Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of seven players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chennai during the 1940s. Like volleyball, the game's roots are closely linked with the YMCA. Both volleyball and newcomb ball, while older games, share many similarities with throwball. Throwball rules were first drafted in 1955 and India's first national level championship was played in 1980.

According to the Throwball Federation of India, throwball is thought to have been drawn from a recreational sport popular among women in England and Australia during the 1930s.^{[citation needed]} The YMCA brought the game to Chennai, where it was played as a women's sport in the 1940s.^{[citation needed]} Harry Crowe Buck, who had founded the YMCA College of Physical Education in Chennai, drafted guidelines for throwball rules and regulations in 1955. The game reached Bangalore in the 1950s.