Playing Hardball

In this sport, you take matters into your own hands

HANDBALL IS the finest sport I ever played.

It's just a ball, a wall, a pair of form-fitting gloves and an opponent. The rules are simple, yet the workout is full and complex. The sense of achievement is grand after you've grasped some sense of skill. It demands plenty of cardiovascular effort, hand-eye coordination (including mastering your "off" side), twisting, turning, bending and striking. Unlike those who play tennis or racquetball or even baseball, a handball player is symmetrical.

Handball also seems in need of young blood. The United States Handball Association estimates that about 50,000 people nationwide play about once a week. About half of those are serious, competitive players. And 8,000 are members of the organization. The organization's main focus these days is sparking renewed interest in what it calls "The Perfect Game."

The Washington Athletic Club, at 1325 Sixth Ave., is hosting its annual pro-am tournament beginning Friday. Players will range from novices to the country's best. The amateur matches are open for free public viewing. Watching the pros will cost.

Handball has the same rules as racquetball, but you strike the hard rubber ball with an open hand. Many people don't have the patience to develop the skill needed to become accomplished with their off hand and are too scared about bruising their palms.

"There is nothing like practice," says Vern Roberts, association executive director, "and the younger you start developing those skills the better."

While most players are in their 40s, Shoreline's Sean Lenning is a bit of a freak. Not only is he a young player, at 20, but he is one of the country's elite pros. How did he get so accomplished so young? He began when he was 9.

"Both parents played," he says, "so I didn't have much choice. I used to play a lot of people a lot better than me. Taking beatings can help get you motivated."

Success didn't come overnight. Played well, handball is a skill sport. You just don't blast away. You must master touch, saving digs, passing shots and spin. One day, after years of play, his elbow and wrists seemed to magically begin working just the right angles at just the right times. Lenning certainly plays a different brand of handball than I ever did, but I can attest to a moment or two of euphoria when my body and the ball were in perfect sync.

Lenning and other longtime players do not buy the argument that handball is too daunting. "There are so many different levels," he says. "All you need is a friend and a wall. It's simple. It's cheap. And it is a beautiful, old game."

Roberts says three different balls can be used. The classic ball is about half the size of a racquetball, hard and dense. But Roberts says there are softer and bigger balls, as well as padded gloves and liners to protect or prevent bruising.

Bruising is rare when you have found proper form and toughened your hands. My left palm was so bruised when I entered a tournament many years ago that I decided to only strike the ball with my fist from that side. I accidentally developed the best shot in my arsenal.

Lenning, who plans to enter this weekend's WAC tourney, likes to play outdoor handball in the summer and a three-wall court in Kent. He also plays against two buddies at once and spots them for practice.

Handball also requires a lot of lateral movement, so he suggests, "if you want to be The Man" that you run short side-to-side dashes. He, however, admits to getting in shape by playing as much handball as he can.

Dr. John Aronen, who has worked with players, says he sees a pattern to the common handball injuries, and they are, for the most part, avoidable. Many are caused by a lack of conditioning. When fatigue sets in, proper form fades. Players don't set up soon enough for the shot and wind up stressing their shoulders, elbows and back. (Listen up, tennis players.) The solution: Don't rely on your sport to get you in shape — unless you're as gifted as Lenning. And trust me, you're not.

Joe Cox, a local player and coach, says the ranks of handball players dwindled when colleges did away with PE requirements. While the handball association is trying to bolster the sport by reaching kids, Cox and others believe colleges and universities are still the best place to spread the handball bug. He teaches students the sport at the UW, and several of them are making their maiden foray into competitive handball at this weekend's tournament.

"The problem is convincing students to give it a try," says Cox. "After that, the game, properly introduced, will sell itself."

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. He can be reached at rseven@seattletimes.com. Dean Rutz is a Seattle Times staff photographer.