Information AboutPelota |
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Recently, some initiatives have organised pelota championships trying to unify the different modalities played all around the world, in order to standardise them into two or three simpler modalities, with fixed ball weights, rules and court sizes. There are, of course, criticisms on this, since the original traits of each particular modality would be lost. The matches between Basque and Valencian teams have always been the most leveled ones, due to the quality and versatility of their players. BASQUE PELOTA The most characteristic trait of Basque pelota is that it is played against a Wall (''frontón'' in Spanish, ''frontoi'' in Basque). There are modalities played with the bare hand (''pelota a mano'' in Spanish or ''eskupilota'' in Basque) or with a wooden bat (''pala''), or a basket Propulsor (''cesta'', ''xistera''), the latter being very famous in Florida as the Jai Alai modality, and also played in Macao . To foreign spectators, it may appear as Squash in a larger court. Nevertheless it has only side wall in the left flank, while the right limit of the court is just marked on the floor. Basque pelota has been an exhibition Olympic Sport in Mexico '68 and Barcelona '92 and could be an exhibition sport in London 2012 . International competitions are dominated by Basques playing in either the Spanish or the French national teams. Professional games are open to betting on the results. VALENCIAN ''PILOTA'' . Costumer picture in year 1881 .]] The most characteristic trait of Valencian ''pilota'' is that it is always played with the bare hand (with some minimal protections) and it is not generally played against a wall. Instead, as the ancient Greeks played it and modern tennis is played, two individuals or teams are placed face to face separated by a line on the ground or a net. Another relevant and funny trait of Valencian pilota is that the spectators can be seated in several parts of the playing ground and they frequently suffer from impacts as the match develops. Valencian ''pilota'' can be played in the streets or in special courts, known as Trinquete (''trinquet'' in Catalan ), which can be quite different in size and form. There are many different modalities, the most frequently played are ''escala i corda'', ''raspall'', ''galotxa'' and ''llargues''. Spectators of Valencian pilota can also bet on one of the two sides, and the ''trinquets'' and the ''marxador'' get a commission of these bets. EXTERNAL LINKS
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