SHOT-CLOCK IN HANDBALL: Why and why not?

Metalurg’s coach Lino Červar has caused a huge commotion and gained approval of large handball world public with the interview he has given to Balkan-handball.com. Červar, well known and celebrated Croatian tactician argued innovations in handball and he stood for bringing in a new rule: a timed attack, or so called “clock shot”. His ground was already stood by two great coaches, Alfed Gislason & Gudmundur Gudmundson. Shot clock is No1 theme of all handball arguments these days, and it has got people stating fanatically “for” and “against”. One of those who recently opposed this rule is Germany’s national coach Martin Hojberger, who stated that the new rule would change the essence of handball game. One opposite voice was followed by two agreeable: Antonio Carlos Ortega and Dragan Đukić stated that timed limited attack would improve quality of the game.

Imagine a basketball game: last attack in game and one team is holding the ball, but the opposite team along with their bench and crowd are signalizing referees to raise their hands and show passive play. Would basketball as such be hugely popular global sport? Would its unpredictable crazy endings be talked for days if it wasn’t for the last-second shots which decide everything?

On London’s Olympics 2012 handball has trilled the whole world with dynamic of the game. Variety of strength, explosivity, courage, playing with heart, duel combination of flexible and artistic moves… that is what makes a difference from other collective sports. But, there is an obstacle for everyone who would love to engage in this sport. It’s called: THE RULES. British and American journalists were writing about how fascinated they were with strength and potential of handball play, but how they, unfortunately, COULDN’T UNDERSTAND anything else about it. One of the biggest misunderstandings was about the attack, which lasts until the referee feels it has come to an end. How and why, they ask in all their naivite, but nobody could give them an adequate answer.

Clear rules are the only way to make handball a global sport. If a person who watches a handball game for the first doesn’t understand what’s going on because of the rules – that person simply will not enjoy it. And certainly, if they don’t enjoy, then they will not watch it again, either on stands or on TV.

In time of crisis that is plaguing Europe for years, handball needs new markets. And the only way to get new spectators is the go for perfection. 

Maybe the way handball is right now is quite alright with us Europeans, because we got used to autocracy of the referees, critics after the match – which are entirely product of human element. But why does human element even get to decide? Wouldn’t even referees be burdened out, since this critic is aimed towards the passive play rule?

Sand handball is the handball of the new millennium. Without highly strict and complicated rules, but with rewarding of everything that is attractive: this simplified version of handball is becoming more and more popular with “non-handball” people. It’s quite simple – influence of the referees is smaller, and the satisfaction of players and spectators is bigger.

Z.B & M.B