Tchoukball

pictogram

Tchoukball is a ball sport in which two teams of 5-7 players each face each other. The aim of the game is to throw a handball-like ball onto a baffle wall called a frame in such a way that the opposing team cannot catch the rebound, and thus to score points.

Tchoukball game in Switzerland in May 2006

Match Switzerland – Italy Euro 2014

The word "Tchouk" is derived from the sound of the ball when it hits the frame.

Because both teams are allowed to play on both frames that are facing each other on the two shorter sides of the rectangular field, Tchoukball is extremely fast and intense. Both teams have to constantly switch between attack and defense, which leads to a very varied game. At the same time, Tchoukball focuses on fair play - any attack on the opponent or his game is prohibited.

Tchoukball is an indoor sport, but in principle you can play it anywhere. Indoor and beach choukball are the most common, but in some countries it is also played on grass.

Origin and Distribution

Tchoukball was invented in the 1970s by Hermann Brandt , a Swiss sports medicine specialist. During his work, he realized that even the most physically strong athletes sustained permanent injuries while exercising their sport due to non-physiological movements.

As a result, he developed his own sport, tchoukball. In addition to the lower risk of injury, Brandt incorporated another consideration: Tchoukball as a sport in which, in his opinion, “a valid human community” is practiced. For Brandt, the ideal sport should not just be a competition, but first and foremost be fun and take place in an environment of respect and tolerance. Tchoukball should help to pass on exactly these values. That's why Brandt created a document at the same time, in which the basic attitude of the sport and the players should be outlined, the Tchoukball Charter .

Distribution of Tchoukball as of 04/2014

This new sport was particularly popular in Taiwan , where it quickly became a school and university sport , which explains Taiwan's special role in today's tchoukball world. Teams from Taiwan are the big favorites at every tournament to this day.

Tchoukball is now played in many parts of the world. Teams from the European countries Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, France and Spain took part in the World Tchoukball Championship 2011 in Ferrara, Italy, as well as teams from Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Brazil, many of them with them Women's teams.

organization

Association	president	date
FITB	Chris Huang	since 2013
ETBF	Chiara Volonté	since 2014
DTBV	Karin de Laporte	2010-2013
	Thomas Langescheid	since 2013
ATBF	Gernot Turk
FSTB	David Sandoz	2011-2015
	Pierre-Alain Girardin	since 2015

Tchoukball is organized internationally in the Federation Internationale de Tchoukball  (FITB). This was founded in 1971 by representatives from Switzerland and France. The first president was Hermann Brandt until his death. 36 national associations from 4 continents are currently registered as members of the FITB.

A European umbrella organization has existed since March 2014, which unites the national associations and is from now on responsible for European matters. The European Tchoukball Federation  (ETBF) is a member of the FITB.

Due to the geographic size of Germany, the first regional associations have already formed here. The Thuringian Regional Association was founded in 2012 with the TTBV.

The European Winners' Cup  (EWC) was a specialty up to and including 2015. The national champions from the European leagues were invited by the respective organizing committee to determine the best Tchoukball team at club level at a tournament. The allocation of the venue for the following year was usually agreed between the participating teams. The tournament mode and the admission criteria were completely in the hands of the respective organizing committee. Since 2016, the ETBF has assumed responsibility for the EWC. Clubs from the member countries can apply to host the event. The association has laid down rules for the qualification, and its technical commission is responsible for the design of the game plan.

year	venue	winner
2008	Ferrara (Italy)	TBC Lausanne (SUI)
2009	Lausanne (Switzerland)	TBC Lausanne (SUI)
2010	Saronno (Italy)	Saronno Comets (ITA)
2011	Wels (Austria)	Saronno Comets (ITA)
2012	Lazne Belohrad (Czech Republic)	Saronno Castor (ITA)
2013	Leeds (England)	RuckTchouk Traiskirchen (AUT)
2014	Neuchâtel / Neuenburg (Switzerland)	RuckTchouk Traiskirchen (AUT)
2015	Saronno (Italy)	RuckTchouk Traiskirchen (AUT)
2016	Rybnik (Poland)	RuckTchouk Traiskirchen (AUT)
2017	Erfurt (Germany)	Saronno Tchoukball Club (ITA)
2018	Traiskirchen (Austria)	Ferrara Bulls (ITA)

Rule bases

matchfield

matchfield

According to the official rules of the FITB (International Tchoukball Association), the field is rectangular and measures 26 to 29 m in length and 15 to 17 m in width in the hall area. This can also vary in open tournaments. The frame stands in the middle of the shorter side outside the playing field, is inclined at 55 ° and is 1 m wide and long. Its front touches the baseline. A semicircle with a radius of 3.05 m has been drawn around the frame of the baseline - the so-called “forbidden zone”.

Points

A player scores a point for his team when

• he throws the ball onto the frame so that no player can catch it before it hits the ground outside the prohibited area.

A player scores a point for the opposing team if

• he misses the frame when throwing.
• the ball, after being released, bounces outside the field.
• the ball touches it again after impact.
• he throws the ball into the prohibited area, before or after impact.

Playtime

The duration of an official tchoukball game is 3 × 15 minutes. In open tournaments, the playing time is usually reduced, but a game segment usually lasts a maximum of 15 minutes.

Teams

A Tchoukball team consists of a maximum of 12 players, 7 of whom are on the pitch in official indoor games and 5 can be substituted on. Substitutions may only take place immediately after a point for both teams, but there are no limits on the frequency.

referee

For official competitions 3 referees are required on the field. One each who stands at its respective frame and one who follows the game on the long side of the field. The latter has the right to overrule the other two arbitrators.

Ball control

When a player is holding the ball, their freedom of movement is limited. He is allowed to touch the ground three times from the moment of the first ball contact, if the ball is caught while standing, this is considered the first ground contact, if the ball is caught while jumping and the player lands with both feet, this is considered to be two ground contacts. The player is not allowed to drop the ball and has a maximum of 3 seconds to act. Within the team, the ball may be passed a maximum of three times after being kicked from the baseline until the frame is closed. In an uninterrupted game situation, the conclusion may also occur a maximum of three times in a row on the same frame.

Tchoukball in German-speaking countries

Germany

There has been an official German Tchoukball Championship since 2010. The Tchoukball department of TuS Oeckinghausen in Halver currently dominates the German league, as this sport has been rediscovered here. Other teams developed at the same time or a little later. One of the most successful German chouckball players is Colin Bloch, who took 5th place as part of the Polish national team at the 2017 Beach Chouckball World Cup in Taiwan.

The best placement of a German national team at a world championship was achieved by the under 18-year-old men’s team at the 2019 Youth Tchoukball World Championship in Singapore (3rd place).

year	venue	German champions	place 2	place 3	4th place
2010	Halver	TB Halver M 1	TB Halver W.	TB Halver M 2	SG Urbich
2011	Weimar	TB Halver M	TB Halver W.	SG Pedagogy Jena	ASC Weimar I
2012	Weimar	TB Halver I.	TB Halver II	TSV Zorneding I	ASC Weimar I
2013	Erfurt	Tchoukball Halver I.	Tchoukball Halver II	ASC Weimar	TSV Zorneding
2014	Weimar	TuS Oeckinghausen I	TuS Oeckinghausen II	ASC Weimar	TSV Zorneding
2015	Anger thing	BTV Aachen	TuS Oeckinghausen	TSV Zorneding	TuS Oeckinghausen U18
2016	eat	TuS Oeckinghausen I	ASC Weimar I	TSV Zorneding	TuS Oeckinghausen II
2017	Weimar	TuS Oeckinghausen	ASC Weimar I	Lenneper TG	SG Urbich I
2018	Dusseldorf	TuS Oeckinghausen I	ASC Weimar I	TBH Düsseldorf	TuS Oeckinghausen II
2019	Erfurt	TuS Oeckinghausen	TBH Düsseldorf I	ASC Weimar I	ASC Weimar II
2020	Remscheid

Switzerland

Tchoukball was developed in Switzerland. It is the country with the greatest tradition and the best organized club and association structure. Switzerland is also exemplary in terms of training, because Tchoukball is part of the official sports program of “Youth and Sport” and can therefore use existing structures for coaching and training for national teams, but also for holding numerous international tournaments. The first international Tchoukball game took place in Switzerland. Geneva was the seat of the International Tchoukball Federation from its founding in 1970 until 2009.

Most of the Tchoukball teams within a European country can be found here. Although Tchoukball is mainly in French-speaking Switzerland played, but there are now also teams again in German-speaking Switzerland, the first German Swiss team were the Wizards Sports from Winterthur . There has been a championship in the country since 1993 and is organized by the Swiss Tchoukball Association . It is currently divided into two strength classes. The Swiss Cup has also existed for several years. The draw for this last took place as part of the largest indoor Tchoukball tournament in Europe, the “Geneva Indoors”. The Geneva Indoors took place for the 23rd time in 2019.

Austria

The Austrian tchoukball tradition dates back to the mid-1970s. At that time, sports educators were introduced to sport on summer courses at the University of Graz by John Andrews and Heinz Rekla. Many of the students at the time built Tchoukball into their sports teacher program, but changed the game idea, rules and even the name. In the 1980s, Tchoukball was played in its correct form in Vorarlberg. Tchoukball was only discovered for the third time in the tropical summer of 2003, this time near Vienna. The Traiskirchen Sports Union then formed a Tchoukball section from autumn 2003. In 2004 this became the RuckTchouk Traiskirchen association as an independent organization. In 2009 the initiative of a sports educator led to the founding of the Tchoukdevils Wels association. Championships have been held since then. The stronghold is RT Traiskirchen, as a series champion. In 2007 the team was founded by TB04 Möllersdorf. In 2011, TB Phoenix Baden / Traiskirchen and CowTchouk Wels were added. With the teams ATUS Sharks Gumpoldskirchen, Tchoukangels Oberwaltersdorf and TB Wombats OBW, the current list of participants at national championships is complete.

Tchoukball International

Worldwide championships

In 1984 the first World Tchoukball Championships (WTC) were held in Taiwan . At that time, six nations from two continents took part. Teams from four continents now come together for the WTC to compete.

year	competition	Host country	Winner of the men	Winners of women
1984	World Tchoukball Championships	Taiwan	Taiwan	-
1987	World Tchoukball Championships	Switzerland	Taiwan	Taiwan
1989	World Games (Tchoukball)	Germany	France	Taiwan
1990	World Tchoukball Championships	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	United Kingdom
2000	World Tchoukball Championships	Switzerland	Taiwan	Taiwan
2002	World Tchoukball Championships	United Kingdom	Taiwan	Taiwan
2004	World Tchoukball Championships	Taiwan	Switzerland	Taiwan
2007	World Tchoukball Invitationals	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan
2009	World Games	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan
2011	World Tchoukball Championships	Italy	Taiwan	Taiwan
2015	World Tchoukball Championships	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan

From 2011 onwards, youth tournaments were also held.

year	competition	Host country	Winner M U-18	Winner F U-18	Winner M U-15	Winner F U-15	Winner M U-12	Winner F U-12
2011	World Youth Tchoukball Championships	Austria	Italy	Taiwan	Singapore	Italy	Taiwan	-
2013	World Youth Beach Tchoukball Championships	Taiwan	Taiwan	-	-	-	Taiwan	-
2015	World Youth Tchoukball Championships	Singapore	Taiwan	Singapore	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan	Singapore

European championships

In 2003 the first European Tchoukball Championships (ETC) were held in Italy . At that time, eight teams from five nations took part. In 2014 there were 19 teams from eleven nations in Radevormwald (Germany). In 2016 in Jičín (Czech Republic) junior teams competed for the first time, which increased the number of teams to 31, although only nine nations were represented.

competition	host	Winner of the men	Winners of women	Winner M U-18	Winner F U-18	Winner M U-15	Winner F U-15	Winner M U-12
European Open 2001	?	United Kingdom	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	-
European Tchoukball Championships 2003	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	-
Tchoukball European Championships 2006	Macolin	United Kingdom	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	-
Tchoukball European Championships 2008	Ústí nad Labem	Switzerland	Switzerland	Switzerland	-	-	-	-
Tchoukball European Championships 2010	Hereford	Switzerland	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	-
Tchoukball European Championships 2014	Radevormwald	Austria	Switzerland	-	-	-	-	-
Tchoukball European Championships 2016	Jičín	Austria	Switzerland	Italy	-	Italy	Austria	Czech Republic
European Tchoukball Championships 2018	Castellanza	Italy	Italy	Italy	Italy	Italy	Great Britain	France

Other championships

year	competition	Host country	Winner of the men	Winners of women	Winner M U-18	Winner F U-18
2003	Asian Tchoukball Championships	India	Taiwan	Taiwan	-	-
2006	Asian Tchoukball Championships	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan	-	-
2006	South American Tchoukball Championships	Argentina	Brazil	Brazil	-	-
2008	Asian Tchoukball Championships	Hong Kong	Taiwan	Taiwan	-	-
2008	South American Tchoukball Championships	Argentina	Brazil	Brazil	-	-
2010	Asia-Pacific Tchoukball Championships	Singapore	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan	Taiwan
2010	African Tchoukball Championships	Ghana	Togo	Senegal	-	Senegal
2010	South American Tchoukball Championships	Brazil	Brazil	Brazil	-	-

Web links

Commons : Tchoukball  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• International Tchoukball Federation - FITB (English). Retrieved May 27, 2015 . 
• Swiss Tchoukball Association (French). Retrieved May 27, 2015 . 
• Tchoukball in Austria. Retrieved May 27, 2015 . 
• German Tchoukball Association. Retrieved May 27, 2015 . 
• An introduction to the game and the rules. Retrieved May 27, 2015 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ List on tchoukball.de
2. ↑ https://geneva-indoors.com/registrations-2019-2/
3. ↑ European Tchoukball Championships: Men 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ European Tchoukball Championships: Women 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M18 Boys 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M15 Boys 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M15 Girls 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
8. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M12 Boys 2016. (No longer available online.) In: tchoukball.org. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016 ; accessed on August 13, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
9. ↑ European Tchoukball Championships: Men 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 . 
10. ↑ European Tchoukball Championships: Women 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 . 
11. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M18 Boys 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 . 
12. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M18 Girls 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 . 
13. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M15 Boys 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 . 
14. ↑ European Youth Tchoukball Championships: M15 Girls 2018. In: tchoukball.org. Retrieved September 6, 2018 .