Handball is fast, physical and high-scoring, and the rules are designed to keep it that way: limits on steps and holding, a protected goal area, and a warning signal for teams that stall. This guide summarises the IHF Rules of the Game (Indoor Handball), in the amended edition in force from 1 July 2025. These rules are used in the EHF Champions League, the German HBL, Spain’s Liga ASOBAL and national leagues worldwide. England Handball and USA Team Handball also follow IHF rules, with local adaptations for youth and recreational play. For timing a practice match, our interval timer can be set to two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute break.
Team, court and match length
| Item | IHF rule |
|---|---|
| Players on court | 7 (6 court players + 1 goalkeeper) |
| Squad per match | up to 16 at IHF/EHF top events |
| Match length | 2 × 30 minutes (seniors) |
| Half-time | normally 10 minutes (max 15) |
| Court | 40 × 20 m |
| Goal | 3 m wide × 2 m high |
| Goal area line | 6 m from goal |
| Free-throw line | 9 m (dashed) |
| Penalty | 7-metre throw |
Substitutions are unlimited and happen “on the fly” through the team’s own substitution area, without stopping play. Entering or leaving outside the substitution area is a faulty substitution and is punished with a 2-minute suspension.
Team timeouts: each team has three one-minute timeouts per match, with a maximum of two per half and only one in the last 5 minutes of regular time. The team requests it by placing a green card on the timekeeper’s table while it has possession.
Handling the ball: steps, seconds and dribbling
The core handling rules:
- Three steps: a player holding the ball may take at most three steps.
- Three seconds: the ball may be held for at most three seconds, even when lying on the floor.
- Dribbling: after catching, a player may take up to three steps, dribble, catch again and take up to three more steps. Once the ball is caught after a dribble, a second dribble is a double dribble violation.
- Feet: court players may not deliberately touch the ball with the foot or leg below the knee. The goalkeeper may use the legs and feet inside the goal area when defending.
Violations of these rules result in a free throw for the opponents from the place where they occurred, or from the 9-m line if the violation happened between the 6-m and 9-m lines.
The goal area
Only the goalkeeper may stand in the goal area. A court player who steps on the line or into the area while in possession loses the ball (free throw to the opponents). A defender who enters the area to gain an advantage, for example to block a shot, concedes a 7-metre throw if it destroys a clear scoring chance, otherwise a free throw.
Attackers may jump from outside the line and land inside the area, as long as the ball is released before landing. This is how the classic “wing jump” and “pivot fall” shots work.
The goalkeeper may leave the area and play as a court player. Teams may also replace the goalkeeper with an extra court player (the “empty goal” or 7-vs-6 attack), which is legal but leaves the goal open to long shots.
Passive play
The passive play rule stops a team from holding the ball without trying to score. When the referees see no attempt to attack, they raise an arm as a warning signal. From that moment, the attacking team has a maximum of four passes before it must shoot. If the fourth pass does not lead to a shot, or the team clearly stalls, the referees award a free throw to the defenders.
The referees can still call passive play before the fourth pass if the team clearly makes no attempt to attack, and certain events such as a defensive foul affect the count, so follow the referees’ signals rather than relying only on your own count.
Fouls and progressive punishment
Contact is allowed: a defender may use the trunk to block an opponent and bent arms to make body contact. It is not allowed to pull, push, hit, hold, trip or run into an opponent, or to snatch the ball from the hands.
The IHF uses progressive punishment:
| Step | Signal | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | Yellow card | Max 1 per player, 3 per team |
| Suspension | Two fingers raised | Player off for 2 minutes; team plays short |
| Disqualification | Red card | Player out for the rest of the match; team plays short for 2 minutes |
| Report | Blue card (after a red) | Written report; further sanctions from the disciplinary body |
A third 2-minute suspension for the same player automatically leads to a disqualification. Serious offences such as dangerous attacks on an opponent can be punished directly with a red card, without any earlier warning.
2025 change: if a 7-metre thrower hits the goalkeeper in the head and the goalkeeper was not moving into the ball, the thrower now receives a 2-minute suspension rather than a red card. This aligns the 7-m throw with the existing rule for head shots in open play.
Free throws and the 7-metre throw
A free throw restarts play after most violations. Defenders must stand at least 3 m away. When the foul happens between the 6-m and 9-m lines, the attacking team takes the free throw from the 9-m line.
A 7-metre throw is awarded when a foul destroys a clear chance of scoring, including when a defender enters the goal area to defend. The thrower must keep one foot in contact with the floor behind the 7-m line and shoot within three seconds of the whistle. Other players must stay outside the free-throw line until the ball is released.
When a winner is needed
League matches can end in a draw. In knockout matches, the IHF framework is:
- First extra time: 2 × 5 minutes after a 5-minute break, with a 1-minute half-time.
- Second extra time: another 2 × 5 minutes if still tied.
- 7-metre shootout: five throwers per team alternating, then sudden death.
Under the 2025 amendment, a shootout ends as soon as one team can no longer catch up, as in football penalty shootouts. Some competitions go straight to a shootout without extra time, so always check the event’s regulations. For a comparison of how long matches last in other sports, see our match durations guide.
Quick tips for new players and coaches
- Count three steps from the catch, not from the bounce.
- Pass rather than hold: three seconds go quickly in a crowded 9-m zone.
- Defend with the body, not the hands. Pulling a shirt is a fast way to a suspension.
- Watch for the raised arm and attack decisively once the warning comes.
- Keep the score and suspension times visible with our online scoreboard, so the bench knows when a player can return.