Xare

The racquet.

Xare is racquet sport, a form of Basque pelota. Equipment includes a racquet and a ball. The ball is not exactly struck, nor is it quite caught—the effect is somewhere in between. The ball is very hard, and covered in parchment. The game is played in a special indoor court, called a trinquete. For xare, a net is strung across the middle of the trinquete, and the players face each other, as in tennis. Xare players wear helmets that are similar to those used in cycling.