Gooberball

Gooberball is a recreational sport for two or more players, played with standard Table_tennis equipment but in which the rules are quite different. Its fast-pace and unique gameplay make it perfect for mixed group gatherings, and is a good source of exercise and entertainment.

History
Gooberball is believed to have originated in Colorado by some college kids that got tired of the traditional "Ping Pong" style of play.It has been reportedly played by different groups in Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Alabama.

Equipment
Gooberball is played on standard Table_tennis equipment, with normal rackets/paddles and balls.

Game play
Starting a game
Gooberball is suited to 2 or more players, although it usually preferred that the game begins with 5 to 10 players.

Before play begins players are ordered arbitrarily, e.g. from 1 to (n).

Player 1 then begins by serving to player 2.

Service
Service is similar to Table_tennis, in that the ball is tossed up and hit downward, bouncing off one side of the table, traveling over the net, then hitting the other side of the table. In gooberball, the serve must be considered easily "returnable", i.e. a novice player should be able to play off the serve, so complicated or fast serves are not considered useful tactics.

If the service is not "good", it is redone; there are no penalties for bad serves.

Whenever a point is assessed, that play is over and the player that received the point then serves the next ball.

Hitting the ball
The similarities to table tennis end after the serve. The player receiving the serve must wait until the ball bounces once off the floor, then has two options:
* The player may hit the ball back up onto the table surface, or
* May attempt to hit another player with the ball

If the ball hits the table, play continues with the following player waiting till the ball bounces off the floor, then hits the ball with the above options. Walls, ceiling, and other obstacles are considered "in bounds" and when hit, play continues.

The table net is merely an obstacle at this point -- the ball needn't go over it. The ball may also bounce several times on the table surface as part of normal play. If the ball stops on the table surface, or is deemed to be rolling too slowly toward the edge, any player may blow the ball toward the edge of the table.

=== "Unplayable" ===
If a ball bounces in such a way as to make it totally unplayable, the point is redone. Note, if the ball bounces strangely off a crack or other obstacle, but would still be playable if the player were in the right position, then it is not considered "unplayable".

Scoring
Points are bad.

A player successfully executes his turn by:
* Hitting the ball up onto the table when it is their turn, or
* Hitting another player with the ball

If they do neither of those two things, they get a point. Also, if they hit the ball before it bounces off the floor, a point is also assessed.

Any player who is hit by the ball gets a point. If several players are hit by a ball from a single hit, they all receive a point, so long as the ball touches both of them before the ball hits the ground. Deflecting the ball does not nullify the point. Even if the ball bounces off a wall or the table surface then strikes a player, that player gets a point.

Any player who is assessed a point then serves for the following point to the player after him/her.

Any player who reaches 8 points is out, and must leave the game. That player falls out of the ordering, which otherwise remains the same. The player after the one who got out then serves the next point.

Win
The last player in the game wins.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu