what does jai-alai mean
i think it is a sport but what sport
8 Answers
OI!! 
Similar to racquet ball?? Not a chance! Jai-alai is the 'international' name of one of the most well known variants of 'pelota vasca', or 'euskal pilota', originating in the Basque Country. It's played with a slender basquet, on a long court with an open side, and each player attempts to catch, not hit, the ball. Then they throw it back at the wall by making it roll inside the basquet as they rotate it at great speed (of course that happens very fast, in less than about 1.5s after first making contact with the ball). Its actual Basque name is 'Zesta punta', and it's played in a venue called 'pilotalekua' or 'frontoia' (also known as Jai-Alai out of the Basque Country). The actual rules are somewhat different to the system that was made popular in the States, I think, where they used to rotate the players very often or something weird.
Actually 'Zesta Punta' is just one of a variety of ball games played in those venues, including 'esku pilota' (played with the hands covered with tape), 'pala' (played with small, hard wooden racquets), 'erremontea' (similar to 'Zesta Punta', and sometimes mistaken for it), etc..
Here is a Wikipedia page about Jai-alai:
- In English ----> Jai-alai, or
- En español ----> Cesta punta
Here is a game in play to watch ----> Game
It usually means "Don't come home if you lose the money"
it is a Basque sport explained above. It is played a lot in Florida. Jai alai in basque = fiesta alegre en español, happy party in English.--- Sergio
i think it is a sport but what sport
Well, yeah, it's a sport that involves a ball as are soccer, American football, basketball, volleyball, cricket and billiards. There, are, however, differences.
Until reading the link posted, I had no idea it originated in the Basque country. Interesting!
basket ball
