Frescoball

Frescoball is the sound of the Brazilian beach. For the uninitiated, you may prefer to use the term ‘bat n ball’. The rhythmical noise of the rubber ball bouncing between two or three wooden bats can have a mesmerising effect on those watching. Generally played at the edge of the sea when the beaches are full of people, what seems like a strange activity with no points, no score and no winners and losers, frescoball can be engrossing for an hour or two once you find your range. Before then, the sport is called Buscobal, as most of the time novices are wandering up and down the beach and into the waves iafter a loose shot.

The bats-n-ball-in-a-bag sets can be found in any sports or souvenir shop around the island quite cheaply, R$15 and upwards. Then all it takes is a little bit of patience until you can play for some minutes without losing your dignity. It takes years of practice to get to the levels of some frescoball players that you find on Brazilian beaches though. Don’t forget that some of these people were born and brought up on the beach, so don’t get disillusioned.