Europe

Xare (Basque country)

Xare (Basque country)

  • Name of sport (game): Xare (share)
  • Name in native language: xare
  • Place of practice (continent, state, nation):

    Basque Country, South America

  • History:

    It is an ancient sport and perhaps the least practiced than the rest of the racket games.
    However, it has great cultural value and that has kept it rooted not only in Europe, but also in some Latin American and Caribbean countries.
    The Xare or Share is a ball sport born in the Basque country, located in the territory between Spain and France.
    It is a name given to a modality that has the same characteristics as Basque pelota, that is, speed and precision. In this way, players will be able to reach their goal during the match.
    Share means network. It is even the same term to refer to the rackets with which it is played.
    The Share is related to a variety of ball games that were played between the 12th and 14th centuries, one of them being the Jeu de Paume or palm game.
    The truth is that this sport originated in the Basque country, where there is evidence of Basque religious groups, Jesuits and Capuchins, who were the first to give it meaning until they turned it into a hobby. Consequently, it is popularized in Spain, where society still values it for being a sport inherited from its historical past.
    However, other theories record its origin in the Betharram Valley in the Atlantic Pyrenees, France.
    The Share also spread to other countries. In fact, this specialty of Basque pelota reached Argentina at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the following it began to have a greater participation. In this South American country, they gave it the name "Raqueta Argentina". In addition, the share was taken into account for the Basque Pelota World Cups that were held for the first time in 1952.

    090921 Pelote Xare 1
    https://www.mediabask.eus/es/info_mbsk/20210910/arrizabalaga-et-castera-s-adjugent-le-tournoi-de-xare

  • Description:

    Xare is one of the disciplines of the sport Basque pelota. It is played with a racket and a ball in a court called a trinquete. Xare is very popular in South America and is played by both men and women of all ages.
    Like other Basque pelota sports, share is played in pairs and is only allowed for men or individually.
    The game takes place in the ratchet, which is a space surrounded by four walls, each one with its respective name, the most prominent being the "frontis" or front that serves as a receiver of the ball.
    To achieve this goal, players use the share or racket to lightly retain the ball without hitting it.
    In this way, they manage to return it with force and make it bounce against the wall using a series of techniques, that is, with movements of the hand and wrist.
    The strategic play consists of defending the ball thrown by the rival team until obtaining the majority of points. A match is played between two two-player teams. The rules are similar to other wall-based sports, where the ball has to be returned back to the front wall with at most one bounce on the ground. The ball is allowed to bounce any number of times or even roll on the roof of the facade. Teams score points if the opponents are unable to return the ball back onto the wall. Matches are played in points and sets format.
    In general, each game lasts approximately 20 minutes, however, the time may change.
    On the court, the pelotaris can move backwards, forwards and to the sides, but the changes of position that they most often make are the frontal and rear ones, where the opponent executes offensive plays.
    In the share, 40 points are played or through two sets of 15 points each.
    The share is played on a rectangular court called a ratchet. In itself, it is a closed space that has a length between 28.5 and 30 meters, 8 meters high and wide.
    It also consists of four walls: One Frontal, rebound, one right and one left.

    4dd44f925d693493555d330d43eb12b7 sport letters
    https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/385550418071082743/

    The court used for playing xare consist of walls on all four sides. The left wall features a facade, about 2ft wide with a slanting roof, that projects onto the court. Unlike racquets used for other sports where the strings are tight, the strings in xare racquets resemble a woven mesh. Rather than striking the ball, the action resembles more like a catch and throw using the racquet. Besides the racquet and a ball, a bicycle helmet is the only other equipment used. In this sport it is essential that players wear a helmet as a protection measure. It is a fundamental rule, due to the speed that the ball reaches during the match. Consequently, an impact to the head can cause serious injuries. It does not require demanding clothing. Pelotaris wear pants and a short-sleeved shirt.
    The materials that characterize this game are the ball and the share itself. Well, in this sport, the players use a racket made of wicker and cotton rope that is intertwined, slightly taut and fastened on the inside. The combination of all these materials will allow you to retain the ball for moments and send it back against the wall.
    The rackets are 58 centimeters long and 18 centimeters wide approximately.
    The balls are covered with leather and have a hard consistency. In general, they are 55 millimeters in diameter, and their weight is 83 grams.

    IMG 3355 1
    https://fipv.net/xare/

     

  • Current status:

    Practiced

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  • Contacts:

    Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca
    Pabellón ARENA – Casa del deporte
    Plaza Aizagerria, 1
    31006 – Pamplona (ESPAÑA)
    Web: http://www.fipv.net
    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Tel.: +34 948 164080
    Fb: https://www.facebook.com/pelotavascafipv/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fipvoficial/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/FFIPVOficial
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WtobEr8XIZNnudXbUlUnQ
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/48286071@N06/albums

    FIPB logo

  • Sources of information :

    Books:
    Pablo Ubierna, El Xare , La raqueta argentina, Una historia de la Pelota Vasca en el Rio de la Plata, Edicione Zubia, 2015

    Articles:
    https://www.iris-france.org/157700-diaspora-and-sport-pelota-and-identity-in-different-communities/

    Video:
    https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=816027772131679
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEedhJGg5Tw
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YFKKP57wKc
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wDLZ6usbx4
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsUI7zTYYjo
    https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/aqui-la-tierra/aqui-tierra-share-deporte-peligro-extincion/4320399/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdCvCZ207PI

     

    The information contained in the article comes from the following sources:
    https://www.topendsports.com/sport/list/xare.htm
    https://fipv.net/en/xare/
    https://raquetados.com/deportes/xare-o-share/

    Source of photos used in this article and gallery:
    https://www.sudouest.fr/sport/pelote-basque/mondiaux-de-pelote-basque-le-xare-fait-son-grand-retour-12694178.php
    https://raquetados.com/deportes/xare-o-share/
    https://www.mediabask.eus/es/info_mbsk/20210910/arrizabalaga-et-castera-s-adjugent-le-tournoi-de-xare
    https://manista.blogs.com/amateur/2009/10/espa%C3%B1a-pierde-ante-argentina-la-final-de-paleta-goma-femenina-en-el-mundial-sub-22-de-trinquete.html
    https://www.mediabask.eus/es/info_mbsk/20220818/seize-jeunes-preparent-les-mondiaux
    https://www.diariovasco.com/deportes/pelota/joxi-lopetegi-medalla-plata-mundial-xare-20221028143540-nt.html
    https://fipv.net/author/joseangel/page/47/
    https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/385550418071082743/
    https://www.mediabask.eus/es/info_mbsk/20221222/noizbait-a-nouveau-reine-du-xare
    https://www.diariovasco.com/tolosa-goierri/partidos-xare-pelota-20200117004556-ntvo.html

  • Gallery:

  • Documents:

    pdfLourdes_Labaca_Zabala_El_Xare_modalidad_de_pelota_vasca_como_patrimonio_cultural_inmaterial.pdf

    pdfLa_fabrication_des_xare.pdf

Contact

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traditionalsports@sportinstytut.pl

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