Renowned as one of the fastest played sport in the world Basque Pelota combines racket and basket for frantic and furious court action.
The origin is tied to the decline of the ancient French racket sport ‘jeu de paume’ from the 1700s and came back into fashion from the mid-19th century.
This explosion of pelota craze was instigated through star player “Gantxiki” who is considered the original father of the chistera.
Chistera is the name given to the basket-shaped racquet which can propel the ball at incredible speeds, introduced around 1850 and evolving the sport.
During the twenties the game enjoyed another increase in popularity and many tournaments were held, this period led to the creation of the “Hand-pelota” and “remonte and pala” championships.
A key aspect of pelota’s popularity is the variations of the game such as using the hand, bat or basket (Chistera).
The Federation of Basque Pelota has narrowed down the different versions into only four varieties, consisting of 14 disciplines, each with their own set of specific rules and regulations regarding court sizes and the specific weight of the balls that are used.
The consistent and basic principle is that there are two teams of two players each. The team to serve bounces the ball, then hits it towards the playing area of the narrow front wall, where it has to rebound between a high and low line on the walls.
It is heavily played in Spain and France, especially in the Basque Country and is also popular in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Perú and Uruguay.
To view highlights of Basque Pelota view the link below provided by Chrille5511
Rules
The rules of Basque Pelota have been written down by the International Federation of Basque Pelota, although again the rules vary subtly depending on the type of game being played.
The team that is serving strike the ball, after bouncing it, against the front wall, ensuring that it hits between the high and low serving marks.
A serve though is only good if it then bounces onto the floor or onto the side wall. The receiving team may then either volley the ball back or allow it to bounce once.
Playing area
Basque Pelota is a court game although unlike the game of squash there is only normally two or sometimes one wall.
This wall is the front of the court, with a second wall sometimes to the left, the back and right side of the court is marked by a line, the length of the court though depends on the type of Basque Pelota being played.
Courts can be 28.5m, 30m, 36m or 54m long. Balls can be propelled with hands, bats or nets, again depending on the variation being played.
Scoring
Scoring occurs in one of four main ways.
The basic scoring shot is where the opposing team cannot return the ball before it has bounced more than once.
A scoring team though doesn’t have to ensure that the ball bounces in play though, and if they are able to manufacture a shot that sees the ball hit the front wall but bounces onto the floor outside of the court, then a point is also scored.
If the serving team fail to hit the front wall between the serving marks, then the receiving team win the point. A point is also scored if they ball doesn’t hit the front wall without bouncing first.
