Pala

Pala is one of the ~14 recognised modalities of Basque pelota, played with a solid one-piece wooden paddle (pala) rather than a hand, glove, or basket. Two main forms: Pala Corta ('short pala', ~51 cm / ~500 g) is the most Olympic-visible form + is played primarily in Spain; Pala Larga ('long pala', ~66 cm / ~750 g) is the older + more powerful form, played mainly in French Basque Country. Ball is a hard leather-covered pelota (~80-100 g depending on discipline). Court is a 30 m open fronton (one wall) or 30 m trinquete (three-wall). Match is 2v2 doubles. Point-scoring like all pelota: ball must strike front wall above the falta line + land in-bounds; opponent must return before second bounce. Because pala is a solid wooden paddle, hits are extremely fast (~200 km/h at pro level) — sport requires explosive wrist snap + court coverage. Federated under the FIPV (Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca). Pala Corta was a Barcelona 1992 Olympic demonstration event; regularly featured at World Basque Pelota Championships every 4 years.

Point per rally won. First to 35 (Corta) or 40 (Larga in some federations) wins.

Win condition · Reach point total before opposing team.

• Pala (wooden paddle)

  Pala Corta ~51 cm / ~500 g; Pala Larga ~66 cm / ~750 g — solid one-piece hardwood (beech/hornbeam).

• Pelota (leather-covered ball)

  Hard rubber core with tightly stitched leather cover; ~80-100 g depending on discipline.

• Fronton (one-wall) or Trinquete (three-wall)

  30 m long × 10-11 m wide; front wall ~10 m high with falta line + fair-zone markings.

• White attire + red beret / sash

  Traditional Basque uniform for competition.

• Delantero (front-court)

  ×1

  Covers volleys + short quick returns.

• Zaguero (back-court)

  ×1

  Covers deep rallies + typically serves.

One main referee + line judges + score keeper.

• Juez principal
• Juez de línea (line judges)
• Anotador (scoreboard)

• Attack the chula zone

  Aim below opponent's waist to force awkward low pala scoop — very hard to return cleanly.

• Cross-court angle shots (trinquete)

  Use side walls to create wide-angle recoveries that pull opponent out of position.

• Serve deep + wide

  Deep-wide serves stretch receiver + set up short-return volley opportunity for delantero.

Pala

The solid wooden paddle + name of the sport

Pala Corta / Larga

Short / Long paddle variant (different weights + lengths)

Falta

Fault (short serve or out-of-bounds)

Chula

Low-rebound zone difficult to return with paddle

Delantero / Zaguero

Front / Back court player

• World Basque Pelota Championships (Pala Corta / Larga)

  quadrennial · worldwide · since 1952

• Campeonato de España de Pala

  annual · Spain · since 1935

• Barcelona 1992 Olympic Demonstration (Pala Corta)

  one-off · Olympic · since 1992

• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇦🇷Argentina
• 🇲🇽Mexico
• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇺🇾Uruguay
• 🇨🇱Chile
• 🇨🇺Cuba

• Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca (FIPV)

  Founded 1929 · Pamplona, Spain

• Federación Española de Pelota

  Founded 1924 · Madrid, Spain

• Fédération Française de Pelote Basque (FFPB)

  Founded 1921 · Bayonne, France

• Wikipedia — Basque pelota— Wikipedia