Israeli bathers – beware of matkot sightings

May 4, 2009 - 10:49 AM by David

matkotYou can keep your baseball and soccer. What more typically Israeli sport could there be than matkot?

Essentially beachside paddleball with those big flat paddles and tiny rubber ball – matkot is an Israeli obsession – you take your life into your hands when you walk on any beach in the country. I still can’t figure out if there are rules or not – are the players trying to hit it to each other, or smash it past each other?

Now, there’s someone who’s trying to codify the game – 65-year-old Amnon Nissim and his Morris Zadok, the self appointed “father of matkot in Israel.” According to a story by Jerrin Zumberg in The Jerusalem Post, Nissim has turned his Tel Aviv apartment into the unofficial “Matkot Museum of Israel.

He also holds court most days below the Crown Plaza hotel on Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach, where the best matkot players in the country have been gathering for 70 years.

Nissim’s mission is not only to formalize the game through set rules, competitions and organized community events, but to make it an official Olympic event.

“It’s the most Israeli game there is,” says Zadok, 59. “It’s a game of peace and togetherness where you aren’t playing against one another, but as partners to reach a goal.”
Zadok’s web site is devoted to matkot and promoting his Bat Yam sporting goods store. A letter to prospective players about matkot says, “It’s not just a game, but a way of life, and an excuse to go down to the beach. There’s no better way to get a tan, meet friends and let out some energy.”

To formalize the game for serious players, Zadok created a set of rules. Rounds of three minutes are spent hitting the ball. Each team of two players stands eight meters apart, trying to get as many hits as possible. Each hit, or point, is earned by the ball going back and forth once. The national record is 178 hits in the three-minute window.

While I may stick to tennis, I’ll now have some new found respect for matkot players next time I get bashed in the head by a stray ball on the beach.

Tags: , , , , , • Category: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Sports 

Comments

4 Comments on Israeli bathers – beware of matkot sightings

  1. Janet on Thu, May 7th 2009 3:33 AM

    2. Hmm, those were always my preferred rules for ping pong and volley ball too, keep the ball in play as long as possible. And throw the baseball to the bat so we all have to stand there waiting. Maybe it is because I am no hot shot athlete, and if i became adept would strive for friendly competition,but for now, most folks i know and me need a cooperative effort just to keep it in the air. Hey no net!

  2. Jack Hunter on Thu, May 7th 2009 7:56 AM

    3. The beauty of matkot was that there were no rules.When rules come in they ruin the fun.Next it will be “how do we make money out of this game”.There were many a time where I hit that tiny ball with extreme force and enjoyed every second of it.
    No to rules.

  3. arie beznicki on Tue, May 19th 2009 6:08 PM

    4. im a matkot entusiast in new york morris zadok can you call me or e mail me tel 646 784 5685

  4. Dave Sao on Wed, May 5th 2010 4:23 AM

    5. Where can one purchase paddles and balls for playing Matkot?

Leave a Comment





© 2010 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap