Attacks are played with all field players on the side of the
defenders. Depending on the speed of the attack, one distinguishes
between three attack
waves with a decreasing chance of success:
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| Women's handball - a jump shot completes a fast-break. |
- First wave
- First wave attacks are characterised by the absence of
defending players around their goal perimeter. The chance of success is
very high, as the throwing player is unhindered in his scoring attempt.
Such attacks typically occur after an intercepted pass or a steal, and
if the defending team can switch fast to offence. The far left or far
right will usually try to run the attack, as they are not as tightly
bound in the defence. On a turnover, they immediately sprint forward and
receive the ball halfway to the other goal. Thus, these positions are
commonly held by quick players.
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- Second wave
- If the first wave is not successful and some defending players have
gained their positions around the zone, the second wave comes into play:
the remaining players advance with quick passes to locally outnumber
the retreating defenders. If one player manages to step up to the
perimeter or catches the ball at this spot, he becomes unstoppable by
legal defensive means. From this position, the chance of success is
naturally very high. Second wave attacks became much more important with
the "fast throw-off" rule.
- Third wave
- The time during which the second wave may be successful is very
short, as then the defenders closed the gaps around the zone. In the third wave,
the attackers use standardized attack patterns usually involving
crossing and passing between the back court players who either try to
pass the ball through a gap to their pivot, take a jumping shot from the
backcourt at the goal, or lure the defense away from a wingman.
The third wave evolves into the normal offensive play when all
defenders not only reach the zone, but gain their accustomed positions.
Some teams then substitute specialized offence players. However, this
implies that these players must play in the defence should the opposing
team be able to switch quickly to offence. The latter is another benefit
for fast playing teams.
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| Men's handball - a jump shot (Kiril Lazarov, world record-holder for the number of goals scored in one world championship) . |
If the attacking team does not make sufficient progress (eventually releasing a shot on goal), the referees can call
passive play
(since about 1995, the referee gives a passive warning some time before
the actual call by holding one hand up in the air, signalling that the
attacking team should release a shot soon), turning control over to the
other team. A shot on goal or an infringement leading to a yellow card
or two-minute penalty will mark the start of a new attack, causing the
hand to be taken down; but a shot blocked by the defense or a normal
free throw will not. If it were not for this rule, it would be easy for
an attacking team to stall the game indefinitely, as it is difficult to
intercept a pass without at the same time conceding dangerous openings
towards the goal.
