Handball basics: seven players, sixty minutes, two-minute suspensions

Handball is one of Hungary's most successful team sports, and its rules can be learned quickly.

The basics

Two teams of seven play for sixty minutes in two halves. A player may take three steps with the ball before bouncing it. The semicircle in front of the goal - the six-metre line - belongs to the goalkeeper: players may not step inside, only jump over it, provided they release the ball before landing.

Punishments

Infringements are punished with two-minute suspensions, leaving the team a player short. After three suspensions a player can be disqualified. The seven-metre throw is the biggest scoring chance in the sport.

Defensive formations

Teams usually defend in zones: 6-0 is a solid wall, while 5-1 or 3-2-1 use advanced defenders to disrupt the build-up. The chosen formation says a lot about what a coach considers dangerous in the opposition.

The seventh outfield player

The biggest tactical change of recent years is that teams may attack with seven outfield players by withdrawing the goalkeeper. This creates an extra-man advantage but carries huge risk with an empty net - which is where those spectacular long-range goals usually come from.