Look Mom, No Hands
Look Mom, No Hands
Considered Israel's response to the Pickleball trend, footvolley seems to be taking over Tel Aviv's beaches.
“It teaches you to take responsibility, to apologize when needed, to control your anger. It teaches you to take things in and let them go,” - Gal Levy, Israeli Footvolley Association’s ambassador to Europe
A walk along the boardwalk in Tel Aviv will offer sights of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, pristine beaches, and sports of all types. One can watch a game of matkot (paddleball), volleyball, and even a largely unfamiliar sport. I couldn't look away when I saw footvolley for the first time. The agility and strength of volleyball without hands. It appeared supremely challenging and almost futile. How could a team possibly keep the ball in the area without their hands? What I witnessed though was nothing short of mesmerizing. The players brought such skill and coordination. It was something quite special and I was surprised to see it in Israel. A bit of initial research brought some answers.
The Israeli Footvolley Association (IFA) was established in 2016 and is run by former players. It is the body responsible for the sport’s growth and development of new players and competitions. Regular tournaments occur on Tel Aviv’s beaches with a major competition happening each summer.
“A fusion of soccer’s power with volleyball’s grace, the sport was created in 1965 in Brazil and called futevolei in Portuguese. It arrived in Israel in 2003 when two Brazilians taught a group of Israeli soccer enthusiasts the rules at Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach. The game is played across a beach net with two players on each side. Teams are permitted to pass the ball to each other using anything but their hands up to three times before sending it over the net”. Tara Feldman, Times of Israel1
Footvolley is yet another example of the melting pot that is Israel. People took a beloved part of their culture, brought it to Israel, and so many have adopted it as their own. We see this with food, music, language, and so much more. Footvolley though seems to take it a step further. In place of being merely a different style of play with a few rule differences, this way of playing departs significantly from the usual way of playing volleyball.
One way that Israelis have made it their own is to call it “fuccivollei” instead of “footvolley”.
It is a thing of beauty to watch, both in its coordination and the impressive skill that players must demonstrate. Skillfully passing a soccer ball back and forth can be fun to watch, but doing so over a volleyball net is something above and beyond.
A taste of footvolley for your enjoyment:
Song of the Week
בומים
Boo-meem
Booms (or explosions)
Beloved rapper, Jimbo J, who has lived for a while in the Gaza Envelope, recorded this album before October 7th. So much of it is relevant to today’s world. It is cathartic at times, energetic, and thought-provoking.
Slang of the Week
לג’מג’ם
Le-jawm-jem
To jam (as in a jam session)
There are a few instances in Hebrew of a bubble sound that is either the word itself doubled or something related. Another example is the word for, to stutter, which is לגםגם / le-gahm-ghem.
Thank you for reading this week’s post. I’d be grateful if you could suggest the Substack and podcast to a family member or friend.
Our podcast guest in the upcoming week!
We hope that you’ll consider submitting a piece for the writing contest.
Wishing you a Shabbat shalom and a restful weekend!
Feldman, Tara. “Israel’s answer to pickleball, footvolley is kicking up a stir on Tel Aviv’s beaches”. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-answer-to-pickleball-footvolley-is-kicking-up-a-stir-on-tel-avivs-beaches/. 16 September 2023.