Throwball Rules

Throwball is an exciting non-contact sport that is played by two teams of seven players on a rectangular court with a net across the middle. The game shares its roots with volleyball and whilst, on the surface, it may look similar, there are some fundamental differences. Like volleyball, it is played on a court that is split into two with a net in the middle but the playing surface of the court is much larger than a regular volleyball court.

The other fundamental difference is that there is no ‘volleying’ in Throwball. As the name would suggest, instead of parrying balls, they are thrown into the opposition area who then must prevent a point being scored by catching it and immediately returning it. It’s a thrilling, dynamic sport that is full of action from the first minute which is why as a sport it continues to grow in popularity around the world.

Throwball is played around the world but it is in the Indian subcontinent that it is most popular and its overseas hubs of popularity tend to be where there are sizeable Indian communities. It is thought to have originated in England, descended from a popular game played by women and then exported to India via the YMCA who brought it to Chennai in the 1940s. The first rules for Throwball were written by Harry Crowe Buck of the YMCA in 1955 and the sport gradually grew in popularity over the next few years, with the Throwball Federation of India being formed in 1985.