February 17, 2005

Korfball, the world's most popular Dutch-made sport. Probably closest in description to netball or handball, korfball was created so boys and girls could play together "on equal terms". It's catching on around the world (need more words!) and has been a demonstration sport at the Olympics (Okay, in the 1920s, but still). And if you don't want to join a club right now, you can "bet" on tournament winners!

1000 character limit? Man, this site sucks.

posted by tracicle 19 years ago
  • holy suffering jaysus, monkeybashi! BEST. POST. EVER. thankyou ever so much!
  • Heh, hardly. My cousin-in-law plays and her boyfriend played for NZ, I think, when an international tournament was hosted in Christchurch last year. We didn't win anything but there's a definite surge in popularity here right now. I played it in 1990, once.
  • korfball should be monkeyfilter's official ballgame!
  • I still wanna think it's fake.
  • Seems like fun. I'd play. (Then again, maybe I'm too aggressive? I used to play indoor soccer (football) in college. I loved that nothing was out of bounds, including spectators, and passing to teammates by rebounding off the walls.)
  • Someone at my work plays Korfball. I myself prefer Touch.
  • Beach korfball looks like a blast!
  • Korfball is not for the cool kids. In dutch, if you say someone is a member of a korfball club, you don't need tot give any further desciption. We all know. Korfballplayer, ah.. say no more. Now kaatsen is a different matter.
  • jernie, we're leaving it to you to make korfball cool. Off you go, and don't come back until it is.
  • "Korfball" is Dutch for "basketball". Hmmm...
  • "No physical contact"? WTF?? This ain't a sport; it's a dance.
  • Not only do I play korfball, I actually run a (small) league with teams from Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter. The "no physical contact" rule never seems to have been fully applied, and it's now been modified to "controlled contact". To be honest, you can tell that it was invented by a dutch schoolteacher, it's the most politically correct sport imaginable - not just mixed sex, but with an emphasis on teamwork over individual play, and with rules designed to limit the height advantage that is so crucial in Basketball and Netball. It's interesting that it seems to have a very different image in the Netherlands compared to the UK. It's certainly not considered cool in the UK, but there's nothing uncool about it either. Also, I've heard that its considered a bit of a gay sport in the Netherlands, while many players in Britain seem to be motivated by a "Mixed sex? Wahey!" mentality. It's a great sport to play, I think - certainly much better than netball - though I'm not convinced it offers much as a spectator sport.
  • Damn, I suck at HTML. Those links in full www.cardiffcitykorfball.co.uk www.exeterkorfball.co.uk www.swka.org I warn you, the last site is written by someone whose grasp of HTML is shakier than mine, and it's impressively hideous.
  • Touch Rugby? Are you still allowed to bite? And this Korfball? You're not allowed to shoot while defended? And there's no backboard? Hmm. I think I can stick to basketball, even though I'm no good at it, thanks.
  • js, the theory behind the defended rule is to stop 6'5 players throwing the ball over 5'9 players who are powerless to stop it. In korfball you actually have to try and create some space for yourself first. So, as someone over average stature, I much prefer it to basketball. Anyway, what do you need a backboard for if you can shoot accurately. ;p
  • "No physical contact"? WTF?? This ain't a sport; it's a dance. And in college bb you can flop backwards if the guy with the ball so much as brushes up against you. At least in korfball it's in the rules, so the players don't have to work on their flopping skills.
  • Hurling - top sport for well over two millennia and going strong into the new. Takes a slightly different view on contact than korfball. This from our sideline reporter at the match before the Battle of Magh Tuiredh (supposedly 1200+ years BC):
    When both sides were preparing for battle they decided to have a hurling contest instead, between twenty-seven of the best players from each side. Both sides fought a bloody match and in the end when they were bruised and broken the match finished with the the Fir Bolg victorious who then slew the Tuatha De Danann.
  • Sepak Takraw: now that's a ball game.
  • Off you go, and don't come back until it is. But c'mon, coach! No one could... I really tried... C'mon... /sulk
  • As a representative of the home of Sepak Takraw, I thank you, patita, for the shoutout.
  • Sepak Takraw is amazing to watch. I was disappointed I couldn't go watch it when I played at the Arafura Games.
  • dj - Were you playing Touch Rugby?