What Is Tchoukball? The Team Sport Where Nobody Can Intercept a Pass
Tchoukball is a fast indoor team sport where you score by firing a ball into a rebound frame so it bounces back where the defence can't catch it. The "t" is silent, so it sounds like "chook-ball". Nobody tackles, nobody blocks, and nobody is allowed to intercept a pass, because a Swiss biologist designed it that way. It's governed by the International Tchoukball Federation (FITB) and sits on our list of unique and unusual sports alongside games like sepak takraw.
Key Takeaways
Contact-free by design: Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt built the game around a ban on tackling, blocking and intercepting passes.
Score off the frame: You score by bouncing the ball off a rebound frame so it lands in the court before a defender can catch it.
A game of threes: Teams get three passes, players get three steps and three seconds with the ball, and no frame can take more than three shots in a row.
Either team, either end: Both teams can attack both frames, so there's no half of the court that belongs to you.
Strongest in Asia: Chinese Taipei has dominated world championship play for decades, while Australia doesn't yet have a federation affiliated with the FITB.
Open to wheelchair players: The FITB publishes official rules for six-a-side wheelchair tchoukball.
What You'll Find in This Guide
What Is Tchoukball?
Two teams of seven share an indoor court of roughly 27 by 16 metres, with a rebound frame at each end. The frame is a netted square of about one square metre that works like a small trampoline. Attackers throw the ball hard at the frame, it springs back out, and the defending team tries to catch the rebound before it touches the floor.
If the defenders catch it, they attack straight away. If the ball lands in the court, the attackers score. Either team can shoot at either frame, so play swings from end to end without any sense of an own half.
The real difference from handball, netball or basketball is what defenders can't do. They can't intercept a pass, can't block a shot and can't touch an opponent. Their entire job is to read where the rebound will go and get there first. According to the FITB's official rules, the ban on interceptions exists to prevent aggression and violent contact.
Where Tchoukball Came From
Hermann Brandt was a Swiss biologist whose research into physical activity left him worried about how many serious injuries popular team sports caused. His paper A Scientific Criticism of Team Games won the Thulin Prize, presented at the University of Lisbon on 16 August 1970, according to the FITB, and tchoukball was the practical answer to his own critique. It borrows from handball, volleyball and squash, and was first played in 1970. The name copies the "tchouk" sound the ball makes as it hits the frame.
"…not to make champions, but rather to construct a harmonious society." — Hermann Brandt, quoted by the International Tchoukball Federation
The FITB was founded on 5 June 1971. Brandt died in November 1972, so he saw only the start of what followed. The biggest growth came from Taiwan, which invested heavily in the sport during the 1980s and, according to the FITB, went on to draw more than 200 teams to its national championships each year. Chinese Taipei has won most world titles since, with rare defeats including Switzerland's wins in the 2004 men's final and the 2023 women's final.
Tchoukball Rules Explained
The core rules come from the FITB's Official Tchoukball Rules:
Seven a side: Each team has seven players on court and a squad of up to 12, with unlimited substitutions.
Three passes: A team can make up to three passes before it must shoot. A fourth pass is a fault.
Three steps and three seconds: A player can't take more than three steps or hold the ball for more than three seconds.
No interceptions: Defenders can't touch an attacking team's pass or shot before it reaches the frame, and obstruction is a fault.
The forbidden zone: A semicircle with a 3 metre radius sits in front of each frame. Shooters can't touch it before releasing the ball, and a defender who touches the rebound while standing in it gives away a point.
Three shots per frame: A frame can take a maximum of three consecutive shots before play has to move to the other end.
A standard match runs for three periods of 15 minutes. Men's and women's matches use different ball sizes, and the rules specify that mixed matches use the women's ball, so mixed teams are built into the official game.
How Scoring Works
You score a point when the rebound off the frame:
lands in the court before a defender catches it;
touches a defender who fails to control it;
hits a defender below the knee;
touches a defender who is in the forbidden zone or out of play.
The other team gets the point if the shooter misses the frame, if the rebound lands out of play or in the forbidden zone, or if the rebound hits the shooter.
That second list changes how the game feels. A wild shot hands the point away, so good players aim for the gaps in the defence's coverage, often angling the ball so the rebound drops short or flies wide of where defenders are standing.
Wheelchair and Beach Tchoukball
The FITB publishes separate official rules for wheelchair and beach tchoukball.
Wheelchair tchoukball is six a side, with squads of up to nine, played in the same kind of chairs used in wheelchair basketball. The recommended court is 28 by 14 metres, the forbidden area in front of each frame shrinks to 2 metres, and the three-step rule becomes three pushes of the wheels while holding the ball, with four seconds to release it. The rules also allow organisers to adapt play to each player's level. For more sports built with adaptations from the ground up, see our adaptive sports hub.
Beach tchoukball is five a side on sand, on a smaller court of 21 to 23 metres long and 11 to 13 metres wide.
Is Tchoukball Right for You or Your Kids?
If you like fast ball games but not the bumps of netball, basketball or football, tchoukball is worth a look. The skills are catching, throwing and reading a bounce, and the no-interception rule means a less experienced player isn't constantly having the ball snatched away.
That's also why it turns up in school PE. Adelaide-based Simply Sports promotes it as a game to teach children and offers clinics for schools, and the FITB keeps a separate set of junior rules. For a parent, the appeal is a team sport where tackling simply isn't part of the game.
It isn't risk-free. You'll still sprint, jump and land, so the usual court-sport habits apply, including a warm-up, proper indoor shoes and learning to land on bent knees.
What it costs to start. Very little. You need a ball and two frames, and the venue or club supplies both. Official balls measure 54 to 60 centimetres around, and Simply Sports suggests a size 3 handball for school games. You don't need to buy anything before your first session.
Where to Play Tchoukball
In Australia, the sport is small and still finding its feet. Australia has contact status with the FITB rather than membership, which means there's no affiliated national federation yet, although a Tchoukball Australia Association does run a Facebook page. In 2023, the SE Voice reported on Australian tchoukball representative Lasiru Samaranayake planning come-and-try sessions at Mount Gambier's Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre. In Adelaide, Simply Sports runs school clinics. If nothing is running near you, ask a school PE department or your local leisure centre, since a basketball court with two frames is all you need.
In the UK, Tchoukball UK is the national governing body and keeps a Where to Play page on its site.
In the US, no national federation is listed with the FITB, so start by asking a school PE department or your local recreation centre.
To watch first, search "World Tchoukball Championships" or "Chinese Taipei tchoukball" on YouTube. The speed of the rebounds makes much more sense on screen than on paper.
Who Governs Tchoukball
The International Tchoukball Federation (FITB) governs the sport worldwide and became a member of The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA) in 2019. Its national federation list shows 52 member federations. Here's where things stand in key countries:
Australia: No affiliated federation yet. Australia has contact status with the FITB.
United States: Not currently listed among the FITB's member federations.
New Zealand: The New Zealand Tchoukball Federation is an FITB member.
United Kingdom: Tchoukball UK is the national governing body. It began as the British Tchoukball Association in 1972.
Switzerland: Swiss Tchoukball represents the sport's birthplace.
Singapore: The Tchoukball Association of Singapore runs the sport in one of the countries where it's most popular.
Chinese Taipei: The Chinese Taipei Tchoukball Association oversees the sport's strongest nation.
For any other country, the FITB member list is the place to start.
Final Thoughts
Tchoukball asks a different question from most team sports. Instead of how to stop the other team, it asks how well you can read a bounce. Hermann Brandt built it to take the injuries out of team games, and more than 50 years later it still rewards quick hands and good positioning over size and aggression. Australia's scene is small, which also means anyone who starts a session at a local school or leisure centre is helping build it. Watch a match, find a court, and give the frame a go.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How do you pronounce tchoukball?
A: The "t" is silent, so it sounds like "chook-ball". The name copies the sound the ball makes when it hits the rebound frame.
Q: What are the basic rules of tchoukball?
A: Seven players a side shoot a ball at rebound frames at each end of the court. Each team gets three passes before shooting, each player can take three steps and hold the ball for three seconds, and defenders can't intercept or block. You score when the rebound lands in the court before a defender catches it.
Q: Can you intercept in tchoukball?
A: No. The FITB rules ban interceptions and obstruction to prevent aggression and violent contact. Defenders can only try to catch the ball after it rebounds off the frame.
Q: Who invented tchoukball?
A: Hermann Brandt, a Swiss biologist. He developed it after his research into team games convinced him that many popular sports caused too many serious injuries, and it was first played in 1970.
Q: How many players are on a tchoukball team?
A: Seven on court, with up to 12 in a squad. Wheelchair tchoukball is six a side and beach tchoukball is five a side.
Q: Is tchoukball played in Australia?
A: Yes. It's played on a small scale. Australia doesn't yet have a national federation affiliated with the FITB, so most opportunities come through schools, local come-and-try sessions and community organisers.
Q: Is tchoukball good for kids?
A: It suits children well because there's no tackling, blocking or intercepting, and the skills are catching, throwing and reading a bounce. The FITB publishes a separate set of junior rules.
Q: Is tchoukball an Olympic sport?
A: No. It isn't on the Olympic program, although it was a demonstration sport at the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
