Kin-Ball
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Kin-Ball is a team sport created in Quebec, Canada in 1986 by Mario Demers, a physical education professor. The International Kin-Ball Federation counts 3.8 million participants, primarily from Canada, the U.S., Japan, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany and Malaysia.
[edit] Game
Kin-Ball is played with three teams of four in a room 21 m by 21 m (70ft by 70ft) with a surface that permits sliding, such as a gym. The team in possession of the ball, 1.22 m in diametre (4ft) and inflated to about the same pressure and feeling as a volleyball, yells out "Omnikin" followed by the colour of another team and hits the ball. The team whose colour was called must stop the ball from hitting the ground; if it fails to do so the other two teams get a point. If a team stops the ball from hitting the ground, it has 10 seconds to hit the ball to another team, using the same procedure.
There are a few other rules which the referee may also enforce. At the moment contact is made with the ball, all team members of the team possessing the ball must be touching it. The ball must not be struck downwards, so as to give the team receiving the ball a chance to stop it from hitting the ground. The ball must also be served at least 6 feet. And although you can touch the ball with any part of your body, you cannot grasp the ball between your arms or wrap your fingers around any part of the ball, such as the plug covering the hole used to inflate the ball.
Games have three periods lasting between 7 to 15 minutes each, depending on the age level of the participants, with a one-minute intermission between each period. At the beginning of each period the ball is put into play from the centre of the gym by the team with the fewest points. The team with the most points at the end of the three periods wins the game.
Teams are composed of 4 players (with up to 4 substitutes), all of which wear a jersey or pinnie of a different colour, with grey, pink and black being the official colours internationally, except in Quebec where blue replaced pink in 2004.
[edit] International competitions
- Kin-Ball sport World Cup
