Jai alai (/ha.
la/; Basque: [xai alai]) is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space by
accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held device (cesta). It is a variation of Basque pelota. The
term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton (the open-walled
playing area) where the sport is played. The game is called "zesta-punta" (basket tip) in Basque.
The Basque Government promotes jai alai as "the fastest sport in the world" because of the speed of
the ball. The sport once held the world record for ball speed with a 125140 g ball covered
with goatskin that traveled at 302 km/h (188 mph), performed by Jos Ramn Areitio at
the Newport Rhode Island Jai Alai, until it was broken by Canadian 5-time long drive champion
Jason Zuback on a 2007 episode of Sport Science with a golf ball speed of 328 km/h (204 mph).
Rules and customs
Long xistera.
The court for jai alai consists of walls on the front, back and left, and the floor between them. If the
ball (called a "pilota", "ball" in Euskara) touches the floor outside these walls, it is considered out of
bounds. Similarly, there is also a border on the lower 3 feet (0.9 m) of the front wall that is also out of
bounds. The ceiling on the court is usually very high, so the ball has a more predictable path. The
court is divided by 14 parallel lines going horizontally across the court, with line 1 closest to the front
wall and line 14 the back wall. In doubles, each team consists of a frontcourt player and a backcourt
player. The game begins when the frontcourt player of the first team serves the ball to the second
team. The winner of each point stays on the court to meet the next team in rotation. Losers go to the
end of the line to await another turn on the court. The first team to score 7 points (or 9 in Superfecta
games) wins. The next highest scores are awarded "place" (second) and "show" (third) positions,
respectively. Playoffs decide tied scores.
A jai alai game is played in round robin format, usually between eight teams of two players each or
eight single players. The first team to score 7 or 9 points wins the game. Two of the eight teams are
in the court for each point. The server on one team must bounce the ball behind the serving line,
then with the cesta "basket" hurl it towards the front wall so it bounces from there to between lines 4
and 7 on the floor. The ball is then in play. The ball used in jai alai consists of metal strands tightly
wound together and then wrapped in goat skin. Teams alternate catching the ball in their cesta and
throwing it "in one fluid motion" without holding or juggling it. The ball must be caught either on the
fly or after bouncing once on the floor. A team scores a point if an opposing player:
fails to serve the ball directly to the front wall so that upon rebound it will bounce between lines
No. 4 and 7. If it does not, it is an under or over serve and the other team will receive the point.
fails to catch the ball on the fly or after one bounce
holds or juggles the ball
hurls the ball out of bounds
interferes with a player attempting to catch and hurl the ball
The team scoring a point remains in the court and the opposing team rotates off the court to the end
of the list of opponents. Points usually double after the first round of play, once each team has
played at least one point.
The players frequently attempt a "chula" shot, where the ball is played off the front wall very high,
then reaches the bottom of the back wall by the end of its arc. The bounce off the bottom of the back
wall can be very low, and the ball is very difficult to return in this situation.
Since there is no wall on the right side, all jai alai players must play right-handed (wear the cesta on
their right hand), as the spin of a left-handed hurl would send the ball toward the open right side..[1]
The sport can be dangerous, as the ball travels at high velocities. It has led to injuries that caused
players to retire and fatalities have been recorded in some cases.[2]
When kids are taught to throw, often the instruction is watered down into just a couple of steps. The act of
throwing a baseball is not that simple. Throwing requires the entire body to work together in order to
throw the ball accurately and to put something on it. All positions on the field require the ability to throw
the ball accurately. Good throwing mechanics will enable you to make plays. When you warm up with the
team before practice or play catch in the back yard, make sure you work on your mechanics and strive to
improve your accuracy.
The best way to grip the ball is across the seams as pictured to the right. The fingers are placed over the
top of the seams to provide a good grip on the ball. In the first picture you'll notice that you can see 2
seams running horizontally. The back of the ball not visible will also have 2 seams running horizontally.
By gripping the ball in this fashion, those 4 seams will help to keep the ball in the air longer and keep the
ball traveling straighter (assuming the player can throw it with 12-6 rotation - see graphic belo).
It takes years of practice to be able to grip the ball across the 4 seams in this fashion when playing a
position other than pitcher on the field. Players can work on this by throwing the ball into their glove and
as they pull the ball out shift the ball to the correct grip. This takes practice and I wouldn't worry about it
for younger players.Try to keep the ball out on the fingertips not back in your hand. The second picture on
the right shows the ball out on the fingertips. Gripping the ball in the palm of your hand and not out on
your fingers will cost you velocity and accuracy. Younger players may need to grip the ball with three
fingers instead of two, but unless their hands are very small they should still try to grip the ball out on the
fingers.
