LA kicks off season with beach handball tourney

Huntington Beach, CA  - The Los Angeles Beach Handball Tournament concluded this weekend, with LA Team Handball Club’s The Snipers snapping up a close victory.

During group play on Saturday, Sands of Fury from LATHC proved to be dominant by going undefeated and securing the top seed. During the finals Sunday, however, The Snipers created an upset by overcoming Sands of Fury and LA III Panamericano Club de Balonmano to reach the first place match. Sands of Fury fought its way to the final match with a shootout victory over Panamericano. 

During the final, each team won a half, leading to a shootout tiebreaker. After five shots apiece, the teams were still tied. The shootout continued until the 13th shot; when the sands settled, The Snipers had pulled out the victory.

Kevin Dodier was named MVP for key saves during the shootout and throughout the tournament. The LA Beach Handball Tournament, one of the year’s highlights, was a great way to end the summer while kicking off the start of a new handball season. Visit the Los Angeles Team Handball Club at www.lateamhandball.com.

Want to learn more about beach handball?

Beach handball is an outdoor variant of team handball. The sport has grown in popularity since the 1990s; the first world championship took place in 2004.

Similar to indoor handball, two teams battle to throw a ball into a 3 x 2 meter goal. There are several important differences between beach and indoor handball, however, besides the sand. Teams include three field players and one goalkeeper each. Goals are worth one point each; spectacular throws, however, such as in-flight spins or goals by keepers, are worth two. Field players are allowed to try to grab the ball from outside the goal area, which is a rectangle instead of a half circle. Two 10-minute halves compose each match; the team with the most points at the end of each half is declared the winner. If each team wins a half and creates a tie, the match is decided by a shootout.

For more information on beach handball, check out a PDF of short rules from the European Handball Federation here.