American handball

American (or court) handball is an American form of fives played against one or more walls. It has origins in pre-Hispanic central America (about 1500 BC) and Scotland/Ireland circa 1500 AD. For centuries, the game was limited primarily to Ireland as Gaelic handball. Irish immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1880s. It is similar to (and in fact preceded) racquetball and squash. Jai alai is also thought to have evolved from handball.

Variations

• Chinese handball is a street game form of American handball played against one wall using a spaldeen.
• Wall ball is a generic name for a variety of similar street games played by adolescents, often with tennis balls.