Germany is still top in this ball sport - Really? FISTBALL

Poor Germany

The country loses a lot, not only in tems of product quality, politics but also sports. No idea why people still come over and think this country is paradise - it is NOT! NOT at all!

In Switzerland, the Men's Fistball World Championships have been running since last Sunday. 16 teams are playing for the fistball throne in Winterthur, and the grand final will take place this Saturday. The German team is the top favourite, defending champion and record world champion. Nevertheless, the sport is hardly known in this country.

How can that be? - What is fistball anyway? Nothing to do with Se........x!

At first glance, the sport looks a bit like volleyball. Two teams hit the ball over a leash and try to force their opponents to make mistakes. But there are many differences. The game is played on grass on a 20 x 50 meter field, which is a bit bigger than a handball field and much bigger than a volleyball field. Therefore, the ball may touch the ground once between each touch. Furthermore, a fistball of the same size is heavier than a volleyball and can reach a speed of up to 130 km/h.

Each team has five players on the field. Two attackers in the front half, two defenders behind. In the middle is another player, who appears both in the ball reception and as a delivery man. Similar to volleyball, the ball must be played over the leash after three touches at the latest. At the World Cup, the ball is played until a team has won three sets. A set is won with eleven points and a lead of two points.

Who are the favourites and stars of this World Cup?

The top favourite is Germany. The series world champion remained undefeated so far and increased from game to game. In addition, he has probably the best players in his ranks. There is Patrick Thomas, who is regarded as the best attacker in the world. In the quarter-finals against Brazil he proved this impressively with a completely flawless performance.

Captain and midfielder Fabien Sagstätter is also regarded as the world's best player in his position. Fun Fact: Starting next season, he will also play in the Volleyball Bundesliga. The Bavarian promoted player VC Eltmann signed him as Libero.

One of the favourites is Brazil, the second most successful fistball nation in history. The Seleção have already become world champions twice. Thanks to the somewhat unusual tournament mode, a "double elementation", she also qualified for the semi-finals despite losing to Germany in the quarter-finals. In her squad - the youngest of the tournament - the attacker Jayme Andrioli and the talented Gabriel Heck deserve special mention. Andrioli were seven aces in a row in their defeat to Germany. Also the semi-finalist Austria with captain Jean Andrioli and host Switzerland around attacker Raphael Schlattinger count themselves chances on a medal. The teams from Chile and Italy also showed strong performances.

Why is Germany so dominant?

The history of the fistball goes back to the Roman Empire and Goethe got to know it as the "sport of the noblemen" on his trip to Italy in the 18th century. It was not until the German gymnastics clubs at the end of the 19th century that he developed into a competitive game. The consequences can still be seen today. Not only has Germany won eleven of the 14 World Cup tournaments to date. Also otherwise above all the German-speaking nations Switzerland and Austria are successful. Brazil, where the sport was made famous by German emigrants, is an additional country. The fact that Namibia, as a former German colony, represents the African continent at this World Cup, is no coincidence.

At the beginning of the millennium it seemed as if this hegemonic position could be broken. At that time, the association was plagued by youth concerns, and Germany could not win three World Cup tournaments in a row. But after they had founded their own association and reorganised the youth work independently of the German Gymnastics Federation, the trend was reversed. The German national team has been back at the top of the world since 2011. And again, 30,000 people in Germany participate in this traditional sport. By the way, the dominance is not only evident among the men: the women's team as well as the men's U18 and women's U18 teams are also record world champions.