What is Sabakiball?

Sabakiball is a fast-paced, non-stop action team sport that offers all of the excitement of collision sports like Football, Hockey, and Lacrosse... but without the contact! Even the equipment is designed with safety in mind and there are no special pads or player accessories required making it an extremely affordable alternative to most traditional team sports.

SABAKIBALL IS NON-STOP PLAY.  By rule, the play is continuous. The only time the whistle blows is on warnings (penalties) and when the ball goes out of bounds, but in either case the team taking possession has just six seconds to introduce a new ball into play. It is non-stop action until the end of a period.

SABAKIBALL IS INCLUSIVE.  All of the players on the court are used all of the time on both offense and defense…even the goalies. The rules of play make it clear that a team’s success depends on using all of a team’s players, even the “weak links.” When on offense, the goalie advances to mid-court to play the “point” much like the defense in ice hockey, making them a part of the passing scheme and also allowing them the ability to take shots on goal. In fact, unlike all other sports that utilize a goalie, in Sabakiball the goalie is the most utilized player on the court.

SABAKIBALL IS NON-CONTACT.  While Sabakiball is non-stop action and excitement, it is also completely non-contact making it a desirable alternative to collision sports. This allows for multiple age groups to play together as well as both boys and girls to play on the same teams.

SABAKIBALL HAS SIMPLE RULES.  Because there is no “off-side” rule in Sabakiball any player can go anywhere on the court making Sabakiball simple to learn. In fact, most players find success in playing Sabakiball after learning just four basic rules:
1) The ball must be released within three seconds (not to be confused with the Three-Step rule in Handball).
2) Three consecutive passes must be completed before attempting to score.
3) The shot must be taken before stepping into the No-Shot zone.
4) Only the goalie is allowed in the Goalie Box.

What's the difference between Sabakiball and Team Handball?
Glad you asked! There are several major differences and that's why we were awarded a patent on the ball game method of Sabakiball.

1) Three Steps (Handball) vs Three Seconds (Sabakiball): How far can you travel in three steps? Try it! 10 feet? Maybe 15 feet? But how far can you run in three seconds? Most players can run the entire 90 foot Sabakiball court in three seconds. So in Sabakiball the person with the ball can maneuver and set up passing lanes MUCH more effectively than in Handball.

2) Goalie Position: Completely unique to Sabakiball the goalie can roam the entire area of the defensive side of the court. The Goalie becomes part of the offense playing along the mid-court line so that passes and even shots on goal are a part of the goalie's function. In fact, there have been instances where a team's goalie led their league in both scoring AND lowest goals against average!

3) Disruptions in Play: In Sabakiball when a ball goes out of bounds or a warning against the other team is called, the goalie on the team awarded possession has just 6 seconds to retrieve a new ball from behind their backboard and introduce it into play. There are NO Throw-Ins from sidelines, etc. and the goalie must be the one retrieving and introducing the ball.

4) Goal Pin vs Big Net for Scoring: This may be the BIGGEST difference. How easy is it for you to throw a ball into a net 10 FEET wide and 6 FEET high (Handball) versus striking a Goal-Pin that is 6 INCHES square and only 24 INCHES high? Scoring in Sabakiball takes a great deal of accuracy and skill!

And these are just some of the differences. Try Sabakiball and you will immediately notice the many differences yourself!

The Sabakiball Story

Sabakiball was invented by Michael Cerpok in late 2008 and was awarded patents in 2011 and 2015. After being diagnosed with Leukemia in 2006, Mr. Cerpok had decided to retire from a 25 year career in martial arts. Just prior to closing his studio, he offered a sports oriented camp for some of his younger students. During a week long event featuring different traditional sports, Mr. Cerpok noticed that many of the participants quickly became bored. He recognized that this was due, in part, to the fact that most sports include a great deal of “down” time and also that the play could be controlled by one or two dominant players. This led to frustration and even anger amongst players who felt that they had little to contribute. Having worked for many years with children diagnosed with ADHD, and having created many successful public school programs over the previous 20 years, Mr. Cerpok embarked upon a mission to create a completely new sport that not only incorporated non-stop play, but also by rule guaranteed that all of the players were engaged all of the time. ​Thus Sabakiball was born; a sport that combines speed, timing, balance, and endurance with constant mental awareness and an emphasis on gender equality and building self esteem. 

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Under the leadership of majority owner and CEO Monica Hoder, Sabakiball has grown to include over a million participants spanning nine countries. Ms. Hoder holds a Master's Degree in Organizational Development and Change and is a Certified Management Accountant with more than 20 years of athletic experience working with children and adults. Ms. Hoder has brought a shared vision of inclusiveness and gender equality to the Sabakiball team and oversees the continued growth of Sabakiball worldwide.

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Please note: Information about Sabakiball found on AI platforms like ChatGPT or other sources may be incorrect. The only official and accurate rules, court dimensions, and method of play structure are found here.