Kin Ball

Action in the match

Kin-Ball is a cooperative team game and is played with three teams of four players each.

history

The game was invented in 1986 in Québec by the sports teacher Mario Demers. The game is played as a popular sport and competitive sport in many countries, it is particularly popular in Canada, Japan, Korea, France, Belgium and Switzerland. National associations belonging to the international association have been organized in 17 countries. Further associations are being set up.

Ball and team

The Kin Ball is 1.22 meters in diameter and weighs less than 1 kilogram. Due to its special flight characteristics, it demands coordination , strength, speed and endurance from the players. A color is assigned to each team. Usually the official colors are black, gray and blue. In some countries, e.g. E.g. Japan, other colors are also used (e.g. pink). To make a move, the attacking team, that is, the team in possession of the ball, must first designate a defending team. This is done by saying the word "Omnikin", followed by a color of the other two teams. After designation, the ball must be hit with a part of the body above the hip. If the defending team cannot control the ball before it hits the ground or an object outside the field of play, the other two teams get a point. After the ball has been brought under control, a new play can be started. The formerly defending team is now the attacker.

The way how long and for how many sets is played differs depending on the tournament and mode. At world and European championships, 13 points per set and 3 sets won are played. What is special, however, is that as soon as the first team has reached 11 points, the team with the weakest points has to leave the field and the rest of the set is played with only two teams. Another common mode is the playing time of 7 minutes per set (used at the 2014 Club Championships in Hradec Králové ). The clock is stopped in the last minute every time the game is interrupted, otherwise it continues to run even during an interruption, with the exception of time-outs. Another mode was tried out in the club categories as part of the 2019 World Cup in France. The teams play 4 sets up to 11 points, with a critical score of 9 points.

The playing area is rectangular, ideally square. In official international competitions, the size is stipulated to be 20 × 20 meters, which is the maximum permitted size. In the official regulations, minimum sizes are recommended for national and regional competitions, but these are not binding and can be changed by the organizer. The outer line must be monochrome and at least 5 centimeters wide. It is part of the playing field.

World championships

The first world championship took place in 2001 in Quebec, Canada . Since then, they have agreed on a two-year mode for women's and men's teams.

Men

year	city	Gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
2001	Quebec	Canada	Japan	Belgium
2002	Quebec	Canada	Japan	France
2005	Ans	Canada	Japan	France
2007	Bilbao	Canada	Japan	France
2009	Trois-Rivières	Canada	Belgium	Japan
2011	Nantes	Canada	Japan	France
2013	Pepinster	Canada	Japan	Belgium
2015	Torrejon de Ardoz	Japan	France	Czech Republic

Women

year	city	Gold medal	Silver medal	Bronze medal
2001	Quebec	Canada	Japan	Belgium
2002	Quebec	Canada	Japan	France
2005	Ans	Canada	Japan	France
2007	Bilbao	Canada	Japan	France
2009	Trois-Rivières	Canada	France	Japan
2011	Nantes	Canada	Japan	Switzerland
2013	Pepinster	Canada	Japan	Belgium
2015	Torrejon de Ardoz	Canada	Japan	France

Web links

Commons : Kin-Ball  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the international Kin-Ball Association (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Federations - FIKB / IKBF. In: www.kin-ball.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016 .