Basque pilot is one of the most deeply rooted sports in the Basque Country. It has been practiced in a traditional way for many centuries in this region of Spain. However, its origin is recorded for the first time in France.
The game is based on a physical activity that is played by hitting the ball with your hand against fronts. In this article we want to teach you how to choose a Basque ball. But we do not want to stay only at this point. We want to show you some historical data about this unique sport and some curiosities that may be of interest to you. We hope you enjoy reading it a lot. Let’s get started!
A bit of history about the Basque ball game
Basque pilot is part of the innumerable number of ball games that have been recorded in the history of mankind over the centuries. The first ball games were not far from the current ones. They were played individually or in teams. And the normal thing is that they are practiced on open land or on tracks enabled for it. These types of activities were used to compete, to meet personal challenges and sometimes as training for war.
The first games that were developed with balls have been recorded in the Middle East, Western Europe and South America. The Jehu de plume or the sieve is some of the oldest manifestations or games from which Basque pilot drinks.
It will be from the height of the Roman Empire when the game known as stack spread to French territory. The evolution of this game would give rise to the already named jet de plume, one of the predecessors of Basque pilot. It was a game played by all social strata. The vulgar used the palm to play him. However, among the nobility and the clergy, gloves and rackets began to be used to hit the ball. Despite this, he kept the term plume / Palma in his name.
It will be from the twelfth century when we can finally access endless documents written by the clergy. In these documents, the advance of the ball game through the Old World is perfectly recorded. For example, thanks to these writings we can know that the nobility and the clergy had their own ratchets. That is, their own tracks or playing fields where they can practice the ball game. It will be precisely in France where we find for the first time two modalities very similar to the current Basque ball. The lounge plume and the courted plume. It will be from the thirteenth century and during the fourteenth century when the pause become widespread in France. In fact, according to studies carried out by A. de Laze, one of the main scholars of the evolution of ball games, more than 300 types of ball games were recorded during this period. We will have to wait for the French Revolution to find data on the predecessor of the Basque ball, the long game.
In the 17th century, the long game was the main ball game played in France. To do this, a glove or lax was used to protect the hand with which the ball was received and thrown. In the last decade of the 19th century, the modalities of shovel, hand, ski lift and basket-point were established. It will be from this moment when these modalities begin to spread to the rest of the world.
We will have to wait for the 20th century for professionalism to sprout in this discipline. In the Basque ball. Although the amateur competitions for this sport began in 1925, the official competitions did not begin until 1952.
Is choosing a Basque ball difficult?
Choosing a Basque ball does not have to be difficult, but you have to know a series of important aspects. If you want to choose a Basque ball correctly, be sure to read the following article. Go for it!
What do you need to choose a Basque ball?
- Be interested in the Basque ball game
- Practice the Basque ball game
- Read the next article
- Know how to differentiate between one type and another of Basque balls
Instructions for choosing a Basque ball
- Choosing the right ball can mean victory. The choice of the ball is so important that it can give victory to one or the other team. Many choose the ball based on their own needs. Others make their selection with their peers in mind. Others in making the game more annoying to their opponents. In fact, the Pelotas’s usually meet two days before the match to choose the material, or balls that will be used during the match. As a general rule, each peltry or team of Pelotas’s can choose up to 3 balls. The peltry or the pair of Pelotas’s can change the ball when the goal is to be played. Always, of course, that said peltry is going to make the serve. Selecting the precise ball at each moment is a demonstration of technique. A good ballplayer is able to choose the right ball to match.
- In any case, the weight of the Basque ball must be between 101 and 103 grams. They are usually handmade balls with very specific materials. As a general rule, they usually contain nylon inside.
- Basque ball balls are made entirely by hand. Unlike what happens in other sports, Basque pilot balls are made entirely by hand. Only skilled craftsmen are capable of making this type of ball. All Basque ball balls start from a base made up of a rubber ball. This rubber ball is the core of the ball used in this sport. To this core, made up of the rubber ball, a layer of latex must be added. This latex coating, in turn, is covered with virgin wool. The next layer will be made of cotton yarn. To finish the ball, the cotton layer is covered with goat skin. To make the ball heavier or larger, what is done is to add more wool prior to the wool wrapper. The more wool, the heavier and larger the ball used in the Basque ball game.
- Traditionally Basque pilot balls were made of wood. Instead of a latex-coated rubber ball, a piece made of wood was used. This wood was covered with wool, cotton and goatskin. The result was a very hard ball (as with the current process). Reason for which the ball players wear tape protection on their hands.
- If you want to start playing Basque ball, it is normal to do so with softer balls. The blow of the Basque ball is really hard. For these reason beginners, those who are approaching this sport for the first time, use softer balls to do their first exercises.
- One of the peculiarities of the current Basque ball games that the ball players can try and select the balls they like before starting the game. According to the new regulations, the Pelotas’s will not be able to try the balls again during the entire match. This forces the Pelotas’s to be completely clear about what balls are in the basket and in what order he is going to use them. They will only be able to take the one they ask the judge for each time they are served. It is therefore important to be clear in what order they will be placed. It is part of the strategy that the pilot player will follow throughout the game. This makes it even more difficult to select the material before the matches start.
- Protections are the other essential tool in Basque ball. These protections are the ones that Pelotas’s use in the hand with which they serve, throw and receive. These protections are essential because it prevents the hands of the Pelotas’s from being injured. These protections are known in Basque ball as they are made of foam rubber or PVC and covered with tape. Protections are not bought anywhere. The Pelotas’s themselves are the ones who make them by hand prior to the matches. Each one can adjust them as best suits him to make the game. As a general rule, at the end of the matches, the Pelotas’s give away the tacos to the children who have attended to see the confrontation.
Tips for choosing a Basque ball
Curiosities about Basque ball
Did you know that the first serve in Basque ball is chosen by tossing a kind of painted coin into the air? This coin features one side painted blue. The other side is colored red. These colors usually coincide with the colors of the jackets worn by each of the Pelotas’s teams.
Choosing who serves is really important in Basque ball. A good serve can undermine the morale of the opposing team. For the serve to be considered good, the ball must hit the frontispiece. And that the first contact of the ground with the ball occurs from the service line 3. In the event that the first contact of the ground occurs from the service line 1 to 3, the serve will not be considered valid.