goal ball part one

Goalball is a fast-paced team sport designed specifically for athletes with visual impairments. Played indoors on a volleyball-sized court, two teams of three players use hearing and touch to roll a bell-filled ball into the opposing net, using their entire bodies to defend their own goal. (Yes even face.) Objective: The main goal is to throw or roll a heavy ball across the court and past the opposing team to score points. The team with the most goals at the end of the match wins. How it Works: Team Roles: Each team has three players: a center and two wings. Wings are primarily offensive, while the center holds the primary defensive responsibility. Defense: Players stay in a low position, listening for the oncoming ball, and dive or slide across the floor to block the ball with their bodies. Gameplay: Matches consist of two 12-minute halves. Play is continuous, and spectators and coaches must remain completely silent so players can hear the ball and each other. Court & Equipment: The Ball: The ball is about the size of a basketball but weighs roughly 2.8 to 3.3 pounds and contains bells inside so players can track it by sound. The Court: Measuring 18 × 9 meters (the same size as a volleyball court), the court is marked with tactile lines containing strings embedded beneath the tape so players can feel their location. Eyeshades: To ensure a fair and level playing field, every athlete wears blackout eyeshades or ski goggles. Pads: I from experience highly recamend knee pads, elbo pads, and hip padding. Goalball was created in 1946 by Austrian Hanz Lorenzen and German Sepp Reindle to help rehabilitate blinded World War II veterans. It is one of the few Paralympic sports with no able-bodied equivalent, and it became an official Paralympic sport at the 1976 Games in Toronto.