JAI ALAI

Hola ! cómo estás ?

Hehehe Spanish language check ! 😆  Today, I came back with a new sport that I discovered. This sport originated from Basque Country in Northern Spain. I know maybe some of you do not have any ideas about what kind of sport that I will share about. As you can see in the gif picture above, that sport called JAI ALAI ! 

The information may be referred from Pace University Website, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Ninh Ly.

SO ! LET'S EXPLORE TOGETHER !

Jai Alai or known as Cesta Punta is a ball game of Basque origin played in three-walls court with the hard ball which has the same size as baseball but harder than golf ball which requires to catch and throw with a Cesta (long curvey wicker scoop strapped to one arm). 

Basically, the objective of this game is to score more points than your opponents. The idea of this game is to outwit your opponent by making shots difficult to catch and throwing back cleanly or by passing the ball where the opponent cannot be reached.

(Source : Google Image)

COURT

(Source : Google Image)

(Source : Google Image)

The modern three-walls court called Cancha. The walls and the floors are well-made by a special material that can stand pounding of the ball. There is no standard size for Cancha but, on average 176 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 40 feet high. Cancha has a front wall, back wall, and left wall but, there is no right wall.

Jai Alai ball or known as Pelota made by goatskin, metal, and rubber. This particular ball can be hurled at speed over 170 mph.

EQUIPMENT

1. HELMET : To protect the player's head from the dangerously speedy and hard ball, Pelota

2. ELBOW PAD : To protect elbow when the player slams arm on the floor when throwing the rebote shot

3. CESTA : Kind of curved basket which to catch and throw the ball

4. CINTA : To secure the Cesta to the player's hand

5. FAJA : A traditional sash or belt that is worn by all Jai Alai players

HOW TO PLAY JAI ALAI

1. The game starts with a serve behind line Line #11 which is the service line.

2. The player must catch and throw the ball to the front wall.

3. The ball must bounce behind Line #11 and land between Line #4 & #7 for the service to be legal.

4. The opponent must catch the ball cleanly and throw it back in one motion. The players can do it on the fly or after the ball bounce on the floor once.

5. If the players let the ball bounce twice, the team will lose a point.

6. If the ball isn't caught cleanly, if the player hold into the ball too long or if the judge deems that the players didn't catch or throw the ball in one smooth motion, you will lose a point.

7. You will lose a point if you serve illegally in which the ball is thrown over the front wall, the ball out of bounce and if you interfere with your opponent.

8. Once you win a point, you can start by the next serve and the whole process will start over again.

GAMBLING

Jai Alai was created with gambling in mind. Just like betting in Horse Racing, the spectators can bet on players to "win", "place" or "show" as well as other bets. This way some of Jai Alai players have number on their jersey to recognize which one of the players you want to bet on.

(Source : Google Image)

I think that's all for my sharing session about Jai Alai. I found this sport was unique because of the exclusive shaped equipment they used such as Cesta and the formation of the games also interesting. The ball flew fast and even the players also fly as to catch and throw the ball. I hope this general information may open your eyes and mind about this unfamiliar sport especially in Malaysia.

"The Rules of Jai Alai (Cesta Punta) - Ninh Ly"

(Source : Youtube)

SEE YOU AGAIN IN MY NEXT BLOG WITH ANOTHER SPORT !

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