Have you ever heard of the sport of korfball? Are you familiar with going out and enjoying a good korf? Korfball is a sport that is extremely popular in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium but almost non existent in the United States. When people say they went out and had a korf it can mean they played korfball or that they even scored a goal in korfball. Most Americans have no idea what it means to go out and have a korf and many Americans that would be exposed to the concept of having a good korf would more than likely automatically assume that there is some shadowy meaning behind it. Korfball is a very popular team sport that is played by thousands of people in more than 50 countries worldwide. If you were to travel to Europe and exclaim that you have no idea what korfball is you would most assuredly be in the minority.

When Americans see korfball for the first time they automatically assume that korfball is just basketball. Korfball players dress like basketball players, korfball players play the game of korfball so that it can look like basketball, but korfball has many differences from basketball. First of all the basket in basketball is put at the end of the court while the basket in korfball is one third of the way inside the zone. Korfball is a game that has 8 players per side where 4 players are men and 4 players are women. The court is broken down into two zones and the baskets are places as previously mentioned one in each court. The idea of korfball is to get the ball through the hoop of the basket. The team with the most baskets when time runs out wins. While this may still sound like basketball there are several major differences that separate korfball from basketball.

Aside from the 8 players per side in korfball versus only 5 players per side in basketball the other main difference in the team makeup is that korfball is coed by rule. There must be 4 men and 4 women per team. Basketball, for the most part, is either men playing men or women playing women. Generally, in korfball, women guard women and men guard men. The idea of putting two men on a woman to take the ball from her is frowned upon and there are written, and unwritten rules, that help to keep the coed play civil and flowing so that the excitement is not lost.

Another huge difference between korfball and basketball is that in basketball if you move the ball forward without dribbling it then you are penalized. In korfball if you move the ball forward by dribbling it then you are penalized. You are also not allowed to run with the ball when you have it in korfball. The way teams move the ball in korfball is that the person that has the ball must remain in place while the rest of the team tries to get open. Once the person with the ball sees an open player he or she passes the ball on and then that person can move after they have released the ball.

Korfball is extremely popular all over the world but the fact that it can look like basketball may be what is keeping it down in the United States. If you get a chance check out korfball either on the internet or live in person. It is a very exciting game.