מטקות

Matkot is called Israel's Unofficial National Sport". Literally, it means "racquets", and comes from the plural of the Hebrew word מטקה, meaning racquet or paddle.

The racquets are traditionally made entirely of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. In Israel, the heads are essentially circular and a little less than a foot in diameter.

The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in squash. However, novice and intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but is lighter and/or bouncier.

It is also called Beach Tennis. A Brazilian version which uses slightly different racquets is more commonly known as frescoball.

The rules are simple: keep hitting the ball back and forth. In professional tournaments, the goal is to get as many hits as you can in three minutes, without dropping even once.