Ball Games

Blanket Volleyball

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball, volleyball net (if desired), and blankets or sheets for each team

Players: Small to medium groups

Set up teams and each team should have four people on it, so that there will be one person holding each corner of the blanket. Have one team serve the volleyball by placing the volleyball in the middle of the blanket. They are to lower the blanket and then raise it quickly as a team, to allow the ball to become air borne. The opposing team must catch the volleyball in their blanket and toss it back again.

Bridge Ball

Required: 2 - Fun Gripper Volley

Players: Two, four or six players

Players are in circle formation, facing in. Each is in wide straddle step with the side of the foot against the neighbors. The hands are on the knees. Two balls are used.

The object of the game is to throw one of the balls between the legs of any player before they can get their hands down and stop it. Each time the ball goes between the legs of an individual, a point is scored against that individual. The players having the least points against them are the winners.

Be sure the players catch and roll the ball rather than bat it. Players must keep their hands on their knees until a ball is thrown at them. Once mastered, a variation can be played. V

Variation: Player is in the center with a ball and is it. The other players are in the same formation as above. One ball is used. The center player tries to roll the ball through the legs of any player he or she chooses. They should fake their intent, using feints and changes of direction. Any player that allows the ball to go through their legs becomes it. All players start with hands on knees until the ball is thrown.

Bunker Hill

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or footballs, floor mats, gymnasium or similar indoor enclosed play area

Players: Large Groups

Divide into two teams. Each team will be given three mats that will be placed evenly apart at opposite sides of the gym and 2-3 soft balls to throw. The teams will place the mats on their side for protection from the opposite team. The players will try to hit the opposite team with the ball. Players are limited to holding onto the ball for only 5 seconds. If a player is hit they must go do 10 jumping jacks on the sidelines and cannot re-enter until another player from the opposite team is hit.

Cats In The Corner

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or footballs

Players: Medium to Large Groups

Mark off square play area. The ball thrower will be in the center of the square. There are safe zones at each of the corners where all the players called Cats will be. When the thrower calls "Cats In The Corner", the Cats have to run from one corner to another without getting hit by the ball. They can go any direction including diagonal as long as they do not get hit. Any player hit by the ball is out. If you have a large group you can have several balls and a couple throwers.

Chinese Soccer

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or footballs, Gymnasium or similar indoor enclosed playing area

Players: Large Groups

For the center players, it is 'very' physically demanding, so they should rotate out every three to five minutes. An older person is normally needed as a referee/timekeeper. This game requires a 'large' group of kids and has the advantage of keeping them all in play at once, as well as requiring two forms of teamwork. Suitable for an entire P.E. class or large youth group to play in a gymnasium.

Two teams form along opposite walls in a gym. All members join hands, preferably double-grip in which each player grabs the wrist of the player to each side. They defend the goal, which is the entire wall behind them, or as much wall as they can cover while all holding hands and standing in one location. Five players from each team come to center court. Their aim is to make the ball hit the wall behind the guards of the opposite team.

Rules: The guard team along the wall must continue to hold hands as they defend their wall against the oncoming ball. They defend by kicking the ball away while still holding hands. A goal is scored against them if the ball hits the wall behind the defenders 'at knee level or below', or if the defenders must break their grip on each other in order to kick the ball away.

If the ball hits wall at higher than knee level, there is no score and no penalty for breaking grip. (Thus the defenders’ best tactic is to stay back near the wall.) The center players can bat the ball with their fists, and (as in football) stop it with any part of their bodies. They cannot pick it up, nor can they dribble or bounce it higher in order to give it a good swat. In other words, "play the ball where it lies," which is usually close to the floor!

To score a goal, the center players must bat it (with fists only) past the knees or lower legs of the defenders of the opposite wall. Body-contact is limited (as in basketball). The referee may wish to impose free shots on goal as the penalty for rough play or personal fouls.

These rules mean that the center players spend much of their time bent over at the waist as they stoop to swat the ball. They tire within minutes, whereupon the referee calls "change". They join one end of the defending line and the next five players from the other end of the defending line come to the center.

Crab Soccer

Required: Fun Gripper football Ball and cones

Players: Medium to large groups

Set up two teams of 12 to 16 players and then within those teams, divide into two groups, A and B. Play in an open field or gym floor and set up two goals with the cones, one for each team.

The goal area should be about 10 feet wide. The first set of “A” players from both teams will play first. Each team will be instructed as to which goal is theirs and which is the opponents’ goal. You can assign goalie’s to protect each teams goal if need be.

The first set of players will line up on their side and the large ball will be rolled down the middle. The players must all be in a crab position (both hands and feet on the floor with bottom facing the ground).

The players will have 3-5 minutes to kick the ball into the other teams goal to score one point. Once that team has finished the other set of players from each team will come out and complete the task. The team that scores the most points or reaches 15 is the winner.

David & Goliath Dodgeball

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or footballs, Gymnasium or similar indoor enclosed playing area

Players: Large Groups

2 teams on equal sides of playing area. 2 balls in use. Players throw balls to try and hit there opponents to get them out. If a player is hit by a ball before the ball hits the ground the hit player is out.

If a player throws the ball and the ball is caught by an opponent before it hits the ground, the Thrower is out. Last team with a player still in is the winner. At least 1 referee is needed, having 2 is very helpful.

David & Goliath Twist: Prior to each round of play, each team designates a Goliath for their team and tells only the referee(s). At any time the "Goliath" is put out, either by being hit or by having a thrown ball caught,the whole team goes down. This makes for quick rounds and adds a twist to regular ball

Football Run

Required: 2 Fun Gripper Footballs and 8 orange cones Players: Small to medium groups

Space cones evenly apart with two rows for each team to have four cones on the playing field or gym floor. You can make cones out of paper if you don’t have cones and divide players into two teams.

Have the 1st person on each team carry a football while running back and forth through the cones and then back to the starting line. When they return to the beginning, they pass the football to next player in line, do 10 jumping jacks and then the next player in line can go. First team finished wins.

Four Square

Required: Play area, chalk and ball

Players: Small to medium groups

Mark off a play area six-foot square with chalk, and then evenly divide that square into four squares. Have a child stand in each square with one child holding the ball. The one with the ball will bounce the ball once in his square then tap it into another players square. The player in that square must tap the ball into another players square, after it bounced once into his square. If the ball bounces more than once into someone’s square, they are out of the game and either the square is left empty or you rotate a new player. If your volley goes out of the play area before bouncing in the grid, you’re out. If your volley goes into a square where there is no player, you’re also out.

Fugitive

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball or rubber ball

Players: Small to large groups

Select someone to be the fugitive. Everyone else is out to capture the fugitive working as a team. Capture the fugitive by hitting him below the waist with the ball. The fugitive can run anywhere within the boundaries.

The agents pass the ball to each other until they can get a good shot, they must throw it to another agent. agents can go anywhere-even outside the boundaries. Strategy involves passing the ball to someone near the fugitive who would then have a good shot. Anyone hitting the fugitive above the waist is out for the game.

Fugitive-Stake Out

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball or rubber ball

Players: Small to large groups

In this version of fugitive, the agents are positioned around the field and they cannot move from their designated spot. This makes it a less active game and better allows all ability levels to play together. Select someone to be the fugitive.

Everyone else is out to capture the fugitive, working as a team. Capture the fugitive by hitting him below the waist with the ball. The fugitive can run anywhere within the boundaries. The FBI agents pass the ball to each other until they can get a good shot at the fugitive.

The person who hits the fugitive below the waist is not the next fugitive. The person who passed him the ball is the next fugitive. Play coded by requiring the ball to be passed to at least one girl any time it touches the ground.

Players may leave their spot to get a stray ball but must go back to their spot to throw it. They must pass it to someone if they left their spot to get the ball.

Galaxy Ball

Required: 3 to 5 Fun Gripper Volleyballs or soft rubber balls Players: Small to large groups

Players form a large circle or square. Place 1 to 5 players in the center who try to avoid being hit by thrown balls. Players on the perimeter throw balls trying to hit the inner circle players at the waist or below. The player who hits someone, gets to take his or her place in the center.

Garage Volleyball

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball or rubber ball; garage door, wall, or slanted roof

Players: Two, four or six players

One team serves against the wall, and the other team must hit the ball back to the wall without catching or dropping it. Hit back and forth until dropped. If the serving team drops the ball, it loses the serve. If the other team drops the ball the serving team receives a point. Play up to fifteen points.

Hit and Sit

Required: Fun Gripper football or Volleyball

Players: Medium to large groups

To play you need 3 large soft balls and you put them in the middle of a gym. You need at least 15 people to play and everyone sits on a bench until someone says go. Everyone goes after the balls and the players that pickup one of the balls throws it at someone.

If a player is hit below the shoulders then that player has to sit. If the throwing player throws the ball at someone and that person catches the ball the throwing player is out and sits down.

The players are only aloud to take 3 steps before throwing the balls. When a throwing player throws the ball at you, you can dodge it, jump or even do a roll if you're good at gymnastics. If a player is hit above the shoulders it does not count.

Hit the Snake - Dodge Ball

Required: Fun Gripper Football or Volleyball

Players: Small to large groups

Start out with three people to form a snake, having a head, middle section and the tail with players placing hands on waist to stay attached. The remainder of the group is to form a circle around the snake. The object is to try to hit the tail of the snake with the ball.

The snake so to move around quickly to prevent this from happening. The group should pass ball round to out smart the snake to get in a shot at the tail. If the tail is hit the person that hit the snake is now the head of the snake. The tail is to take the place of the thrower back into the circle.

Kick The Can

Required: Fun Gripper Football, large play area

Players: Small to medium groups

One person is 'it'. Place the ball into the center of a field of flat playing area. Get someone to kick the ball. Everyone runs to a hiding spot except the person who is 'it' they have to run and put the ball back into the center of the field or where the ball was kicked from.

If the person who is 'it' sees someone, he or she runs to the ball and yells 1 2 3 and whoever s/he sees. If you are not caught and you kick the ball you free everyone who is caught. If everyone is caught the person who was caught first is it.

Medic Pin Tag

Required: Soft balls, bowling pins and gymnasium or similar indoor enclosed play area

Players: Large groups

Divide up into two teams. Each team will be given 5 bowling pins that will be spread out evenly on one side of the gym behind a line. The other teams bowling pins should be spaced the same on the opposite side of gym.

Each team will have one player designated as the medic who should wear some type of special jersey over their own shirt. Give each team 2-3 balls and on go they are to throw them at the other team without crossing the line.

The object is to try to knock down the other teams pins, hit the players or the medic. If a player is hit, that player must go forward in front of the line and sit down to wait for the medic. The medic will drag the player back over to their own line and that player can once again help guard the pins.

If the medic is hit, he must also go forward past the line and sit. Someone on his team must rescue him the same way but once back across the line the rescuer becomes the new medic and they will wear the jersey. The first team to knock down all the pins of the other team is the winner.

One-eyed Cat

Required: Fun Gripper Bat & Ball, two bases, two bases

Players: 4 or more players

Start out with a batter, a pitcher, a catcher, fielders, home plate and one base. Batting order will be batter, catcher, pitcher, and then fielders. Batter tries to hit the ball and run to base and back to home without getting out. Once he is out he rotates into next position which would be fielder. For each successful run he scores one point. The person with the most points is the winner.

Oscar’s Trash Can

Required: Floor mats and Fun Gripper Balls (soft-sided) Players: 4 or more players

Set up floor mats so that they are on there sides somewhat bent in the middle to stay up right. Place the mats so that they form a circle and have two players go into the circle (Oscar’s Bin). The mats will create a wall that the players outside and inside cannot see past.

The outside players will throw balls into the circle (Oscar’s Bin). The players inside the circle will throw the balls back outside of the circle. Make sure that the balls are soft-sided so that none of the players are hurt when getting hit by a ball. You can rotate new players into the circle after several minutes have passed

Pickle

Required: Open field or gym and Fun Gripper Handball

Players: Medium to large groups

Set up two throwers so that each one will stand at an end zone and one will have a handball. Have all players at one of the end zones and they must run to the other end zone without getting hit by the ball. The throwers will toss the ball back and forth until someone runs.

The thrower with the ball at that time will try to hit the runner or runners. Any runner hit by the ball is out. The runners will again run to the other end zone once all runners have made it. All throws should be below the chest or make wild players throw underhanded. The last two runners are the winners and new throwers.

Roll the Ball

Required: Sticks, ball, sandy area

Players: Small groups

This game is for a small group of 5-8 players. In a line have one small hole for each player and on the backside of the hole, one stick for each player. Instruct the players that they cannot run outside of the designated play area. Pick one player to be the ball roller.

That person will roll the ball toward one of the sticks trying not to roll it into the hole. If the ball rolls into the hole the roller will receive one more stick onto his assigned pile. They will add one stick and then pick up the ball and try to hit any player. When it rolls past the holes towards a stick, the player that has been assigned the stick will pick up the ball and try to hit one of the other players that are running around within the designated circle.

If they hit a player with their one throw, the player that was hit has to add one more stick to their pile. If the thrower misses they have to add a stick to their own pile. When you have 5 sticks in your pile you are out of the game.

Ball throwers are not allowed to move once they pick up the ball and must hit players below the waist. The last player is the winner.

Run the Gauntlet

Required: Open field or gym and Fun Gripper Handball

Players: Medium to large groups

Choose 2-4 throwers to stand on the sidelines across from each other with 2-3 balls, all balls should be on one side at a time. Players will line up at one end of the play area and they are to run to the other end of the field. If any player is hit they are out and can go to the sideline to become an additional thrower.

Once all runners have come through have them go back again. Only run them one direction at a time to prevent injury. All throws should be below the chest or make wild players throw underhanded. The last person or two are the winners.

Silent Dynamite

Required: Fun Gripper handball or Splash Water Bombs Players: Medium to large groups

You will need a ball that is soft. Choose one person out of the group to be the “Caller”. The caller will give a special command to the group.

The rest of the people who are spread out around the room then toss and catch the ball to one and another, silently (hence the name, Silent Dynamite.) If a person talks during the game that person has to go in the middle. The caller can change the command at any time.

Examples of commands are: Catch with elbows, catch with thumbs, throw with your opposite hand, spin around 3 times before throwing etc. When a person playing cannot complete the task and drops the ball that person stands or sits in the middle.

The people in the middle can try to swat down or catch the ball. If a person successfully catches the ball they can get back into the game. The game is over when there is only one person left in the game.

Soccer Ball Bowling

Required: Fun Gripper Football, 2 litre plastic bottles

Players: Small to medium groups

Have the kids set up about 10 empty plastic 2 litre bottles on a flat surface. Each player gets two tries at knocking the cans down at about 20 feet away. If one player knocks all the bottles down within his two shots he gets another turn to add to his score.

The total amount of bottles they knock down gets added to their score. You can go up to 10 complete turns and the person with the highest score wins. If played outside on the sidewalk use chalk to write down their score. This is a great game for kids to practice addition in their heads.

Spud

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball, Fun Gripper Football or soft dodge ball

Players: Small groups

Players are huddled around as one person throws the ball into the air. The person throwing the ball is to shout out someone's name. The person that was called is to get the ball and shout, . freeze!. before the other players run away. The person with the ball is to gently try to hit any player.

If a person is hit they are assigned a letter starting with S from the word Spud. If the person throwing the ball misses then they are assigned a letter. The targeted player will be the one to throw the ball. Once a player has been given all the letters to spell SPUD, they are out of the game.

Square Off

Required: Large 36" Fun Gripper Football, large play area and optional blindfolds

Players: Small to medium groups

Mark off a 12 ft by 12 ft play area in the grass for the game or on the floor if playing indoors. Place one 36" Fun Gripper ball in the middle of the large squared play area. Divide up players into 4 teams.

Each team will be assigned one of the sides of the square and one player from each team will enter the play area. The players will try to push the large ball across the line on their side of the play area. They will do this without their hands so have those hands behind their backs and they are not allowed to kick the ball.

They are to only use their shoulders and head to move the ball. The first player to get the ball across their side scores one point for his/her team. The next player in each team will do the same and the team with the most points wins.

For older players you can blindfold the players and they will have to rely on their team for directions. You can also vary this game by making the players move the ball while in the crab walk position.

Target Ball

Required: Play area, chalk and ball

Players: Small to medium groups

The player in that square must tap the ball into another players square, after it bounced once into his square. If the ball bounces more than once into someone’s square, they are out of the game and either the square is left empty or you rotate a new player.

If your volley goes out of the play area before bouncing in the grid, you’re out. If your volley goes into a square where there is no player, you’re also out.

Three Man Step

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or Soccer balls, large play area Players: Large groups

You need a large running area. Outside playground, gym, or open classroom works great. You need a soft throwing ball, safe for throwing at children. I occasionally throw in a punch by adding another ball for the challenge. Children ages 5-12 are best for this activity.

The game starts when one person throws the ball up. The rest of the children are either running from the direction it is thrown or trying to catch the ball. The object is to eliminate players by hitting them with the ball. (Be sure to hit them in a safe area. My NO zones are the head unless they duck and the private areas.)

One person catches the ball for a serve. He then can only take three steps toward another player and throw the ball at him. If the player is hit they are out and must sit where they were hit by the ball. They can tag others that run by them but they must be sitting flat on their bottom while tagging. They can also throw the ball if it comes close enough to them without moving.

If the opposing player takes more than three steps we do not count it out, it was an area of argument too many times trying to prove who was right? The game continues in this manner until two players remain at which time the play area is made smaller until the game is done with one victorious.

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