Roll ball: it’s Several games rolled into one

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Is a conventional sport boring you?

Then try ‘roll ball’, a fusion of handball, basketball and roller skating, which is becoming popular in certain schools in the city.

This week, a three-day workshop on the game was held at Fort Kochi YMCA and nearly 40 students from about 10 schools in and around Kochi participated in it.

“It’s an exciting game, which is getting popular in the state and since its inception six years ago, nearly seven districts have started grooming children in the sport,” says Abdul Kalam, co-ordinator of the Ernakulam district Roll Ball Association.

Explaining the rules of the sport, Kalam says that the aim is to score goals and it is played on quad skates on a court whose dimensions are similar to that of a basketball court.

“Each team has 12 members, with six playing members and the remaining on the substitute bench. A team has one goalie, two defenders and three forwards. The players are allowed to dribble and pass and just as in handball, when near the goal post, they shoot,” says Kalam.

The game sounds quite simple but Kalam feels otherwise. “It requires practice on the skates because you have to be in control of the ball and you are also not allowed to hold on to it for more than three seconds,” he adds.

Earlier this year, the sixth State roll ball championship was held at Kannur and Kollam grabbed the silverware in the seniors category, while Thiruvananthapuram reigned supreme in juniors.
Also, the first world cup was held in Pune last year, where the Indian team which came second, behind Sweden, and had a participant from Kozhikode.
The children say that they are excited to play the game and that it is better than skating or playing basketball alone. Perhaps that’s what you call a cocktail sport!