+-The Rules of Basque Pelota
Ninh explains, the Rules of Basque Pelota The object of the game is to score more points
than your opponent.
Basque Pelota can refer to a number of games played similarly, and is popular in the Basque
region of France and Spain, and throughout all of Latin America.
Rather confusingly, there are many different variations of the sport, using different equipment, different sized balls and the size of the court (known as a fronton) varies depending on the game being played.
Some use bare hands, some use paddles or rackets, and some even use giant baskets - but all games have mostly the same format and rules.
The game starts with a serve.
The ball must bounce once behind the service line, and the player must strike or throw
the ball to the front wall.
An opponent must return the ball cleanly in one fluid motion.
They can do this on the fly, or after the ball has bounced on the floor once.
But if you let it bounce on the floor twice, your opponent is awarded a point.
You also lose the point if you serve illegally, if you play a ball off the front wall that
goes out of bounds, if you fail to hit the front wall or if you interfere with your opponent.
The idea of this game is to outwit your opponent by making shots difficult to play back cleanly,
or by placing the ball where a player cannot reach.
Once you win a point, you also win the next serve, and the whole process starts all over
again.
A game consists of two players for singles, and 2 pairs of players for doubles.
There are also team competitions.
The first team to score 15 points (or 21 points) wins a set, and a game is played to the best
of 3 sets.
In some competitions, the last set is only played to 15 points.
Whoever wins 2 sets the fastest, wins.
So, that’s the easiest part to understand.
But the most confusing thing about Basque Pelota is the sheer amount of different games
that are contested and the different sizes of courts.
But I’ll try and break them down as simply as I can.
Direct / Indirect Games.
Indirect games, which form the majority of the games are played by striking the ball
into a wall.
Direct games, resembling tennis can be played with players striking the ball to each other.
Courts In general, there are five courts that games can be played on.
Frontis – where only a single wall is used, the length and width can be unlimited, especially
when playing outdoors.
Trinquet – A four walled court, where the wall on the right is made of glass and there
may be a dugout along the left wall.
In general Trinquets are 28.5m long.
‘mur a gauche’ – A three walled court consisting of a front wall, a back wall and
a left wall, but no wall to the right.
In general, ‘mur a gauche’ Courts are either 30 metres or 36 metres long.
Jai Alai – Also known as Cesta Punta Courts, they’re almost identical to ‘mur a gauche’
courts, except that they’re at least 54 metres long.
So those are the courts, but what about the games themselves?
In general – the types of games fall under three categories.
Mano - Hand Pelota.
The most common variation of Basque Pelota is mano, or Hand Pelota - it’s also known
as Spanish Handball This is where players use their bare hands
taped up and the ball is small 95g hard ball, so it takes years of practice to build up
a tolerance to the pain and to strike the ball effectively.
It’s usually contested on frontis, trinquet and ‘mur a gauche’ sized courts and is
the most popular variation of Basque Pelota worldwide.
Paleta – Paddles and Rackets.
This is where paddles and rackets are used instead of the bare hand to strike the ball.
They vary in size and shape, and different paddles are more popular in certain countries.
Paleta – a small sized paddle, played on ‘mur a gauche’ courts and is popular worldwide.
Pala Larga – the longest and heaviest paddle, it’s played on a 36m ‘mur a gauche’
court and is only contested in Spain.
Pala Corta – smaller than a pala larga, it’s played on ‘mur a gauche’ courts
and is popular in Basque country and France.
Pala Ancha – a mid size paddle, played on a trinquet or ‘mur a gauche’ courts and
is played in France, Spain and Cuba.
Paleton or Pala Goma – is the largest shaped paddle, played on a trinquet and ‘mur a
gauche’ courts and is most popular in Argentina.
Xare – an early form on string racket, usually played on a trinquet and is popular in Chile
and Uruguay Frontennis - using modern tennis rackets, played on ‘mur a gauche’ courts and is the most popular form of the game in Mexico.
Chistera – Baskets.
This is where basket shaped objects are attached the players hand enabling them to strike or throw the ball at great speed, they include Pasaka & Laxoa – a Short & Wide paddle,
with games usually played on an outdoor frontis.
This is mostly played in the Basque Country.
Joko Garbi – a medium sized basket played on frontis or ‘mur a gauche’ courts and
is popular in France.
Remonte – a long basket, played on a frontis or jai alai court and is most popular in Spain.
Cesta Punta – more commonly known in the western world as Jai Alai, players are able
to catch and throw the ball with blistering speed.
Played on a full size Jai Alai court and is popular in the Basque Country, France and
the United States.
If you want to learn more, check out my video here.
Even though the that’s a lot to take in, once you specialise in one specific form of
Basque Pelota, the others will be easier to understand.
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