Balloons Games Bound Ball
( Balloons, Handball, Physical Contest, Tennis Ball )This game somewhat resembles tennis but is played over a lower dividing line and the ball is batted with the hand instead of with a racket it is always played from a bound never “on the fly.”
GROUND.–Boundary lines for the entire court should be outlined measuring about fifty feet in length by twenty-five in width though these dimensions are not invariable. The ground is then divided by a line into two equal parts. In a gymnasium balance beams may be set up for this purpose. Out of doors a board or log may be used or the mere drawing of a line on the ground will suffice.
PLAYERS.–The players are divided into two equal parties which take their places on either side of the dividing line scattered over their respective courts without regular formation.
OBJECT.–The game consists in batting a tennis or hand ball with the hand from one side to the other of the dividing line after it has first bounded in ones own territory.
START.–The leader of the game or any player on either side puts the ball in play by throwing it among the players of the opposite side. Whoever catches the ball acts as the first server. The server serves by bounding the ball once and then hitting or batting it with the open palm on the rebound so that it will go over into the opponents court. Should a served ball fail to rebound in the antagonists court it is returned to the party from which it came that they may have a second trial. One player continues to serve until his side scores five when the ball is thrown to the opponents. The players on a side serve in rotation.
RULES AND POINTS OF PLAY.–In returning a serve or keeping the ball in play at any time it may be bounced any number of times before being sent into the opponents court. The one essential point is that it should be kept bounding a ball that is dead being thrown back to the server. In bounding the ball it must always be hit or batted from the upper side with the palm of the hand. Should the ball bound very low so as to give slight opportunity for batting into the opponents court a player may coax it to a higher point before batting. A ball may also be worked forward or to any advantageous point of the ground by bounding or “dribbling” in this way before batting it. Whenever a ball enters a court any member of the party on that side may play upon it. The players in each court will naturally scatter to be ready to receive the ball. Players will use in this game many points of tennis such as sending the ball into the opponents territory with a long glancing stroke which may make it bound unexpectedly toward the rear of the opponents court or on the contrary with a small bound that shall just barely cross the line. A ball going out of bounds is out of play and must be returned to the server unless it should rebound in the court for which it was intended when it should still be considered in play.
SCORE.–The score is entirely for a defensive game being wholly on the opponents failures. If desired the score may be the same as in tennis but is generally as follows —
One point is scored for ( a ) failure to strike the ball as directed (from above with the open palm) ( b ) failure to bound the ball before sending it into the opponents ground ( c ) failure to return a good serve or play.