Trampball
Trampball is a sport played by up to 8 players and involves hitting a large inflatable ball around a trampoline. Each player has a certain area or segment to defend and if the ball bounces in their area before going off the trampoline they lose the point so are eliminated. Elimination can also occur due to double-touch or hitting the ball straight out without it bouncing on the trampoline. The game's winner is whoever wins the final play between the last 2 players.
Variations
There are several different variations of the sport.
Elimination - The most commonly played variation can involve 3-8 players. The game is played with the default rules at first, each time a person commits a foul or is knocked out they are eliminated from the round until their is a winner. Once there are 2 players left, they face-off in a 1 v 1 match. Depending on the rules each player may have to defend 2 or 3 sectors and the final may be played as sudden death or first to three points.
Team - The recommended amount of players is from 4-6. There are 3 sectors which belong to each team which are opposite each other. The game is played with normal trampball rules.
1 v 1/Face-off - This involves only two players, and is played like the final of an elimination game although score limits may be adjusted.
Free-play - 2-8 players can play with any set of rules and play free-for-all with no limits. This is usually only used for practice or when a player is taking a break for another game.
Gameplay
Serves - Serves are usually made in a tennis-style fashion. The one who lost a point the previous round must serve in official matches, although in friendly matches anyone may serve for convenience purposes. Serves do NOT have to hit the trampoline, although it must hit another player before going out of bounds to be counted or it is a foul. There are no second serves in trampball. Throw serves are not allowed in official matches.
Rules - Each player has to defend their respective sector. They may stand anywhere around the trampoline although this may leave their sector vulnerable if they leave their area. Once you hit the trampball, the ball must hit the trampoline or another player. If the ball has hit the trampoline and passed your sector, then you lose a point. If you hit the ball and it falls to the ground without hitting a person or the trampoline then you will lose a point. Grabbing and holding are also prohibited moves.
Lobs - Lobs are risky moves to play, as you risk setting up an opponent or knocking yourself out. However they can be effective defence mechanisms and can also knock an opponent out. Lobs can be used offensively, as the opponent may assume the ball is going out of play although if played properly can just scrape the trampoline.
Setting up - Mostly used in a team game a player may set another player up by mildly touching the trampball. This is less common in other variations of trampball than a team game however one player may decide to team with an adjacent player in order to get another player out.
Origins
The game of trampball is believed to have originated in the King's Heath area of Birmingham where all official matches of the sport are played. The game was created when two friends had the ingenious idea of playing with a small orange ball over a trampoline. The game was played as it is now although the official ball used in the game has changed to a gym ball or a swiss ball. The current world champion of the sport is the cypriot Yiannis Georgiou, and former world champions include the two englishmen who cannot be named for legal reasons and one is ginger. However Yiannis Georgiou has recently forfeited the title and handed it over as it was realised that he had used cheating tactics in the lead up to the final. Furthermore, he has been stripped of his title after testing positive for the use of steroids shortly after the sporting event had taken place.
Variations
There are several different variations of the sport.
Elimination - The most commonly played variation can involve 3-8 players. The game is played with the default rules at first, each time a person commits a foul or is knocked out they are eliminated from the round until their is a winner. Once there are 2 players left, they face-off in a 1 v 1 match. Depending on the rules each player may have to defend 2 or 3 sectors and the final may be played as sudden death or first to three points.
Team - The recommended amount of players is from 4-6. There are 3 sectors which belong to each team which are opposite each other. The game is played with normal trampball rules.
1 v 1/Face-off - This involves only two players, and is played like the final of an elimination game although score limits may be adjusted.
Free-play - 2-8 players can play with any set of rules and play free-for-all with no limits. This is usually only used for practice or when a player is taking a break for another game.
Gameplay
Serves - Serves are usually made in a tennis-style fashion. The one who lost a point the previous round must serve in official matches, although in friendly matches anyone may serve for convenience purposes. Serves do NOT have to hit the trampoline, although it must hit another player before going out of bounds to be counted or it is a foul. There are no second serves in trampball. Throw serves are not allowed in official matches.
Rules - Each player has to defend their respective sector. They may stand anywhere around the trampoline although this may leave their sector vulnerable if they leave their area. Once you hit the trampball, the ball must hit the trampoline or another player. If the ball has hit the trampoline and passed your sector, then you lose a point. If you hit the ball and it falls to the ground without hitting a person or the trampoline then you will lose a point. Grabbing and holding are also prohibited moves.
Lobs - Lobs are risky moves to play, as you risk setting up an opponent or knocking yourself out. However they can be effective defence mechanisms and can also knock an opponent out. Lobs can be used offensively, as the opponent may assume the ball is going out of play although if played properly can just scrape the trampoline.
Setting up - Mostly used in a team game a player may set another player up by mildly touching the trampball. This is less common in other variations of trampball than a team game however one player may decide to team with an adjacent player in order to get another player out.
Origins
The game of trampball is believed to have originated in the King's Heath area of Birmingham where all official matches of the sport are played. The game was created when two friends had the ingenious idea of playing with a small orange ball over a trampoline. The game was played as it is now although the official ball used in the game has changed to a gym ball or a swiss ball. The current world champion of the sport is the cypriot Yiannis Georgiou, and former world champions include the two englishmen who cannot be named for legal reasons and one is ginger. However Yiannis Georgiou has recently forfeited the title and handed it over as it was realised that he had used cheating tactics in the lead up to the final. Furthermore, he has been stripped of his title after testing positive for the use of steroids shortly after the sporting event had taken place.
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