Ga-ga
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Ga-ga or Gaga ball is a form of dodgeball that is thought to have originated in Israel. "Ga" (גע) means "hit" in Hebrew. Along with the racquet sport of Matkot, ga-ga is one of the most popular Israeli folk sports. The game has also gained popularity in English-speaking countries ranging from Great Britain to Australia, especially in Jewish communities. For example, many Jewish American summer camps have special ga-ga arenas or so-called "pits" in which to play. Gaga ball is a popularly played game URJ Camps, Camp Ramah and Young Judaea branches. The game is also popular at Pace Camp in Atlanta, Georgia, John Knox Ranch Presbyterian summer camp in Fischer, Texas and The Lohikan Summer Camps (Camp Lohikan, Camp Cayuga & Camp Lake Greeley) in PA. Sometimes it is even played at night or extreme gagaball with a hose and lots of mud.
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[edit] Game Play/Rules
Ga-ga is played within an octagonal enclosure when available, or in any other space that is completely enclosed by surrounding walls. A ga-ga pit may be any size as there are no official dimensions. The objective of the game is to eliminate players by hitting a ball with an open hand into the region at or below his or her knees. That player is then out and must leave the playing area. Carrying, throwing, or catching the ball after a bounce also results in elimination. Hitting the ball, unobstructed, out of bounds is grounds for elimination. Anyone who hits another player in the head with the ball is also out. Pushing a player into the ball and any other physical contact is also a violation. This and other matters of dispute are settled by the game's judges. Traditionally, only a single ball is in play at a time in ga-ga. However, modified versions may use multiple balls, which increases the difficulty for players who must defensively keep track of the positions of the ball, even while they offensively control the action of one of the balls. Use of multiple balls also tends to shorten the duration of a game, by allowing for more speedy elimination of players.
The game is started by bouncing the ball and repeating the word "ga" on the first three bounces. After three bounces the ball is in play and the players may leave the wall. Any player touching the ball or leaving the wall before the third bounce is considered out. This is also the procedure for resuming the game after a stoppage of play. Stoppages of play result from the ball being hit out of bounds. A player being hit at or below his or her knees is not grounds for a stoppage of play. The winner is the last player left in the playing area or the ball going out of bounds.
[edit] Elimination
- Being hit on or below the knees with the ball.
- Leaving the pit or using the pit walls to jump.
- Touching the ball twice without it touching the wall or a person first.
- Hitting the ball out of the pit without it richocheting off another person or the wall.
- Catching the ball after it hits the ground or the wall.
- Scooping/carrying the ball (as opposed to just hitting it.)
- Hitting the ball before it bounces
[edit] The Ball and Playing Surface
Balls as small as a tennis ball or as large as a beachball are sometimes used. The ball used depends vastly on the desired speed of the game and the practicality of the ball given the terrain. The surface of a pit may be paved or composed of dirt, sand, or even grass. Injuries however, may result from harder surfaces.
[edit] Adaptation for home play (Israeli Gaga)
Many places do not have a gaga pit; an enclosed building or area (play room, half basketball court, etc) are used instead.
A common variant for home play is Israeli Gaga; which entails the same rules as regular Gaga, but there is no pit, you simply play in a yard or open area, usually rules are changed to allow infinite hits without rebounds or an increased limit, as well as some other area you are not allowed to hit out of over a few feet (neighbors yard).
[edit] Variations
- Ga-ga can be played with a large group of people playing for themselves, a group of people working as a team against another group, or a series of one-on-one matches.
- Ga-ga can be played in any enclosed space. As the game progresses however, the ratio of open space to remaining players increases. To avoid lengthy matches many players may sometimes form a human wall composed of elimated players to decrease the size of the playing area. The human wall acts in just the same way a regular wall does, and can be moved at the judge's discretion. If the walls are made of over turned tables and benches, usually they are moved in instead.
Ga-ga is a game enjoyed by all ages - To avoid the problem of players simply kneeling down and covering the exposed area below their knees with their hands, some variations require that a player cannot stay in the same position for any longer than three seconds. The first offense results in a warning from the judge, and the second offense results in elimination. In some places, while kneeling a player can be hit anywhere and be eliminated.
- Some versions require that only a player's hands and feet can touch the ground. This prevents players from falling to their knees as a defensive maneuver.
- Usually the winner of a game has the honor of either calling out "ga, ga, ga" from the wall of the enclosure or throwing the ball in the pit, thus initiating play.
- In another version of ga-ga a player is not eliminated if he or she is hit by the ball directly on the knees, but only in areas below.
- Also, several variations allow additional touches of the ball without hitting the wall or another player.
- A few camps in New England (New England Keswick, Monadnock Bible Camp, and Lakeside Christian Camp) play with some variations including the height of the pit's walls (about a foot) and the ball used (a tennis ball instead)
[edit] Representative Injuries of Ga-ga
[edit] "Ga-ga Knuckle"
"Ga-ga Knuckle" is a common injury associated with ga-ga. The injury is nicknamed as such because it results from the player's knuckles scraping against the playing surface in an attempt to hit the ball, and the most common symptom is bleeding knuckles. The injury most commonly afflicts players who hit with a closed fist. In most circumstances the injury is treated with a quick trip to the camp nurse, who may apply some hydrogen peroxide to the wound and cover it with a bandage. The injury is painful on turf or dirt surfaces, but can be especially severe if the surface is paved. The scars resulting from a "ga-ga knuckle" wound may take a week or more to heal. To prevent this specific injury a baseball glove is sometimes employed to the "Ga Ga" hand. Players may also choose to wrap tube socks on their hands to prevent injury.
[edit] Knocked Heads
Players attempting to gain offensive control of the ball may collide headfirst while sprinting toward the ball, especially when the ball has stopped in a neutral area away from other players. Because players are looking downward toward the ball and are running with their heads in the lead position, this can lead to collisions and head injuries. It is also common for players to get hit in the face by the ball.
[edit] Regional and Location-Specific Ga-ga Specialties
Camp Idylwold
Founded in 1916 and closed in 1987, the camp served as the birthplace for what is now called ga-ga, a game that follows the identical form and rules to a game invented by John Crosley in the late 1950's. Many counselors at the camp were foreign nationals and it is likely that an Israeli took "Crosleyball" back to Israel following the summer, and changed the name to "hit-it," or ga-ga in Hebrew. The game was a favorite rainy day activity as campers waited for the "Crosleyball in the lodge" announcement by the legendary Al Macintosh. The lodge's benches were turned sideways to make a large "pit." Campers often put socks or other makeshift items on their "hitting" hand to avoid scraped knuckles. Crosleyball even became a featured team event at the summer-ending "color war," with the most famous game involving young Marc Davies Lederman single-handedly defeating seven players from the opposing side, including a counselor.
[edit] The Perth Ga-ga scene in the 1980s
Ga-ga, most likely introduced by either Israeli madrichim (counselors) or perhaps Australian madrichim returning from Israel, had been played amongst the Jewish community of Perth, Western Australia as early as the 1960s. However, the 1980s saw a thriving period for junior competition Ga-ga ball. A fantastic competitive but friendly rivalry developed between the local junior champion Steven David and Israeli import Ofer Shuval, with Ofer Shuval dominant in their early encounters, but with Steven David narrowing the gap in their later contests. The rivalry unfortunately ended when Shuval had to permanently return to Israel for family reasons. [1]
[edit] Trivia
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- The comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, despite his lanky frame, was noted for being a champion ga-ga player in his Habonim days. According to his official online biography, Cohen won the Habonim UK ga-ga championship on multiple occasions and in 1992 led his country to a silver medal in the world ga-ga ball championships eventually coming in second to the undefeated Australian Habonim team.
- The professional wrestling champion Chasyn Rance was also ga-ga champion of South Florida. Chasyn was ga-ga champion for five straight summer from 1996-2000. Tournaments were held at camps from all over Miami up to West Palm Beach, FL. Winners from all over would gather for the finals. Finals were held in Miami at Camp Simcha in a 20-foot diameter ga-ga pit. Chasyn played previous years but it wasn't until 1996 when he started his five year reign as champion. 2000 was Chasyn's last year in a summer camp and retired as champion.
