Matkot
{{Short description|Israeli padel ball game}}
File:Matkot players on the beach in Tel Aviv Israel.jpg, Israel]]
Matkot ({{langx|he|מטקות}} lit. "racquets") is a popular paddle sport in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to by Israelis as their national beach sport.{{cite web |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099549.html |title=Beach Paddle Battle |author=Fogelman, Shay |work=Haaretz |date=2009-07-12}}{{cite news|first=Yolande | last=Knell | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22907051 | title=Matkot madness: Israel's extreme bat and ball beach craze | work=BBC News Online, Magazine | date=16 June 2013 | accessdate=16 June 2013}}
History
Matkot has been played on the beaches of Israel since the 1920s.{{Cite news|last=Levinson|first=Charles|date=2013-03-28|title=In Israel, Sounds of Spring Include Thwack of Paddleballs|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324077704578361030085523620.html|access-date=2021-08-28|issn=0099-9660}} Early documentation of the game includes a 1932 Tel Aviv beach scene by Israeli artist Nahum Gutman showing two young men holding rounded paddles and hitting a ball back and forth on the beach.{{Cite web|last=Zumberg|first=Jerrin K.|date=2009-04-23|title=Meshugas for matkot|url=https://www.jpost.com/local-israel/tel-aviv-and-center/meshugas-for-matkot|access-date=2021-08-28|website=The Jerusalem Post|language=en-US}}
The goal of the game is to hit a small rubber ball with a wooden racket as many times as possible without dropping it.[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/travel/looking-to-play-some-matkot-tel-avivs-the-place.html Looking to Play Some Matkot? Tel Aviv’s the Place] Two or more players hit the ball back and forth using paddles.{{Cite web|date=2012-08-06|title=Tel Aviv Beach|url=https://www.touristisrael.com/tel-aviv-beach/387/|access-date=2021-08-28|website=Tourist Israel|language=en-US}} The sport is named after the racquet, the {{Transliteration|he|matka}}; the origin of this word is unclear.{{cite book|last=Rosenthal|first=Ruvik|title=Dictionary of Israeli Slang|year=2005|publisher=Keter|location=Jerusalem|isbn=965-07-1401-4}}
The racquets are traditionally made of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. Carbon fiber is also used. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. The heads are circular and about {{convert|30|cm|in}} in diameter. The racquet handles are short, and with very little trunk between the handle and the racquet head.
The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in squash. However, novice and intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but lighter and/or bouncier.
The game has developed a moderate level of popularity outside of Israel as a participatory sport, particularly where there is either a strong beach culture (e.g. Brazil, where it is also highly popular, but more commonly known as {{lang|pt-BR|frescoball}} or frescobol), or a significant number of Israelis living abroad (e.g. Thailand).[https://archive.today/20150424034531/http://sussle.org/t/Matkot Matkot] In the United States, the sport is known as {{lang|en-US|kadima}}.{{cite web |last1=Frucht |first1=Leora Eren |title=Matkot, Israel's Beachside Ball Game |url=https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2016/06/08/israels-beachside-ball-game/ |website=Hadassah Magazine |access-date=30 June 2021 |date=8 June 2016}}
The first Israeli matkot competition was held in 2000, capped by a national championship in Tel Aviv.[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324077704578361030085523620 In Israel, sounds of spring include thwack of paddleballs]
See also
{{Portal|Sports|Israel}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://matkot1.co.il/ find the best Matkot in israel]
{{Sports of the World Games program}}