The tchoukball charter
The game excludes any pursuit of prestige, whether personal or collective.
On a personal level, a player’s attitude must involve respect for every other player, whether opponent or teammate, regardless of whether they are stronger or weaker.
As the game is open to all abilities, whether innate or acquired, one will inevitably encounter players of all levels; the respect and consideration due to each player obliges every player to adapt their own technical and tactical behaviour to the circumstances of the moment.
On a collective level, a result, whatever it may be, never compromises anyone’s reputation and, above all, does not justify any form of “sectarianism”r. A victory may bring pleasure, even joy, but never a sense of pride. The joy of winning is an encouragement; arrogance in victory carries with it a struggle for prestige, which we condemn as a source of conflict between people, at every level.
The game involves a constant “dedication”: first, constant monitoring of the ball’s movements; second, objective and sympathetic observation of the players. This dedication is a subjective engagement with the events; it results in personalities becoming “entangled” in the mutual interplay of reactions to the game:
- The sense of the team’s collective performance: it binds teammates together; it teaches them to value and appreciate one another; it creates a sense of unity in the small group’s effort.
- The assimilation of the attitudes of the so-called “opposing” group, with whom one must play a strategic game but one that never, under any circumstances, involves a sense of hostility.
- The primary concern of every player must be the pursuit of beauty of play. The universal experience in sport is summed up by the common saying: ‘Beautiful play begets beautiful play’.
This mindset forms the basis of Tchoukball’s social ethos: it enables players to strive for perfection whilst always avoiding negative behaviour towards their opponents.
It is more than just a rule of the game; it is a permanent code of conduct, a psychological component of behaviour, and the foundation of social character.
The aim is therefore the elimination of conflict through a shared intention: the concept of “fair play” being outdated, it is not a matter of concessions made to the opponent, but of joint actions binding the teams together, where one team’s beauty of play supports and enables the other’s.
The game becomes a social exercise through physical activity: it involves pooling resources, with the best players taking on the responsibility of ‘teaching’ the less skilled; there is no real championship, but rather a race for ‘skill’.
When we say that “the best win”, it must be understood that “being the best” is achieved through the quality of preparation. It is therefore fitting that the results should reward the effort put in by the players, first individually and then as a collective effort.
Within these limits, a victory can and should bring normal satisfaction, accompanied by respect for the opponent.
Victory should inspire the opponent (to strive to do the same) rather than leaving them feeling crushed. Winners must strive to create this impression. A healthy sense of satisfaction among the victors is a way of reaching out to the losers to encourage them to continue training effectively.
For these reasons, the notion of a ‘champion’ must give way to a more modest and better-suited concept: that of a ‘winner’.
Playing to improve: this is the sentiment that all sporting activity must embody and foster. It is towards this conclusion that the practice of Tchoukball must strive, from the smallest friendly match to the most serious confrontation ‘at the summit’.