Seaside Courts in Coney Island

On any given day, these courts are the home to the greatest handball players in the world. I was lucky enough to grow up on these courts. I learned to play handball against some really good players. Usually when I played doubles, I was on the court for about one game. I really liked handball but the game that my buddies and me really liked to play was paddleball. Same rules as handball but with a small black ball and a wooden paddle. You used the same court as handball and the same rules, except for the hand part.

We would have our favorite courts to play on. We used to use the courts at Coney Island Hospital because it was enclosed and you didn't have to chase the ball too far. The only draw back was it was right outside the methadone clinic at Coney Island Hospital. We might take our game to the paddleball courts in the schoolyard at P.S. 209, but the wall was really rough and when the ball got away from you, it was quite a hike. And the fences around these courts had opening that were way too big. If a ball got away and headed to the fence, you knew it was going through and onto Coney Island Avenue. There were a lot of screams of "Chips on the ball!!!".

Every once in awhile you could get a game of paddleball going at Seaside Courts but that usually didn't last once the guys playing handball would show up. I would love to sit on the boardwalk that over looked these courts and just watch the games. You had the Atlantic Ocean to your back and Seaside Courts right below you. The action and the showmanship from these courts was amazing. I am so glad that I found the above video and still can see that this is one of the things of my Brooklyn that has not changed.





If the above video will not open go to this link:

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/06/03/nyregion/100000000847536/hand-to-hand-combat.html