Matkot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matkot, or beach paddleball, (מטקה in Hebrew, pl. מטקות (matkot), lit. "racquets") is a popular traditionally non-competitive game in Israel, sometimes called Israel's unofficial national sport.
The sport is named after the racquet, the matka. The word may come from the Arabic madka, meaning a knock or a blow.
The racquets are traditionally made entirely of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. In Israel, the heads are essentially circular and about 30cm in diameter. In Brazil, the racquet head is sometimes more of teardrop shape (and typically blue). The racquet handles are short, and with very little trunk between the handle and the racquet head.
The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in squash. However, more novice or even intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but is lighter and/or bouncier.
The game has developed a moderate level of popularity outside of Israel as a participatory sport, particularly where there is either a strong beach culture (e.g Brazil, where it is also highly popular, but more commonly known as "frescoball"), or a number of Israelis living abroad (e.g. Thailand).
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[edit] Forms
While matkot is typically played in a cooperative non-competitive format, there now exists two forms of competitive Matkot, administered by the International Matkot Association (האיגוד בינלאומי למטקות) based in Tel Aviv.
[edit] Cooperative
The first form, "Cooperative" remains true to Matkot's roots and involves a pair of players playing together for a specified time period. They are judged on the quality of their rallies. Judges consider aspects such as consistency and length of their rallies, the power and variety of their shots, and the general flare and aesthetic quality of their play. The ability to maintain a rally even through instances where the players could be forgiven for losing control is given special emphasis by the judges. E.g. A player may dive to recover a wayward shot from a partner, or a player may hit a very high 'lob' shot to allow an out of position partner time to recover. The emphasis for the players ought not to be so much on winning as it ought to be on playing well, and players typically encourage all the other players to play well.
[edit] Competitive
In the second form, a pair of players compete directly against another pair of players on a beach-court (similar to beach volleyball) with game play and scoring somewhat resembling badminton. This form is less traditional and often disparaged by purists, particularly amongst the older generation of players, as being outside the spirit of matkot. However, many of the proponents of this competitive form of the game have argued that as long as the emphasis amongst players remains on playing well and challenging themselves to take their matkot to a new level rather than emphasising the simple defeat of their opponents, then it remains in the spirit of matkot.
[edit] Well Known Players
While no Matkot players are yet known to have received any following outside of the Matkot world due the sport's small following, inside the Matkot world there are several well known players throughout the globe. Some of these include:
- Serge Hayon - Riviera club, France.
- Anthony Frosh (aka Ant Frosh)- City Beach club, Western Australia
- Julian Hoffman - Capetown club, South Africa
- Renato Zilbersztajn - Rio club, Brazil.
- Blake Delcanho - Iberian club, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Shlomo Yakson - Ahad Ha'am club, Netanya, Israel
Amongst female players
[edit] Matkot and the Zionist Psyche
Even amongst those that play the game competitively, there is recognition that the roots and focus of Matkot ought to be in the cooperative and non-competitive form. To some outsiders, it seems peculiar that a sport can be played where there are no winners and losers, and the object is not to defeat your ‘opponent’ but rather play with them. In cooperative matkot, it is said that one cannot enjoy the game unless both oneself and one’s partner play well. The fact that matkot, the sport of cooperation rather than competition, is frequently nominated as Israel’s unofficial national sport may relate back to the cooperative spirit of the Zionist pioneers. The pioneers of the Zionist enterprise (dating back to the early 1880s) were true believers in cooperation, rather than competition, as evidenced in the Kibbutz movement. It is likely that in that spirit, a game where enjoyment was derived from cooperation and all parties performing well would have been favoured over a game based around competition and the defeat of an opponent.
