Ball games

Blanket Volleyball

Required: Fun Gripper Volleyball, volleyball net (if desired),
and blankets or sheets for each team
Players: Small to medium groups

You can use a volleyball net if you prefer, but not necessary. 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 or Soccer balls
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. 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 Soccer balls, 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.

Chinese Soccer

Required: Fun Gripper Volley or Soccer balls, 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 PhysEd 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 ball hits wall at higher than knee level, there is no score and no penalty for breaking grip. (Thus the defendersˇ best tactic is to stay back near the wall.)
The center players can bat the ball with their fists, and (as in soccer) 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: 36" Fun Gripper Soccer 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 opponentsˇ goal. You can assign goalieˇs 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 Soccer balls, Gymnasium or similar indoor enclosed playing area
Players: Large Groups

Play as Dodge ball rules: 2 teams on equal sides of playing area. 2 Dodgeballs in use. Players throw dodge 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 dodge ball.

Five Dollars

Required: Fun Gripper Baseball, Bat, and mitts (softball, hardball, whiffle ball or Fun Gripper Ball)
Players: All neighboring kids including handicapped

Everyone goes to the outfield expect the batter. The batter hits the ball from toss or batting tee. The outfield receives points as follows: One dollar for fly catch, fifty cents for one bounce catch and twenty-five cents for the one who picks up a grounder.
The first person to receive five dollars in points bats next. Great for math skills and variations of counting help those with different learning styles.

Five Pin Soccer

Required: Fun Gripper Soccer Ball, Volleyball or rubber ball
Players: Small to large groups

A really fun, all-involved game that builds soccer skills. Place teams at opposite ends of a gym or field.
Place five 2-liter plastic soda bottles in the center of the field. A little gravel in the bottle helps it to stand up and creates more noise and excitement when hit.
At the start signal, players kick balls from behind their line trying to knock down a pin. The player who knocks down a pin must run out and set the pin back up. Score 1 point for each pin knocked down. First to five wins.
You can have more skilled players play less skilled by placing the lesser skilled players closer to the pins.
It can also be played with four teams arranged in a square around the pins.

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 construction paper if you donˇt 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. If you have a big field or playing area, you can make the kids run up to a line away from the team and pick the football up, then when they return they can spike the football like a pro-team would do when a touchdown is made. You would want the teammates to be pretty far back away from the start line so they don't get hit with the ball. Have fun.

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 someoneˇs 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, youˇre out. If your volley goes into a square where there is no player, youˇre also out.