1. PALANT-BALL /
SCHLAGBALL
The traditional sport
in Upper Silesia

2. Short description of the traditional sport
The name of the sport
• Piłka palantowa = Palant-ball ( former
Polish Palant Ball Association – Polski Związek
Piłki Palantowej.
• palant – quite inappropriate word for a sport.
• Schalagball – german word for the sport,
very popular in Silesia before WW2 and
nowadays used commonly in Cyprzanow’s
Palant-ball Association („Schlagball Team”).

3. Other bat-and ball sports
–Baseball
–Cricket
–Softball
–Oina
–Lapta (RU)
–Vanaske Šore (SRB)
–Meta (H)

4. Short description of the traditional sport
The history of Cyprzanow’s
palant-ball
• Piłka palantowa / Schlagball in Poland
and in Germany.
• The peak development of Schlagball in Upper
Silesia before and after the WW2.
• 1918 – the first in Cyprzanow (at that time
Jannowitz) sport association ever -
Spielverein Jannowitz is a Schlagball
association).

6. Spielverein Jannowitz as the Silesian
vice-champion in Schlagball in 1929

7. Cyprzanow’s palant-ball team as vice-champion
of Poland in 1982

8. Short description of the traditional sport
The history of Cyprzanow’s
palant-ball
• The gradual recession of Palant-ball sports
in Silesia after 1980.
• The recent efforts in rejuvenating palant-
ball/Schlagball in Upper Silesia, Poland
and Germany.

9. Playing palant in Grabów

11. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long

12. Short description of the traditional sport
The field (polish rules)

13. Short description of the traditional sport
The field
(german rules)

14. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment:
– The ball – leather, spherical ball stuffed with
horsehair and rubber; with circumference
of 17-19,5cm and weight of 80-120g.

15. Short description of the traditional sport
The (palant) ball

16. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment:
– The ball – leather, spherical ball stuffed with
horsehair and rubber; with circumference of ca.
17-19,5cm and weight of 80-120g.
– The bat – wooden stick, made all from the same
wood (usually ash or pine wood); about 130cm
long (the max. length)

17. Short description of the traditional sport
The bat

18. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment:
– The ball – leather, spherical ball stuffed with
horsehair and rubber; with circumference of ca.
17-19,5cm and weight of 80-120g.
– The bat – wooden stick, made all from the same
wood (usually ash or pine wood); about 130cm
long (the max. length), round in a section, with a
diameter of 2,5-4,5cm in its striking part.

19. Short description of the traditional sport
The bat

20. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment
• The players – 2 teams, 12 players each

21. The palant-ball team
(picture from the year 1929)

22. The current palant-ball team of Cyprzanow
The current team of Cyprzanow

23. Short description of the traditional sport
Two teams

24. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment
• The players – 2 teams, 12 players each
– The minimum number of the players is 7 (at the
beginning of the game)
– The teams can be mixed (contain both men and
women)

25. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment
• The players – 2 teams, 12 players each
• The playing time – 2x30min with 10min break

26. Short description of the traditional sport
The rules of the game
• The field – rectangle, 25m wide and 65m long
• The sports equipment
• The players – 2 teams, 12 players each
• The playing time – 2x30min with 10min break
• The goal of the game

27. The flick-up (striking the ball)

31. Flicking up the ball

32. Running to the „safe hause”

33. Catching the ball

35. Exchange of the ball

37. Taking the opponent player

38. Taking the opponent player

39. Taking the opponent player

41. In the „safe hause”

44. The goals of Cyprzanow Palant-ball Association
Our goals
• Training young people and teaching them
palant-ball rules.
• Introducing palant-ball in public schools.
• Building relations with other polish palant-ball
associations in order to reestablish Polish
Palant Ball Association.
• International exchange of ideas with other
bat-and-ball sport associations in order to
establish European Federation of Bat-and-Ball
Sports.

45. The activities of Cyprzanow Palant-ball Association
Our activities
• Popularizing palant-ball, especially among
school children and young people.
• Promoting palant-ball in local and public
media.
• Organizing national and international palant-
ball tournaments and sport competitions.
• Establishing international relations with other
bat-and-ball sport associations (from
Germany, Romania, Russia).