- Urbanball
Urbanball is a recreational activity and competitive sport that consists of accomplishing figures with a ball, using any part of the body and elements in the surroundings.
It has originated in
France , where it retains its strongest influence.History
The idea behind Urbanball, created by Dean Ildefonse in
October 29 ,1999 , was to make a free discipline for the youth. A roundball was chosen since hundreds of millions of people already played with balls of that design.Urbanball is a trademark internationally registredThe discipline
Since all parts of the body can be used, techniques from such different disciplines as
Football (soccer) ,basketball andacrobatics are combined to create different figures, whose number (and complexity) are only limited by the imagination and ability of the performer.Freedom is one of Urbanball's most regarded qualities; however, it also adopts the form of competitive sport, where creativity and technique are judged to determine a winner. Tournaments and exhibitions are regularly held in France.
The lifestyle
Urbanball is strongly identified with urban lifestyle: its natural environment is the streets, and is most often practiced on everyday clothes rather than specific athletic gear.
Music has also an important role in Urbanball culture.The ball
The official ball is similar to a soccer ball. Its
diameter is either 64 to 66 cm (for girls), or 69 to 71 cm (for boys). It is 5 to 10 grams heavier than an ordinary football, and has a distinctive design. It is around 475 grams to advantage the game with feet and hand.External links
* [http://www.urbanball.fr Urbanball homepage (in french)]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
