pelota

Pelota is a family of ball games played with a hard ball and various striking implements on courts or other surfaces. The term also refers to the ball used in these games. The sports are especially associated with Spain, the Basque Country, and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. Common features include players taking turns returning the ball after it hits a wall or boundary, with points awarded when an opponent fails to return it correctly.

Basque pelota, or pelota vasca, is the most prominent form of the family. It includes multiple modalities defined by the instrument used to strike the ball: mano (hand), pala (a paddle or bat), pala corta (short paddle), pala larga (long paddle), and cesta punta (a curved wicker basket worn on the hand). Games are typically played on frontón courts that feature a high front wall, with players aiming to return the ball to difficult areas of the court.

Jai alai is a well-known form of cesta punta, celebrated for the speed of the ball and the distinctive cesta used to launch it. The sport gained international attention in the early 20th century, especially in the United States, where dedicated venues and fast play helped popularize it.

Outside Basque pelota, other regional variants are played in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Caribbean nations, often using different court layouts and equipment. International and regional organizations govern the major modalities, with the International Federation of Basque Pelota (FIPV) coordinating world championships and standardized rules for the sport’s principal forms.