Speed-ball is a racquet and a ball sport which was developed in Egypt in 1961. Speed-ball originated as a training routine for lawn tennis which eventually became a sport of its own. The sport has now gained popularity in several countries around the world.
The sport requires simple equipment that can be setup easily and can be played anywhere. A hollow elliptical ball that is suspended from a 1.7m high mast using a nylon rope and plastic racquets are the only required equipment.
The sport can be played in three different formats, which are :
Super-solo : Only a single player is involved and the objective is to hit the ball as many times as possible in four different ways, one minute for each way. The four ways are, right hand only, left hand only, forehand only with two racquet in each hand, and backhand only with two racquets in each hand.
Singles : Played between two players. Game play involves both players hitting the ball in opposite directions. A player scores a point if the other player misses. Matches are played for 10 points.
Doubles : Played with four players, two players in each team. the gameplay is similar to that of singles format, but the two players in a team have to hit the ball alternatively.
Similar Sports
- Tetherball — two players hit a ball attached by a rope to the top of a stationary pole.
- Tennis — a court sport where players use a stringed racket to hit a ball to each other over a net.
Related Pages
- There is a similarly named sport Speedball, an American ball game.
- About sport in Egypt
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports