Before you gawk at the title of this post and go "WHAT-BALL?!", let me explain...
You see, being the avid sports buff (give me tennis, soccer, badminton, or captain's ball any day and i'll be game...notice i left out basketball cos i cant aim for the net if it were 3 feet away from me). The other day I was about to organise the usual weekend soccer session with my friends when one of them replied me, 'i can't make it, i'm playing Tchouk'.
I remember being very confused, thinking he was making fun of me or something. So i asked him if Tchouk was the name of his distant cousin in Bhutan or something, when he mentioned (surprisingly so) that it wasn't, and that it was a sport he recently picked up. Being as confused as the last time i sat for a mathematics exam, i decided to go do a little research of 'Tchouk', only to find out it's the short form of 'Tchoukball'. And yes, it's a new sport that is gaining quick ground in Singapore.
Tchoukball is a team sport involving two trampolines off which the ball bounces out from the frame in all directions. Each team can score on both ends on the field, and comprises twelve players, of which nine may be on the court at any one time. In order to score a point, the ball must be thrown by an attacking player, hit the frame and bounce outside the 'D' without being caught by the defending team. Physical contact is prohibited, and defenders may not attempt to intercept the attacking team's passes. Players may take three steps with the ball, hold the ball for a maximum of three seconds, and teams may not pass the ball more than three times before shooting at the frame.
This is what the goal frame looks like:
Sounds like a whole lot of confusing words? Check this site out: http://www.tchoukball.org.sg/index.html
The sport was apparently desingned by this Swiss biologist who didn't like sports that were too agressive or rough, as it resulted in horrific injuries. He said he wanted to build a sport that focused on fun first, before winning. And ironically, that's the reason alot of my friends give when i ask them why they're cooked indoors. They say 'i dont wanna get injured, or die'. So with that in mind, plus all the negative publicity contact sports are getting here in Singapore of late, Tchouball sounds like a welcome inclusion into our sports fraternity.
Surprisingly, a quick check showed that Singapore is one of the top 10 countries to be heavily involved in the development of this very new game. We are amongst countries like Japan, England, America, and Italy, who have also been pushing this sport over the past few years.
This is a quick video how the game is being played, proudly demonstrated by our friends from Tampines East Community Centre (:
This Swiss fella believed that sports should not only form champions, but also contribute to the creation of a better and more humane society. Hence the invention of tchoukball, which combines elements of handball (it is played with hands, and the balls used are similar), volleyball (as the defending team must prevent the ball from falling) and squash (since there is a bounce). This sport can be played by anyone at his or her respective level, irrespective of the players sex, age or physical abilities.
So people who want to socialize, make new friends, whilst having fun, and not have the pressure of victory on their shoulders, this sport seems to have all the ingredients to appeal to the masses. The thing about Tchoukball that i found refreshing was that despite it gaining ground in Singapore, the Tchoukball family here is still relatively small, and thus, everyone kinda knows each other.. A quick check on their website states that if you're new, and want to try the game out, they have got such a thing as 'pick up games' that take place every week, where all you've gotta do is come down to a CC near you (they have the list on the site), dress in a dark top and white bottom, and the people will teach you how to play the game! They all seem genuinely friendly, and eager enough to help.
I wonder if schools here in Singapore are going to introduce this sport as a CCA soon, and if they do, i'm sure there'd be a demand from the kids.
I'm going down next saturday to Bukit Batok CC, to try out this pick up game with my friend and personally, i really can't wait! So do look up for pictures next week!