Frescobol is an up-and-coming racket sport that is starting to show up on beaches in the USA. I had the pleasure of playing the beach sport of Frescobol this weekend at the the beautiful Windansea Beach in La Jolla with Karina from Joga Paddles. Her team is on a mission to bring the Brazilian paddle ball game of Frescobol to every beach in the Country and I think she can succeed! It’s a simple game that can be played with 2 or more people and consists of 2 beach paddles and a ball.

The Name Frescobol:

This game seems to have many different names depending on what Country you are playing in. In Brazil it is called Frescobol. A similar game goes by the name of Matkot if you are on the beaches of Isreal. If you reside in Italy the game would be known as Raccettoni. In Mexico you would call this beach paddle game Paleta. The closest thing we have in the States right now is Smash Ball, but this doesn’t really even compare. When this sport catches on the in the States, and I think it will in the next few years, we will call the game Frescoball or Frescobol as they call it in Brazil.

History of Frescobol.

We all know that Racquet sports date back Centuries, but this specific variation of the racket game we are calling Frescobal was invented in Copacabana, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in the 1940’s. The game is played with 2 wooden beach bats and a lively bouncy ball. The rackets are 19”-20” long and can weigh anywhere from 10 - 15 ounces. The balls are made of rubber and are 2.25” in diameter and are very lively and bouncy similar to a racquetball.

How to play Fresobol:

The game of Frescobol has no winner and no loser, because you are not playing against the other player, but rather you are playing with them. Both players are part of the same team and they are striving to hit the ball back and forth with as much power and speed as they can and as many times as they can. You should try to help your partner by hitting a shot that they can return instead of trying to win the game. To start just space out 15 - 20 feet and slowly start hitting the ball back and forth increasing the speed as you get better.

Rules of Frescobol:

There really are no formal rules for Frescobol. Just space apart about 15-20 feet from your partner and try to keep the ball in the air as long as you can. Work with your partner to hit powerful shots back and forth. I guess the only rule is to have fun.

Benefits of Frescobol:

Playing Frescobol will definitely get you a good workout and you will use some new muscles while you are at it. I enjoyed playing the game and I think it will definitely become a popular beach sport in the USA in the coming years. It’s nice to play a game with a partner instead of an adversary. It’s a nice change to work with your partner instead of trying to defeat them. Anyone that can hold the beach bat can play, so ages 6-100 can enjoy this game. If you have the chance you should definitely give this up-and-coming game a shot. I think you will enjoy it.