The layout of a four square court. |
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| Players | 4 minimum |
|---|---|
| Setup time | < 5 minutes |
| Skill(s) required | Manual dexterity Strategy Social skills |
Four square, also known as squareball, boxball, and in Canada, champ, is a ball game played among four individuals on a square court divided into quadrants. It is a popular playground game with little required equipment, almost no setup, and short rounds of play that can be ended at any time.
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Four square is usually played with a rubber playground ball on a square court with four maximum players, depending on the rules (Big Four Square, Six Square, etc.). The object of four square is to get another player into duns.
Four square is played on any hard surfaced court, such as wood or asphalt, with boundaries measuring 50' by 50' at a max (this is only an estimate). The court may be extended. The court is divided into four smaller squares each 36' by 36' at a min. Each of the four squares has a rank and is occupied by a single player. The ranks are arranged so that either the highest ranking square is positioned facing the lowest ranking square or the ranks increase as one moves clockwise. The ranks from highest to lowest are kings, queens, jacks and duns.
The lines on the court are boundaries. The interior lines separating player squares are out of bounds. The ball may not touch any portion of an inside line or the player who hit the ball is in error. The lines marking the outermost edges of the court are considered in-bounds. If a ball lands on or touches the inside lines then the game ends and the last person to touch the ball is eliminated.[1]
Four square is played with an 8.5" rubber playground ball inflated to 22 lbs however a tennis ball can also be used. During regular play, the ball must be hit with the player's hands only.
The ball must be struck once and for a single instant only. Carrying, catching, or holding the ball during play is not allowed. Prolonged contact with the ball can give players unfair control over the play. kicking the ball must create a perceptible change in the ball's velocity (speed or direction) to be legal.[1]
Players may be eliminated from the court because of errors or fouls they commit. Eliminated players leave the court, the remaining players move up to the next highest square, and a new player joins the court in the lowest square. Eliminated players wait in line for their next turn.
In casual games, the highest ranking player may modify the game's rules at the beginning of each round. Many modifications either expand or constrain the legal methods of ball handling. Children refer to these modifications with elaborate local and regional nomenclatures: e.g., double-taps, underhand-only, blackjack, and bus-stop. Common modifications include: whirlpool (the ball must be passed clockwise or anti clockwise until king or queen says end whirlpool), No returns (If the player passes a ball back to a server who has said no returns is out), Pass back soft (pass back the ball with a low amount of push pressure.[2] Children have also played with "unfriendly" and "friendly" moves.
There are a number of commonly agreed terms for 4square.
Four square is a popular game for children and school playgrounds. It is important to scale the game's difficulty and supervision appropriately for different age groups and ability levels. Schools, churches and camps often change the size of the court, the type of ball, or aspects of the rules to best suit the players' abilities.
The Four Square World Championships, a competitive adult four square tournament, take place in Bridgton, Maine, USA, each winter season. Peter Lowell of the Lakes Environmental Association hosts this annual fundraiser each winter to support the environmental work done in the lakes region of Maine, USA. This competition draws athletes from the USA and Canada, and has registered competitors from Israel to Bermuda. As of February 26, 2011[update],[3] the titles are held by:
(Division I includes ages 13 through 39. Division II includes ages 4 and up.)
Prior world championships have been held on January 29, 2005, January 28, 2006, February 3, 2007, February 16, 2008, February 28, 2009, February 27, 2010,[4][5] and February 26, 2011.
On February 25 and 26 2011, 15 Manchester College students played the game for 30 hours to break the world record.[6] The world record was previously held by eight Argentinean players for 29 hours in 2008.
Downball (also known as handball) is an Australian variation of four square played throughout Australian schooling institutions. It is played on courts usually consisting of 4–6 squares, in which each player occupies one square at a time. The game is played with a tennis ball, which is served by the player in the "king" or "ace" square. The object of the game is for the player to navigate their way to the "king" square by eliminating opponents. Eliminating opponents can be achieved in the following ways: