Let us discuss Handjie Tennis (Hand Tennis)!
Have you ever heard of this amazing sport? Handjie Tennis is an amazing visio-spatial stimulant that has engulfed the imaginations of boys and girls alike fortunate enough to come into it’s sight! To call it amazing is too mild. What else apart form the traditional world sports can be endowed on children than handjie tennis?
This is a certain candidate for a spot in the Olympic games. But before that, lets get to its background.
Handjie Tennis is a very popular school game played largely in South Africa. It involves a ball (usually a tennis ball) and, generally, 2 or 4 blocks and 2 or 4 players, respectively. Although sometimes 3 blocks or other quantities are played with.
Purpose of the game!
The goal is to become “King” and stay in the game as long as possible, without: hitting “straight”, hitting “straight out”, bouncing the ball twice in the block and not hitting the ball twice.
It’s stimulation comes from the ego-bravado jilt it induces when young boys and girls get to domineer the much contended spot of King, whilst expanding the spatial awareness of the king to their environment. Every thing works on a court-wide timing and precision and each player must be absolutely aware of where the others are!
Rules!
The rules of Handjie Tennis are not official and therefore vary slightly from place to place and from player to player.
These are only the most general rules. The area played is divided into four or more blocks. The blocks are named “King” (the highest rank), “Queen” (Second highest), “Jack” (third highest) and “Ace” (the lowest and sometimes also called “Toiletfish” or “Donkey”(Assuming by donkeys themselves)).
Although I never used those exact words myself in my playing days. Although King and Queen have always maintained their echo.
The rest of the remaining blocks have no specific name. For ease of explaining the rules, the person who receives the ball is the “receiver”, and the person who serves the ball is the “server”. The server alternates between the King and person filling the first vacant spot. The serve can go in any direction.
The rules are the following.
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The ball may not be held for too long, one second or less!
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The players decide whether only the “King” serves or is “first-vacant and king server”, meaning that any participant in those blocks may serve the ball.
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The ball cannot bounce into a block twice or more. Otherwise, the person is out.
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The server, as well as any other player, must not hit the ball over the line. Otherwise, it is “direct”, and the person is out.
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The ball may also not bounce over the line without first bouncing in the current player’s own block; the rule also applies during play.
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If the server and any other player hits the ball out of the playing area, it is “Directly out”, and the server or player involved is then out.
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The ball may not be touched twice or more during the round. This offence is known as “Double touch.”
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If the ball bounces between the blocks, then it is in play, and play continues as normal.
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“Rebounds” are when the ball is hit against the wall, pole or any solid object; this rule is optional.
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If the player is out in any of the above ways, he moves to the last available block. If other players are standing in line, then he moves out to join the queue. He is replaced by the first player on the line!
As the players are taken out, the players move up in rank. If the “King” is out, then the “King” moves to the very last block, the “Queen” to the “King”, the “Jack” to the “Queen”, and the “Ace” to the “Jack” ” then. This is only if there aren’t any players waiting in line, in which case they also join the game.
If it is not the “King” that is out, then the player that is out moves to the very last available block. The open spaces are then filled as above. Only the player who is out and ranks lower than him moves up. For example, if the “Queen” is out, the “King” remains in its position, but the “Queen” is filled with the “Jack”, the “Jack” with the “Ace” and the “Ace” with the next person in the block behind that person.
