Four square
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Four square (disambiguation).
Four Square is a sport usually played by children and experiencing an adult revival in many places around the world. The game consists of four players and a ball on a square court.
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[edit] Other Names and Flavors
Depending on the geographic or demographic area, four square may be known by many other names. Some of the most common names include:
- Australia: Hand Tennis, Handball, Downball, Tenison 8
- New Zealand: Handball, 4 Square, 6 Square or 8 Square
- USA: Boxball or Handball (FL, NY) Square Ball (MA), King Square or King's Court (WA)
- Canada: Champ, Smash (QC)
[edit] Basic Gameplay
Four Square only requires a ball and a court made of four squares. With such little required equipment, almost no setup, and short rounds of play that can be ended at any time, it is a popular playground game. Gameplay varies significantly from region to region; this section will make basic gameplay clear regardless of the regional flavor. Refer to sections below to learn about special, custom or regional rules and variants.
[edit] The Objective
The objective of the game is to work one's way from square one to square four by eliminating players in higher squares. The player in square four is regarded as the king and has the privilege of both serving the ball and implementing any number of custom rules (see custom rules section). Generally speaking, the longer a player remains in square four then the more points or street credit that player earns.
Each time a player is eliminated, all remaining players move to the next highest available square until square one is open. A new player, who has been waiting in a nearby line will then join in square one to start a new round. Any number of players may be waiting outside the court for their turn.
[edit] Balls and Boundaries
There are many varieties of balls with which this game is played, they range from 2 1/4 inch racquetball sizes up to 10 or 12-inch football/soccer sized balls, and are generally high in elasticity. Generally the size of the ball is taken into consideration for the age and skill range of the players.
Four square is played on a square court divided into four smaller squares of equal size. Different communities use different size courts, and often different rules. For example, the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA uses a 14 foot court, the Boston based Squarefour court is 16 feet, while The International 4-Square League uses a 20 foot court.
Most commonly, the outside lines of the court are considered 'inbounds' meaning a ball may land on any portion of an outside line and still be in play. Often, the inside lines are considered 'out of bounds' and balls landing on any portion of an inside line are considered faults. A popular abbreviation of these rules is known as 'inside-out, outside-in'. Of course, balls landing outside the court are considered faults as well.
[edit] Starting Gameplay and Service
Each round of the game begins with the player in four square serving the ball. The serve is intended to put the ball into play fairly and must be reasonably returnable by the first receiving player. From this point on, regular gameplay follows until a player is eliminated.
[edit] Regular Gameplay
Players must allow the ball to land once in a square, and the owner of that square is required to return the ball into any other player's square by hitting or striking the ball with his or her hands. This hit may be a single hand or both hands but must be cleanly hit with no carrying or fumbling. Once the ball lands in a new player's square then that player must continue to return it, and so forth, until one player makes an error and is eliminated from the court.
[edit] Errors and Elimination
There are several specific items that would count as an error and cause a player to be eliminated. In the most basic rules of the game, players may be eliminated for the following errors:
- A player fails to properly return a ball after it has touched his or her square. Failing to return the ball could mean that the player hit the ball out of bounds, into his or her own square, the ball was hit on an inside line (see Balls and Boundaries above), or the player failed to touch the ball after it has touched his or her square.
- A player fails to hit the ball using a singular, distinctive hit. These are often referred to as double-hits, carries, or holds.
- A player fails to abide by the custom rules for the round (see custom rules section).
Again, eliminated players move off the court and all remaining players move up to the next highest square leaving square one open for a new player to join.
[edit] Officiation and Judging
Four square is a fast game and often played by younger children. It is difficult to self-govern a game of four square under these circumstances and it is important to create some form of officiation or judging. In some locations, the first person in line is given the task of officiating the current round. This "line judge" takes the authority in a four square game for calling which player is in error and who should be eliminated.
There are countless democratic ways in which disputes with officials or between players may be settled. Each region or playground often develops its own rules.
[edit] Common Varieties
[edit] Customized and Stylized Rules
The potential to customize and reinvent special rules for four square is limitless. Here we chronicle a sizeable volume of user submitted rules from all over the world. These are not necessarily standardized rules but are intended to give a sampling of the potential and creativity of this simple game.
For a composite list of common server rules, see Individual server rules in Four Square.
[edit] American Regional Rules
- Four Square in the United States is more commonly played with the larger ( 8, 10 or 12-inch) rubber balls.
- Court size is not standardized. For example, in New York courts are often made of four adjacent sidewalk squares.
- It is most common to name the squares in numerical order.
[edit] Australian and New Zealand Regional Rules
- In Australian and New Zealand schools it is common to play with 2, 6, 8 or more squares, although the most common version still uses only four. The court is usually two squares wide, the additional squares adding length.
- The courts of Australia unlike America are not numbered. However squares are given the titles "Ace", "King", "Queen" and "Dunce". "Ace" being the best, followed by "King" then "Queen" and finally "Dunce". The amount of substitutes present determine which of these square's players can be substituted when out.
- In the Australian rules a player is required to hit the ball into their own square and have it bounce into other courts from there, and hitting it directly into the other persons court is called "a full" (hitting the ball into another square on the full) or "lob ball".
- In the Australian rules if the ball lands on any of the lines(inside or outside), it is deemed "Lines" and the ball is either stopped and gameplay restarted or the call "Lines" which means that one drops the ball on the line of fault, and whichever box the ball bounces in plays on. "My favours" is a term that is sometimes used to determine who is in charge of the "lines" call for each line fault. Whoever says "My favours" first gets to do the call.
- Tennis balls are most commonly used during gameplay.
- Some schools use an "elimination round" if the game must be called due to the end of recess or other free time. The game play is identical to that of a normal situation, however when a player is out, whether through a winner or an error, they are eliminated from the game entirely, until just two players are left to play off for the title of elimination champion.
- It must be remembered that rules vary from school to school. In particular, school children often invent ways for the game to be played on irregularly shaped courts formed by any network of lines or expansion gaps on a concrete or paved surface - even going around corners and venturing into passageways, incorporating rebounds off the walls or roof into the gameplay.
- Another less common variant is incorporating a double/team play aspect into the game, where players compete in a partnership. A less common rule that sometimes stems from this variant is allowing a smash 'set'. This is usually achieved in defense of a particularly hard to reach attack: one player 'lobs' the ball up within his own court, after letting it bounce once his partner can then deliver a counter-attack.
[edit] Making the Game Harder
If the ball is replaced with a tennis ball, the game of four square becomes far more difficult. This is commonplace in England and Australia, to the point where it is actually the schoolyard norm, with the majority of players using tennis balls.
This can be continued further by using a racquetball, which is both smaller (2 1/4 inches to a tennis ball's 3 inches), and faster (bounces more, and is not slowed down by fur, as a tennis ball is.)
Another way to make the game more difficult is to keep score. Keeping count of the number of times one reaches square four can create a more fierce competition. Some communities have developed similar rules for competitive play, sometimes over a long period of time. Squarefour and The International 4-Square League both use systems of scoring that give numbers or averages related to the total rounds a player stays in the fourth square.
[edit] World Championships
The Four Square World Championships take place in Bridgton, Maine, USA, each winter season. Peter Lowell of the Lakes Environmental Association hosts this annual fundraiser each January to support the environmental work done in the lakes region. This hotly contested competition draws players from all over New England and has seen challengers arrive from countries including Canada, Israel and Bermuda.
The January 28, 2006, World Championships awarded top titles to Men's Champion Patrick Miller of Burlington, VT, and two-time Ladies Champion Dana Ostberg of Jamaica Plain, MA (both members of Squarefour). Awards were also given to two-time Senior Men's Champion Tom (Uncle Tommy) Stockwell, Senior Ladies Champ Eleanor Nicholson, Junior Champs Ben Stockwell and Erica Chute and the Audience Favorite Award was issued to the Boston College Four Square Team.
