Ocala Jai-Alai

Jai-alai is a game dating back to the 15th century and originates in the southern part of France and the northern part of Spain. This area is known as the Basque Provinces. The literal translation means "merry festival" in the Basque language. Professional Jai-alai has been played in the U.S since 1936 when it was brought to Miami, Fl. from Havana, Cuba.Jai-alai of today is played in an arena (fronton). The court (cancha) consists of a front wall made of granite, a left side wall 170-180 feet in length, and a rear wall. The height of the cancha is 35-40 feet tall and the width of the court is 35 feet.The floor is constructed of hardened concrete and the spectators are protected by a mesh fence. Each team is made up of 2 players. The server is a front court player (delantero) who protects the front half of the court, and a back court player (zaguero) who protects the back part of the court.The object of the game (partido) is to hurl a ball (pelota) against the front wall with as much speed and/or spin that the opposing team cannot catch and return the ball on the fly or before the ball bounces on the floor twice.Each player wears a woven basket (cesta) on which a leather glove has been sewn. This basket is then tied to the players right hand, at the wrist. It is with this equipment in combination with the granite surface of the front wall, that produces a ball speed of 150-180 miles per hour. The pelota is slightly smaller than a baseball and is the hardest ball in the world.In order to score, the serving team must bounce the ball behind a serving line, and with his cesta, hurl the ball directly to the front wall so that it lands in the serving area. If the serving player serves short (underserve/ "falta") or he serves long (overserve/ "pasa"), the point is awarded the receiving team. The receiving player must catch the serve in one fluid motion and return the ball to the front wall, before the ball hits the floor two times.In the United States, a game (partido) ends when the first team of 8 teams competing in a round robin format, scores 7 points. These games can take as long as 15-20 minutes.In Spain and France the game consists of 2 teams of two players each. The game ends when the first teams scores either 25 or 40 points, depending on whether they are playing a "short" or "long" game. These partidos last more than an hour and can be exhausting.