Start

The game starts with a throw-off from the center of the court after the
referee's whistle. The team taking the throw-off must be on its own
half of the court, and the opponents must be at least three meters (9
feet, 10 inches) from the thrower. The thrower tries to throw the ball to
a member of his/her own team. A goal may be scored directly from a
throw-off. The throw-off occurs after every goal and is often taken
quickly. To allow for faster play, after a goal is scored, the game can
resume before all opponents are back on their side of the court (the
team taking the throw-off, however, must still be on its own half).

Touching
A player may stop, catch, throw, bounce or strike the ball in any
manner and in any direction, using hands, fists, arms, head, body,
thighs or knees. However, a player may not intentionally touch the ball
with any part of the body below the knee. The ball is almost always
played with the hands.

Possession
A player in possession of the ball may stand stationary for only three
seconds before shooting, passing or dribbling. A player may not touch
the ball more than once, unless it has touched the ground, touched
another player, or bounced off a goal post (in other words, a player
can't pass to himself/herself).

Dribbling
Players typically advance the ball down the court by passing it
between each other. A player in possession of the ball may not take
more than three steps without shooting, passing or dribbling the ball.
In handball, dribbling typically involves bouncing the ball and catching
it - a slight variation from the more fluid dribbling associated with
basketball.
Defense
Defensive players may not hold, hit, push or trip an offensive player.
Among the tactics a defensive player may use to gain control of the
ball are using the flat part of the hand to knock the ball away from the
offensive player, and obstructing the opponent with the body, whether
or not the player has the ball. It is forbidden to snatch the ball with one
or both hands or violently strike or slap the ball from an opponent's
hands. Offensive players may set basketball-style screens in order to
shield or free a teammate from a defensive player.

Goalkeeping
Only the goalkeeper may dive for and trap the ball when it is stationary
or rolling on the ground in the goal area. Once the goalkeeper leaves
the goal area, the athlete must adhere to the same rules as field
players. Other players may dive for a bouncing ball and tap it or throw
it quickly to a teammate, but they cannot trap the ball with their feet.

Goal area
Only the goalkeeper is permitted to enter the goal area, and the other
players are not allowed to touch the ball when it is on the ground in
the goal area.

Fouls
If the player committing a foul is on the team not in possession of the
ball, the referee may allow the play to continue until the offensive team
scores a goal, loses possession or the action stops for other
circumstances such as a free throw. This prevents an offensive
advantage from being lost due to an undesired stoppage of play.
Depending on the severity of a foul, a free throw or penalty throw can
be awarded.
Yellow Cards
In case of excessive roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct, a player
is warned by the referee and shown a yellow card, as in soccer. The
next infraction, the player will have to sit out two minutes, and his/her
team must play short-handed. A second such penalty on the same
player garners another two-minute suspension and a third infraction
results in a red card and the player is disqualified from the game. The
penalized team then must play the next two minutes short-handed
before being able to return to even strength. Punishments are
normally given incrementally, but particularly severe violations may
lead to immediate two-minute suspensions or disqualifications. After a
team receives three yellow cards, all subsequent violations must result
in two-minute penalties.

Out of bounds
If the entire ball passes across the sideline, the team that last touched
the ball loses possession and the other team is awarded a throw-in.

Substitutions
There is no limit on substitutions, which can be made during the
action, as in hockey, or during a time out. During play, the athlete
entering the game must wait until the player s/he is replacing has
completely cleared the playing field. Faulty substitutions are punished
by a two-minute suspension for the offending player.