Valencian pilota origins are not known with certainty, but it's commonly supposed to be a variant from the middle-aged Jeu de paume, as many other European handball sports (Basque "laxoa", French Longue paume, Frisian handball and Italian Pallone) similar to the actual Valencian llargues variant.
"Jeu de paume" is documented at Paris in 1292 since there were 13 ball workshops and many "tripots" (courtfields), it was first played with the hands, and the scoring system was very similar to the current Valencian one. There were so many resemblances with the "Valencian pilota" sport that, in the 16th century Joan Lluís Vives compared both games in his "Dialogues" and claimed them to be exactly the same despite some minor differences.
Trapezoid
A trapezoid (in North America) or trapezium (in Britain and elsewhere) is a quadrilateral, which is defined as a shape with four sides, which has one set of parallel sides. In North America, the term "trapezium" is used for what is elsewhere called an irregular quadrilateral.
To calculate the area of a trapezoid, you must add the two parallel sides together, divide that by 2, then times that by its height.
Frisian handball
Frisian handball ("Dutch: kaatsen, Frisian: Keatsen") is a traditional Frisian sport, related to American handball and fives, that is most commonly practiced by people from the northern province of Fryslân, or Friesland. It is believed to be one of the oldest ballgames. The score is similar to tennis. The first team that scores six games, wins the match. It is played by the ethnic group of the Frisians.
In parts of Belgium, a similar game is played, there called "Jeu de Pelote". This game is played by teams of 5 players on a trapezium shaped field, mostly on marketplaces.
Chris Wassenaar
Gaelic football
Gaelic Football (Irish: "Peil", "Peil Ghaelach" or "Caid" ), commonly referred to as "football", or "Gaelic", is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. It, along with Hurling, is the most popular spectator sport in Ireland.
Gaelic football is played by teams of 15 on a rectangular grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The object is to score by kicking/striking the ball with your hand and getting it through the goals. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins.
Players advance the ball up the field with a combination of carrying, "soloing" (dropping and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands), kicking, and hand-passing to their team-mates.
Gaelic football is one of four Gaelic Games run by the Gaelic Athletic Association, the largest sporting organization in Ireland. It has strict rules on player amateurism. The game is believed to have come from ancient Irish football known as caid which dates back to 1537, although the modern game took shape in 1887.
The grass pitch is rectangular, stretching 130–145 metres long and 80–90 metres wide. There are H-shaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section. The same pitch is used for hurling; the GAA, which organizes both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at distances of 13m, 20m and 45m from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by under-12s and under 10s.
All Gaelic football matches last for 60 minutes, divided into two halves of thirty minutes, with the exception of senior inter-county games which last for 70 minutes (two halves of 35 minutes). Draws are decided by replays or by playing 20 minutes of extra time (two halves of 10 minutes).
Teams consist of fifteen players (a goalkeeper, two corner backs, a full back, three half backs, two mid fielders, three half forwards, two corner forwards and a full forward) plus up to fifteen substitutes, of which five may be used. Each player is numbered 1–15, starting with the goalkeeper, who must wear a different coloured jersey.
The game is played with a round leather football, similar to a soccer ball, but heavier, and with horizontal stitching rather than the hexagon and pentagon panels often used on soccer balls, and similar to a standard volleyball.
Caid (sport)
Caid was the name given to several ancient and traditional Irish football games. "Caid" is now used by some people for modern Gaelic football.
The word "caid" originally meant the ball which was used. It was made out of animal skin, with a natural bladder inside.
Some people believe that "caid" has influenced the modern sport of Gaelic football the rules of which were officially published in 1887.
The first recorded mention of football in Ireland was in 1308, when John McCrocan, a spectator at a football game was charged with accidentally stabbing a player named William Bernard. Football games are mentioned in the "Statute of Galway", 1527, which allowed the playing of football and archery, but banned ""hokie" – the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves", as well as other sports.
"Caid" was especially popular in rural areas.
There is some evidence that "caid" was taken around the world by the Irish diaspora, and that it may have influenced the development of Australian rules football, although this is controversial.
By the late 19th century, "caid", like many aspects of native Irish culture, was in steep decline.
Longue paume
Longue paume is an outdoor version of jeu de paume and therefore an ancestor of modern lawn tennis. Hundreds of years ago it was quite popular, particularly in France. It was part of the Paris 1900 Summer Olympics, but not all think that the medals that were awarded for longue paume at that Olympics have full value. Today, the sport is played regionally in Picardie. The governing body of the sport is the "Fédération Française de Longue Paume" with its headquarter in Amiens.
Pallone
Pallone (Italian for an inflated ball, similar to the word "balloon") is the name of several traditional ball games, played in various regions of Italy, with minimal differences in regulations.
"Pallone col bracciale" was particularly popular throughout Italy in the 18th century then in 19th century and 20th century until 1930 was the most popular sport of ancient Italian national sports; its first official regulations date back to 1555. The "pallone col bracciale" players are called "pallonisti" and during 19th century Italian professional pallonisti were richest and best rewarded sportsmen of all the world. This sport and his champions were described by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Giacomo Leopardi, Edmondo de Amicis, Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Ottavio Rinuccini, Gabriello Chiabrera, Tommaso Grossi, Giuseppe Gioachino Belli. Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991) includes a brief film depiction of this game.
Balls are struck back and forth with a wooden cylinder, called "bracciale", worn over the forearm, if carelessly played, a broken arm can result: in fact bracciale weighs 2 or 1 kilogram. Originally the ball of 934 grams was inflated, but now hard rubber ball of 350 grams is used. Scoring is by fifteens, as in tennis and the team which wins 12 games is final winner of the match. A special feature is that the ball is put into play by a designated server, who otherwise is not part of the game. The receivers can reject serves at will. Pallone is played on courts marked out on town streets. Registered players of official championships dispute their matches in a kind of stadium named "sferisterio" or "sferodromo" in Italian language. Nowadays they play two forms of this sport: 3 players a side with lateral wall and 4 players a side in open playing field without lateral wall.
Celebrated former professional champions include:
"Pallapugno", one time named "pallone elastico", is a game from Piedmont and Liguria and it is played with a bandaged fist; rubber ball has diameter of 10,5