KRAKOW. It is said to be the fastest growing sport in the world. It was invented by the Hungarians, but it is now played on all continents.
This year, he is featured in the program of the European Games for the first time, and we may also see him at the Olympics in Los Angeles.
It’s about teqball. A modern and dynamic sport played with a soccer ball on a special table.
Slovakia is one of the eleven countries that won all five disciplines (women’s and men’s singles and doubles, as well as mixed) at the European Games in Krakow.
It was in the mix that Karina Zušťáková and Branislav Rodman achieved a great result. From the “group of death” they made it to the quarter-finals, but there they were not enough for the Hungarians.
Majestic backdrops
Rynek Glówny is one of the iconic places in Krakow, and it is among these majestic backdrops that the teqball competitions are held at the European Games.
Not everything went perfectly for the organizers of the continental games, but placing the fights in lesser-known sports in the heart of the city was an excellent idea.
In the first half of the Games, padel matches were held on the Market Square – it is a racket sport that combines certain features of tennis and squash.
At the end of the multi-sport event, teqball players occupied the city center. Entry was free, which also attracted tourists and random passers-by.
Quarter-final match between Slovakia and Hungary on the main court. (Author: European Games Krakow-Małopolska 2023)
The matches were held on four courts, while the main court has stands on four sides, but the others have significantly fewer seats, which were not enough for the matches of the Polish pair.
However, the typical teqball tables stand on elevated podiums, so the matches could be watched even from the corridors.
Since the ball often flies far away after uncompromising smashes in this sport, the policemen, who were supervising the smooth running of the event from a parked van near the sports ground, were involved in the incident, the ball hit their car at least five times.
Hungarian invention
Teqball is one of the youngest sports, according to the rumor it originated in a housing estate in Budapest’s Újpest district.
The creative idea came from former soccer player Gábor Borsányi, who used to often play soccer on a ping-pong table and thought it would work better if the table was bent.
Together with businessman György Gattyán and IT expert Viktor Dénes Huszár, they gradually perfected the shape of the teqball table and also had the necessary finances to start the teqball movement.
The first official performance of teqball took place seven years ago in Budapest with the participation of the Brazilian star Ronaldinho.
The choice of one of the most technical football players in history was no coincidence, because this sport places demands especially on the technical skill of the players.
“Of all football branches, such as futsal, futsal, netball, teqball is the most technical sport,” said Jakub Mihálik, general secretary of the Slovak Teqball Federation.
The federation was established in 2020, it is not yet recognized as an official sports union. This year, however, officials would like to complete this process. For now, the federation functions as a civil association and is not entitled to funds from the state budget.
“We currently have 120 players and seven clubs where teqball is played on a regular basis and training sessions are organized under the supervision of certified coaches.
We cooperate with schools, universities, and sports clubs,” explained Artur Beneš, president of the Slovak Teqball Federation.
Vittek also suffered
The rules of teqball are not complicated – although it didn’t help to understand them that the light board was broken all too often in Krakow. At that time, only the referee reported the state of the matches, but he could not always be heard in the loud noise.
A player has a maximum of three touches to return the ball to the opponent’s side of the table. In one attack, he cannot play the same body part twice in a row. Also, two consecutive attacks cannot be the same body part. So the players have to keep their attention as well.
Similar to soccer, players cannot use their hands, but can play the ball with their foot, knee, chest, head, shoulder or back.
“In football, a person encounters the ball twenty to thirty times during the entire match, and here in three minutes he has to alternate attacks, once with the head, once with the leg, once with the thigh,” added Mihálik.
The best prerequisites for teqball are netball and soccer players, but there are more and more children in the world who start teqball as their first sport.
A common perception is that teqball is not difficult for a soccer player, but that is not the case. Last year, as part of the Olympic Day, Róbert Vittek, a former national team gunner, tried teqball in Šamorín and struggled a lot before he got the necessary feeling for this game.
Slovak teqball expedition to the EC: Marián Badár, Karina Zušťáková, Adriana Kecerová and Branislav Rodman. (Author: Titanilla Bőd)
She saw it on Instagram
“A lot of people think it’s easy, if you’re a soccer player, you can also play teqball, but it’s not like that. You need a feeling with the ball and to be mobile,” said Karina Zušťáková, a Slovak representative who, in addition to teqball, also plays women’s soccer.
He plays in the first league for Petržalka.
Other members of the Slovak team also have experience with football. Adriana Kecerová played football for Tatran Prešov. “I finished because I went to university in Bratislava, so first I wanted to find out how life is in Bratislava,” she revealed.
Marián Badár, on the other hand, played in the first youth league for Ružomberok.
Branislav Rodman switched to teqball from netball. He was a representative, he also experienced the world and European championships.
“I have more than fifteen years of netball history behind me. The president of the Slovak federation, Artur Beneš, invited me to teqball,” he said. He switched to teqball last August.
Out of the quartet of Slovaks, Marián Badár has been playing teqball for the longest time, he started with it a year and a half ago. He learned about this sport in college.
Adriana Kecerová was in a similar situation, who tried teqball as part of sports games at college.
Karina Zušťáková first saw teqball on Instagram and was intrigued by it. Both Slovak representatives started playing teqball in February.
“Because we have the basics from other sports, it was probably easier,” noted Kecerová.
Sun, party, teqball
Teqball is a young sport that has all the prerequisites to attract young people.
Tournaments are characterized by elements of a show, with music playing between exchanges. At the European Games in Krakow, the organizers even tried to use music from their country when introducing the competitors.
The Slovaks were played by Ego and his song “Žijeme len raz”, before the arrival of the Czechs, Divoka Bill sounded from the amplifiers, but maybe also Jóžin from Bážin…
2023-06-30 20:09:56
#Slovaks #impressed #young #sports #unfinished #tattoo #remind #success
