Sport in BrazilPeteca Shuttlecock
Peteca (Portuguese pronunciation: [peˈtɛkɐ]) is a traditional sport in Brazil, played with a "hand shuttlecock" from indigenous ♠ origins and reputed to be as old as the country itself.
The same name is given to the shuttlecock-object itself.
Objectives [ ♠ edit ]
The objective of the game is to hit the shuttlecock-like object (the peteca) with your hand over a high ♠ net, similar to a volleyball net, causing the object to land inbounded on the opposite court.
The peteca can only be ♠ hit once while on each side of the net.
Doubles and singles, male and/or female matches are played, both for competitive ♠ or leisure purposes.
History [ edit ]
The word peteca is derived from a Tupian word meaning hit.
Over time, the word found ♠ its way into the Portuguese language.
Originally, peteca was played at times of celebration with dances and songs.
Gradually, this play became ♠ more of a sporting activity.
The game has been passed down through several generations by the Brazilian ancestors and has developed ♠ considerably along the way.
Early petecas were very primitive home-made affairs consisting of stones wrapped in leaves tied inside an ear ♠ of corn.
A more sophisticated version was described in a Brazilian-English dictionary as "a leather pad with feathers stuck into it."
Pictures ♠ of the first petecas are few and far between, but on 30 May 1979, Brazil issued a set of four ♠ postage stamps depicting children's toys, to commemorate the International Year of the Child.
When Brazil was present at the 1920 Summer ♠ Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium the Brazilian athletes took with them some shuttlecocks for amusement on the ship and during the ♠ intervals between games.
The game of peteca fascinated athletes from many other countries who wanted learn the rules of the game.
The ♠ problem was that there were no rules - it was just for pleasure.
Peteca left the streets, the grass and the ♠ sand to become a field sport in Belo Horizonte in the 1940s.
It was in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of ♠ Minas Gerais state, that the toy shape was transformed to its current format, proper for competitive games.
The typical peteca has ♠ four white chicken feathers attached to a base and connected to a bottom made with several thin layers of rubber.
It ♠ was also in Belo Horizonte that the rules of the game were first written, as well as the first courts ♠ were built and the practice gained competitive sense with internal championships that were held in various social clubs of the ♠ city.
In 1973 the Peteca Federation of Minas Gerais (FEMP) was founded, confirming the pioneering spirit of a sport born and ♠ developed among the Brazilian people.
From Belo Horizonte, the practice has spread to other Brazilian states, and from there to other ♠ countries, like France, that adopted the game as it is played in Brazil.
Peteca is now one of Brazil's fastest growing ♠ sports closely behind football and volleyball.
[citation needed] Another version of the game, called Indiaca, and closely based on peteca has ♠ developed in Germany, first appearing in 1936.
Rules of the game [ edit ]
A peteca match is played to the best ♠ of the three games, singles or doubles.
The first player (or the first pair) who scores twelve points wins the set.
One ♠ game can last only a maximum of twenty minutes.
If neither of the two sides have reached the required score, then ♠ the win is given to the team with the most points.
The peteca must be struck with one hand only and ♠ must pass above the net to the oppositions side in order for them to return it.
The server remains the same ♠ one until the service changes side.
A point can only be won by the serving team.
The player with the service has ♠ thirty seconds to score the point.
If this is not achieved then the service is given to the opposing player/team.
Faults [ ♠ edit ]
There are a number of recognised faults which can occur.
Service fault: service passes to the opposing team if the ♠ peteca passes below the net, outside the limits of the court, if the peteca touches the net or if the ♠ peteca touches a player of the same team (double) before passing over to the opposing side.
The 'in play' faults: if ♠ a player puts his hands or feet on the opposing teams side (similar to what occurs in a volleyball game); ♠ if a player touches the peteca with two hands; if there are marked accompaniment and not striking; if any other ♠ part of his/her body touches it and if the peteca is not hit (head, feet).
The 30-second rule: the server or ♠ the team which is serving has 30 seconds to score the point.
If the point is not scored in this period, ♠ then the service goes to the opposition.
At the end of 20 seconds, the referee announces "10" as a warning of ♠ the time remaining.
With the sounding of the referee's whistle, the rally is finished.
This is a more strict rule, when there's ♠ a referee to open count.
Equipment and court [ edit ]
Shuttlecocks : There are two types of shuttlecocks used in two ♠ different kinds of games of peteca.
In a regular peteca tournament, the shuttlecock has a flat base and a standard weight ♠ of 42 grams.
The feathers are crimped and straight.
In a mini-peteca game, the shuttlecock has a rounded rubber base attached to ♠ five or more rubber discs.
The base is softer on the hand.
Although designs vary, the most common petecas (especially the competition ♠ type) consist of a base in the shape of a filled leather bag or a layered rubber pad, and a ♠ flight, which is usually made out of feathers stuck to the base.
: There are two types of shuttlecocks used in ♠ two different kinds of games of peteca.
In a regular peteca tournament, the shuttlecock has a flat base and a standard ♠ weight of 42 grams.
The feathers are crimped and straight.
In a mini-peteca game, the shuttlecock has a rounded rubber base attached ♠ to five or more rubber discs.
The base is softer on the hand.
Although designs vary, the most common petecas (especially the ♠ competition type) consist of a base in the shape of a filled leather bag or a layered rubber pad, and ♠ a flight, which is usually made out of feathers stuck to the base.
Court : singles' games are played on courts ♠ 15 m x 5.5m.
Doubles' games are played at 15 m x 7.5m.
By comparison, a standard volleyball court is 18 m ♠ x 9m.
Peteca is played on wood, cement or clay courts.
Mini-peteca is played on a standard sized badminton court.
: singles' games ♠ are played on courts 15 m x 5.5m.
Doubles' games are played at 15 m x 7.5m.
By comparison, a standard volleyball ♠ court is 18 m x 9m.
Peteca is played on wood, cement or clay courts.
Mini-peteca is played on a standard sized ♠ badminton court.
Net : men's games are played using a rectangular net topping 2.
43 m high, similar to a volleyball net.
Women's ♠ games lower it to 2.24 m.
Children (8-12yrs) play over a 2 m high net.
: men's games are played using a ♠ rectangular net topping 2.
43 m high, similar to a volleyball net.
Women's games lower it to 2.24 m.
Children (8-12yrs) play over ♠ a 2 m high net.
Footwear : Sneakers with a firm grip to the floor are desirable.
: Sneakers with a firm ♠ grip to the floor are desirable.
Lightweight gloves: beginners often find that the rubber base of the peteca is hard on ♠ the hands, usually leaving red spots and a stinging sensation on them.
It is suggested that they wear a lightweight fingerless ♠ glove, similar to those used in rugby.
Competition [ edit ]
Competitive court games have been played in Brazil since the early ♠ 1930s.
It was only in 1973 that the first rules were written.
It was founded in 1985 and is now a worldwide ♠ played sport the aim of theme is to hit the shuttlecock like object
Currently,[when?] in Brazil, there's a Confederação Brasileira de ♠ Peteca,[1] still incipient, being formed around the preexistent Federação Mineira de Peteca,[2] from the state of Minas Gerais.
A version of ♠ peteca, indiaca, was developed by Karlhans Krohn [de] in Germany in 1936 and is very popular.
However, France was one of ♠ the first European countries to embrace peteca proper.
The Federation Française de Peteca (FFP)[3] is the national organ for France and ♠ was created in February 1997 by Jean-François Impinna, a French former international rugby player, and counts thousands of French peteca ♠ players.
The United Kingdom has recently followed suit and taken up the game with the United Kingdom Peteca Association - UKPA[4] ♠ leading its development.
May 2006 would see the first International Peteca Tournament being hosted by the FFP in Sannois, Paris.
Teams from ♠ Brazil, France and the United Kingdom were to compete.[citation needed]
