Jai Alai

About Jai Alai

Jai alai (IPA: /ˈhaɪəlaɪ/ in English and IPA: [jaɪɑlaɪ] or IPA: [xaɪɑlaɪ] in Basque) means "Merry Game" in Euskera. The term is used to denote a fronton (or open-walled arena) used to play a variety of Basque Pelota called Cesta Punta, and, more broadly, to the game itself.

The ball is placed into play and volleyed by players wearing a glove with an attached wicker basket approximately 63 to 70 cm long. The game is characterized by the fast pace of play. The Basque Government promotes it as being "the fastest game on Earth" because of the balls traveling speed. A 125 g–140 g ball covered with goatskin can travel up to 302 km/h (188 mph) (José Ramón Areitio at the Newport Jai Alai, Rhode Island.)

The court (or cancha) for jai alai consists of 3 walls (front, back, and left), and the floor between them in play. If the ball touches the floor outside these walls, it is considered out of bounds. Similarly, there is also a border on the lower 3 ft (about 1 m) of the front wall that is also out of bounds. The ceiling on the court is usually very high, so the ball has a more predictable path. The court is divided by 14 parallel lines going horizontally across the court, with line 1 closest to the front wall and line 14 the back wall. In doubles, each team consists of a frontcourt player and a backcourt player. The game begins when the frontcourt player of the first team serves the ball to the second team. The winner of each point stays on the court to meet the next team in rotation. Losers go to the end of the line to await another turn on the court. The first team to score 7 points (or 9 in Superfecta games) wins. The next highest scores are awarded "place" (second) and "show" (third) positions, respectively. Playoffs decide tied scores.