Handball (Australian rules football)

Luke Hodge preparing to execute a handball with his left hand. In a properly executed handball, the player holds the ball with one hand and punches the ball away with the clenched fist of the other.
Neville Jetta handballing with his left. Australian rules players use opposite fists to pass to the left or right.
Heath Scotland executes a right hand rocket handpass to a teammate while under pressure.

The handball or handpass is a ball-passing skill in the sport of Australian rules football. As throwing the ball is not allowed in Australian football, passing to a fellow player are executed either by kicking, or by a controlled "punch" with one hand holding the ball while the other knocking it into flight (typically in a fashion similar to an uppercut or an underhand volleyball serve). Handballing is the primary means of disposing the ball quickly and over short distances in Australian football.

Handball revolutionized the game in the 1980s, moving it from the classic kick-and-mark style of play (which runs the risk of the pass being contested and intercepted by opposing players) to a fast run-and-carry style that emphasizes maintaining possession and rapid ball movements down the field, which has typified the game since. The most prolific handballers in the history of the Australian Football League: Lachie Neale, Greg Williams, Scott Pendlebury, Josh Kennedy and Adam Treloar have averaged more than 13 handballs a game.