Mini Beach Handball
In cooperation with Dr. Frowin Fasold from the Sports University of Cologne and Alex Gehrer, beach handball coach and lecturer, a test event with children under 10 and 12 years old was run in 2019.
The results are summarized as recommendations to start “Mini Beach Handball” (children under 10 years) and “Ultimate Beach Handball” (children under 12 years) activities.
Find below more inspiration to start activities with kids in school or your club.
Lifestyle and advantages of beach handball in general:
- Lifestyle values: fun, sun, action, acrobatic elements, excitement, and self-fulfilment
- Lower risk of injuries due to the playing environment
- The ball is easy to handle and is produce from a softer material
- Special role of the goalkeeper
- Permanent 4:3 situation in attack: provides each team a high probability to score
Major topics to learn:
- Defending without body contact, just attacking the ball
- Playing creatively and ingeniously
- Preparing for the complex shooting actions (spin shot, in-flight) and substitution tactics
- Becoming familiar with the scoring system and the shoot-out
Let’s get started with Mini Beach Handball (children under 10 years):
- Reduced field size; reduced distance to the goal (e.g. 12x8m, two goal-areas of 5m)
- The game is played with a grippy methodic ball (e.g. GOALCHA street handball)
- No marked goalkeeper/specialist, every player of one team wears the same colour (one player acts as a goalkeeper)
- Block substitutions after scoring: if one team scores a goal, all four players of this team must be substituted as a block
- All spectacular throwing attempts count two points (every kind of spin shot, in-flight, frog-jump-throws, behind the back, 5m penalty goals, coast-to-coast goals)
- Every game consists of two sets (of 5 mins each) and a shoot-out (all players must shoot)
- Shoot-out: Both goalkeepers are positioned in their own goal area (they are not confined to the goal line but are not allowed to leave their own goal area). The court player must catch the ball and try to score a goal without any rule violations; however, before the shot, the ball is allowed to touch the sand one time (either before or after receiving the pass from the goalkeeper).
Additional recommendations for Ultimate Beach Handball (children under 12 years):
Ultimate Beach Handball closes the gap to regular beach handball. All rules of the Mini Beach Handball are applied but partly adapted:
- The normal field size is recommended and a size 0 ball
- Two players of every team wear a different jersey colour than their teammates (one on the court and one in the substitution area). These players act as goalkeeper and (!) as specialist.
- If one team scores a goal or loses the ball (!), all four players of this team must be substituted as a block (including the specialist).
- The following actions count for two points: spin shots, (360° spin is not necessary), in-flight goals, (the ball must not be caught before throwing), goalkeeper/specialist goals, 6m penalty goals.
- Every game consists of two sets (of 7 min each) and a shoot-out (including all players).
- During the shoot-out the ball is not allowed to touch the sand
