Q&A for How to Play Handball

The person throwing stands at the "seven meter" mark and waits for the referee to give them a sign. When he does, the thrower shoots.

If you hit it off the ground and take it with both hands, you have 3 steps before you have to let go of the ball. You can't walk with the ball in your hand more than 3 steps without hitting it off the ground, passing to a teammate, or shooting towards the goal.

Pretty much everyone goes on attack when his/her team is in possession - but not all players are trained in attack. For example, defenders can score, but they don't do it as often.

You may be in the air, but you don't have to be. Remember that you should only take three steps before shooting or passing to another player.

No. That's double dribbling. The ball will then go to the opposing team.

One can run with the ball without dribbling, but for three steps only. This is usually done right before shooting or if you want to fake a shot.

You can run with the ball for 3 steps and hold the ball for 3 seconds.

No, it is not allowed by smacking but you can hit the ball when the other player is dribbling so that the player leaves the ball and you can start dribbling and passing yourself.

If the shot is blocked by a defender (but not the goalkeeper) and goes out on the attacking short side of the field it is a corner throw.

It's an out if the red team throws the ball left or right. The blue team gets to serve the out.

The only people who may enter the court are the two teams and the referee(s).

It depends on your team's defense tactics and who you are defending, but you can be as close as you want to effectively defend the opponent except in the case of free throws, throw offs, and throw-ins. In those scenarios, you have to be at least 3 meters away.

There is a change space on the left and the right of the center line. To change a player, one player has to leave the court through this space. As soon as he has fully left the court, another player can enter the court through the change space.

You want to jump off of your left foot if you're right handed, so start your 3 steps with left foot first. If you're left handed, do the opposite.

Yes, as long as you dont step inside the 6 meter field. You cannot pick the ball up from the 6 meter field, only if it's in midair.

You can intercept the ball from a pass, or depending on who hit it out of bounds, you can start a throw off for your team.

You can pick the ball up with one hand if you want to dribble again, but if you pick up the ball with two hands, you have to pass or shoot.

No one is absolutely sure, but handball has been traced back to ancient Rome and medieval France.

No, you can use both hands while playing. However, you can only shoot using one hand.

No. You can only smack, block, or take the ball when it is not in an opponent's hands. A foul is awarded to the opposing team if you smack or take a ball directly from the opponent's hand.

15 minutes per half with a 10 minute half time.

There's no time limit between the three steps. Just make sure you don't jump and shoot after three steps.

No, it will not be considered a goal. If the defensive player was in the goal area before making contact with the ball, a penalty is awarded to the attacking team.

No, that is not allowed.

You can practice more than they do. Do some other sports other than handball; those sports could give you an edge.

Yes, as long as they aren't talking while the coach is trying to give instructions, this is usually permitted.

It is not compulsory, but it gives you a better chance to score by providing more energy to your throw.

You can jump to the dotted line while shooting, but you are not allow to enter into the dotted area.

Yes, that is the proper way of playing. Switching hands is not allowed in handball.

They can, but not while the goalkeeper is inside of the crease. Those are just the rules.