A game involving a ball and a wall appears in the writings of Homer, dating back to ancient Greece. Records from 1287 show the Synod of Exeter banned such games because they damaged church buildings. Robert Braybrooke, Bishop of London, issued another prohibition in 1385 against playing these wall games. King James I of Scotland ordered a cellar window blocked in 1427 after his game was disrupted by the structure. The earliest written record for Ireland comes from 1527 town statutes in Galway that forbade ball games against town walls. Northern and Central Americans played similar games as early as 1500 BC, most famously the Aztecs with their Mesoamerican ballgame. These ancient versions resembled hand tennis more than modern rebound sports. No surviving references describe a specific rebound game using a wall until much later centuries. European games like Basque pelota and Gaelic handball developed distinct styles over time. By the mid-19th century, Australians were playing a version that evolved into Australian handball.
American Development And Spread
Major John André and General Sir Henry Clinton reportedly played handball during the American Revolution according to Treacherous Beauty. Two handball courts existed in San Francisco by 1873, marking the earliest record of the modern game in the United States. Four-wall handball became well established within the following decades while one-wall emerged elsewhere. Beach-goers in New York City developed one-wall handball by hitting bald tennis balls against wooden jetties lining beaches. Thousands of indoor and outdoor one-wall courts appeared throughout the city by the 1930s. Today the sport thrives in parks, beaches, and high school yards across New York City, Lynbrook, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An estimated 2,299 public handball courts occupy the five boroughs of New York City alone. National championships have been held annually since 1919 under the Amateur Athletic Union until 1950. Control transferred to the newly formed United States Handball Association after that date.Court Architecture And Design
Four-wall courts form a rectangular box with a front wall measuring twenty feet wide and twelve feet high. Side walls extend thirty-two feet long and twelve feet high. A short line divides the floor into two ten-foot squares. The service line sits eight feet in front of the short line creating a defined service zone. Back walls reach twelve feet high with an above gallery for referees and spectators. Some courts feature glass back walls or side walls for better viewing. Three-wall courts include a front wall and two full side walls or triangular wings. One-wall courts measure forty feet wide and fifty feet long with no back wall in play areas. Courts are cheaper to build than enclosed versions making them popular at gymnasiums and playgrounds. The four-wall court typically includes a ceiling while three-wall courts may or may not have one.