Skip to content

Sports This Week - Check out team handball for great action

Last week is ending my ramble I mentioned the sport of kabaddi.
Calvin

Last week is ending my ramble I mentioned the sport of kabaddi.

For many readers I suspect knowing anything about the sport would have meant turning to a web search, since it is far from a well-known activity, at least in Saskatchewan, where it is probably only slightly rarer than the proverbial hen’s tooth.

But, in India, Bangladesh and that area of the world it is very popular, meaning there are lots of fans and that means a pro league for the sport.

Given the influx of immigration from that region in recent years, it may not be so long before we hear more about kabaddi in North America.

The sport is actually rather interesting. Most team sports, and certainly those popular here, have an element where one scores using a ball, or ball substitute – think flying disc in ultimate.

Kabaddi has no ball. It is more akin to a game of tag, where a player crosses into the opposing team’s half of the court and attempts to ‘tag’ players, then escape back to his half of the court before being tackled. The player scores for each player tagged, the tagged players being temporarily taken off the court.

Having watched a game, or two via YouTube I have to say I’m at least intrigued by kabaddi. It is always difficult to fully ascertain how much one likes something on a very small sampling. I love NHL, but was watching Hockey Night In Canada with my Dad from long before I could manage to stay awake through a whole game on a Saturday eve. The story was imprinted on me from a very young age.

When I watch hockey I understand what players are doing, and why, which adds to the appreciation of the game.

The subtleties and nuances of kabaddi are a mystery to me so it is difficult to get the full measure of the sport.

When you going web surfing for sports you also often find games are indeed there to be viewed, but either do not have play-by-play and commentary, or it is not in English.

A bit like Pavlov’s well-known pooch, I have been conditioned to watching sports on television with commentary. Without it, it is frankly off-putting, and that is more the case with a little known sport where commentary helps lift the veil of mystery in terms of what is going on.

That is even the case with team handball, a sport I know a bit more about, and one that I enjoy every bit as much as basketball which I compare it too in terms of game flow and scoring runs.

The sport interests me a lot, but is not played as a high level on this continent. When I do have the urge to watch a game or two there is www.ehftv.com with a rather extensive catalogue of games, including live, although being in Europe the times are often when I am bedded down for a long winter’s nap.

But, while video quality is high, commentary in English is a bit hard to find. The Men’s EHF Euro 2020 is on currently, so some of the best games the sport offers, but most contests are sans play-by-play which really detracts from the game for me. Finding games with English commentary however is a real treat, and most of Euro 2020 have just that. What English means is some neat looks at the game with stats that include the kilometres per hour of shots – 120-plus being common, the highest jump by a player in game, the kilometres ran by each team etc. So I certainly recommend sports fans check out some games.