Matkot: Israel’s unofficial national sport

You may have heard repetitive loud “popping” sounds when walking along the Tel Aviv-Jaffa boardwalk.

Those are the sounds of matkot, what many Israelis consider the country’s national sport.

Matkot is a simple, non-competitive paddle ball game in which two people hit a small rubber ball back and forth in the air using wood rackets. It’s usually played on or near the beach, which is why some players refer to it as beach tennis. The game gets its name from the Hebrew word matka, which means racket. To try your hand at matkot on the beaches surrounding Sea Executive Suites hotel.