact. A defender may block an attacker's path with the body, from the front. But you may never push, hold, trip, reach around a player, jump into them, or make contact from the side or from behind. Pulling or hitting the ball out of an attacker's hands is not allowed either.
The goalkeeper is a defender too. Stand on an imaginary line between the ball and the middle of your goal. Step out a little towards the shooter: this makes the open part of the goal look smaller. Inside the goal area, the goalkeeper may stop the ball with any part of the body, including the feet.
Play 3 against 3, with a goalkeeper for each team. A goal scored straight after a feint scores 2.
Walk slowly. Stretch your arms, shoulders and legs, and shake out your hands. Drink water.
Warning
Stay safe
Tip
Attack: show one way, go the other. Defend: watch the hips, stay in front
Attacker: quick feint, 3 steps, shoot at a corner. Defender: feet moving, arms up, contact only from the front.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
Which parts of the body may a court player use to touch the ball?
Answer: Any part above and including the knee, but not the lower legs or feet.
Describe a body feint.
Answer: Show one way with a quick step and a lean, and when the defender moves, push off and go the other way.
Why should a defender watch the attacker's hips?
Answer: The head, shoulders and ball can fake, but the hips show where the attacker is really going.
Is a defender allowed to block an attacker's path with the body?
Answer: Yes, but only from the front. Pushing, holding, tripping, and contact from the side or from behind are not allowed.
Where should the goalkeeper stand when a player is about to shoot?
Answer: On the line between the ball and the middle of the goal, stepping out a little towards the shooter.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Put the steps of a body feint in order.
Tap the cards in the right order.
