HANDBALL 



2681 



HANDBALL 



distributed to the joints of the fingers and 

 thumb. When the muscles are excited to action 

 they exert a pull on the tendons, which in turn 

 pull on the parts to which they are attached. 



THE HAND 



1. (a) Phalanges; (6) metacarpals ; (c) car- 

 pals; (d) radius; (e) ulna. 



2. White lines indicate extensor muscles. The 

 flexor muscles, the opposite set, occur in the 

 palm. 



The fingers can be straightened out or moved 

 .UK! curved into various positions, and the 

 thumb can be made to meet every part of the 

 front of the fingers and can touch them at sev- 

 eral places on the back. If it were not for this 

 power of the thumb it would be difficult to 

 pick up and handle objects, so in treating an 

 injured hand the surgeon does everything in his 

 power to save the thumb. 



A comparison of the structure of the hand 

 and foot shows that the bones of the hand are 

 more easily moved than those of the foot, and 

 that the latter are the stronger and heavier. 

 The palm of the hand, which corresponds to 

 the under side of the instep, is nearly flat, while 

 tin- instep is arched. The hand is designed for 

 manipulation, the foot for supporting the 

 weight of the body and to help in walking. The 

 hand has one more bone in its skeleton than 

 the foot. See FOOT. S.C.B. 



HANDBALL, AMERICAN, a spirited game 

 played with an elastic ball which is struck with 

 the gloved hand against a board or wall. Hand- 

 ball has developed from an old Irish game 

 called four- wall handball, but it has been so 

 modified and improved that in its present form 

 it is far more scientific than the older sport. 

 Ordinarily it is played in "singles" or "doubles," 

 inclining by two or four players, but it can be 

 adapted for three persons as well. A good 

 player must use his left hand skilfully. 



The Court. A special court is required, con- 

 sisting of a floor, usually of smooth concrete or 

 unglazed gymnasium boarding, a surrounding 

 field, and an upright board braced so as not to 

 "give" or vibrate. This board serves as the 

 rear wall. Court and field boundary lines are 

 marked in red, the service line being drawn 

 midway between the front line and the board. 

 The accompanying diagram outlines a correctly- 

 planned court. 



How It Is Played. The Serve: The player 

 who begins the game the server stands within 

 the outer section of the court. Until the ball 

 is put in play the other players must stand 

 outside the court, in the field. The server 

 serves the ball by dropping it to the floor any- 

 where within the court on that side of the 

 service line farthest from the board. On the 

 first rebound he strikes it so that it flies against 

 the board and rebounds. A proper serve re- 

 quires that after leaving the board the ball 



P^ 



--20 ft~ 

 1 Playing, Field ' 



HANDBALL COURT 



shall first touch the floor within the section 

 farthest from the board. If a served ball leav- 

 ing the board first touches the floor on the 

 side of the service line nearest the board it is 

 called short; if it falls on that side of the front 



