Hand Skills and Four-Wall Handball

When I left industry to work at home crafting floral paperweights, I would work 7 to 8 hours and by the end of the day, I needed a change from being cooped-up in my small utility room studio. For relief I started going to the local bar, but soon realized the cost and drinking wasn’t for me. When I lamented to my wife Pat about being frustrated, she suggested that I join a gym.

I took her advice and as luck would have it, the health club in addition to lifting weights was a regional Mecca for four-wall handball.  Starting out I was spending time watching the handball games between sets of lifting weights. In a short time, I was invited to join 3 other new members for lessons. The challenge and intensity of the game and experiencing the camaraderie the sport nurtured with a diverse group of men has been a blessing.  Looking back, I had no idea that chasing a one-and-three-quarter-inch rubber ball around a 40-foot-long by 20-foot wide handball court could be such an intense challenge. Unlike jogging, playing four wall-handball required hitting the ball equally well with either hand leading to a degree of ambidexterity, an obvious asset to an object maker.    

Courts were reserved for 45 minutes, long enough for three games. After the games, I was relaxed from the endorphins released in my brain.  I’d head to the locker room for a shower and be home in time for our family dinner at 6.  The euphoric feeling lasted throughout the evening.  

Over the course of 3 decades my handball routine alternating with jogging twice a week was a therapeutic counter point to the sedentary process needed to flamework delicate and detailed floral designs.  Unlike jogging, playing four wall-handball required hitting the ball equally well with either hand leading to a degree of ambidexterity, an obvious benefit for a studio craftsperson. 

                                       NOTE 

YouTube 2019 USHA 4-Wall Nationals Men's Open Singles Final - Brady v Mulkerrins