Listening to the gang (and even the commentator!) shouting “handball” is among the nice sounds of soccer matches all over the world, and a second or two later the referee decides which can both delight or frustrate these followers. It’s maybe a little bit unhappy although that this type of handball is way extra well-known than the game of the identical identify!
This pretty minor indoor sport has been a daily Olympic sport since 1972 (1976 for the ladies’s sport) though it was first performed on the Berlin 1936 video games exterior. Thanks Wikipedia for that data! Regardless of having been an Olympic sport for my entire life I’m positive I had by no means seen quite a lot of seconds of a match!
It was time to vary that on this yr of watching as many new sports activities as doable. I ventured on over to Enviornment Tachikawa Tachihi within the western a part of Tokyo. The sector is positioned a few stops from Tachikawa station on the Tama Monorail however I assumed I’d save a few hundred yen by simply taking the 20 minute stroll. It was a pleasant night and I had time on my aspect. Finally the sector got here into view and there was a sizeable crowd of individuals ready in line. As is usually the case in Japan, it was for the meals vans and fortunately to not get in.
Simply forward of the 7:00pm begin there was the inevitable cheerleader efficiency which nonetheless appear to precede many sports activities in Japan. The feminism motion nonetheless lags a good manner behind in Japan and the sexualisation of issues like that is nonetheless fairly rife. The quantity of older males with lengthy lens cameras specializing in such exercise is a little bit unnerving at instances.
The 3000 seat area, which opened in 2017, is extra used to internet hosting basketball or futsal video games however on this event it was a handball match between two groups from Shinagawa (Tokyo) and Miyoshi (Saitama) which makes me surprise why this explicit venue was chosen!
Fellow Leicester Metropolis fan Max talked about to me on the Celtic Vs Yokohama F. Marinos sport in mid-July that the PSG handball staff have been taking part in some friendlies in Japan similtaneously the soccer staff final Summer season. Subsequently I checked out these dates however they sadly didn’t match up with my work schedule. Nevertheless, the concept of watching handball had been firmly planted in my thoughts and so I checked out to see if there have been any mens or ladies’s groups in Tokyo. There wasn’t any for the latter however there have been a number of males’s groups from the capital metropolis. Probably the most interesting one to me have been known as Zeekstar Tokyo however the one fixture appropriate for me wasn’t till late November!
A 4 month wait to see them play ended on November twenty second (a college vacation for me) nevertheless it needs to be added that getting a ticket was an arduous process. I feel some sports activities in Japan actually don’t assist themselves doubtlessly develop as it’s typically essential to arrange an account on a special web site (I’m signed as much as so many ticketing websites now!) which wants all types of non-public information to be inputted. It’s a number of trouble and takes up time which the extra informal followers will simply quit on.
Attempting to withstand hilariously shouting “handball!” each time a participant touched it!
It’s not simply each sports activities membership that has to have a mascot in Japan however just about each firm too, and it’s certainly huge enterprise on this nation the place kawaii cuteness actually helps shift merchandise. This one is known as Zeestar. Its lightning motif eyebrows supposedly characterize velocity!
Velocity does play an vital position in handball it appears. The preliminary construct up play although will be fairly sluggish with some tedious passing of the ball on the again while the opposition all sit again awaiting the assault. It will definitely comes as they attempt to cross their manner by means of their opponents defence.
Objectives come thick and quick in the course of the two thirty-minute halves and it’s fairly laborious to maintain with all of it. The groups typically replied with a objective inside seconds of conceding! I’ve stated earlier than that I’m not such a fan of sports activities the place factors are scored constantly. Possibly that’s why I principally watch soccer and rugby as I can bear in mind sure incidents nicely however for different sports activities the factors scored are sometimes very comparable in type.
One frequent type of objective right here was through a man ready proper within the nook to gather the ball, take a step or two earlier than leaping into the world and throwing it into the again of the online.
The seven metre throw is the equal of the penalty however given that you may throw a dummy or three it appears fairly simple to beat the keeper.
When a shot is saved it actually does appear one thing of a shock and it brings the followers of that staff alive as they realise there may be the prospect of capitalising on that and going up the opposite finish of the courtroom and upsetting the rhythm of 1 staff scoring and the opposite replying. Soccer goalkeeping nice Peter Schmeichel and his son, Leicester legend Kasper used to play this sport and I consider their famed manner of creating their physique like a star truly stems from their days of taking part in handball again in Denmark.
“Go, go Zeek” was constantly blasted out of the general public tackle system (though in Japanese pronunciation it sounded extra like “go go chi”) to encourage the Tokyo staff to get again into the sport within the closing levels however the hole couldn’t be bridged and so they misplaced.
Admittedly, my expectations for this sport beforehand have been fairly low however they have been exceeded. With similarities to basketball, netball, water-polo (minus the water), futsal and plenty of extra it was definitely a sport which appeared acquainted but so totally different.
Closing Rating: Zeekstar Tokyo 29-37 Osaki Electrical
Bonus: There are apparent similarities (the wood courtroom, operating, bouncing a ball, passing, capturing and so forth) between handball and basketball and I went to see the latter a few weeks earlier.
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