Fun Ball Sports: A Roundup of Ball-Based Play, Games, and Sports
When it comes to ball games, they’re classic sports like baseball and soccer to begin with, and they’re hugely popular with kids!
There’s a wide range—from games you can play with just a single ball, to ones like baseball and table tennis that use a bat or racket.
They help improve physical abilities too, whether it’s mastering how to use your body or learning to handle equipment.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of ball-based activities, from classic and popular ball sports to some that are a bit more niche!
We’ll also cover simplified versions of sports like basketball and rugby that even small children can enjoy, as well as DIY activities like homemade bowling and target-throw games!
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[Fun Ball Games] A roundup of ball-based play and game sports (1–10)
Tag rugby
Tag rugby is a simplified, gentler version of rugby that even elementary school children can play.
First, each player wears one tag on both the left and right sides of their waist.
The game begins when the team on offense takes a free pass from the center of the court.
A player holding the ball advances it toward the goal by running or passing, but passes may not be thrown ahead of the passer toward the goal.
A ball carrier who is running is stopped when the tag attached to their waist is pulled off.
Speedball
“Speedball” is a sport that originated in Egypt and is played with rackets.
A ball is attached to the tip of a metal pole with a nylon cord, and players hit it with a racket—making it a simple sport.
Because the setup ensures the ball always comes back, it’s enjoyable both solo and in matches.
Solo play counts the number of successful returns, while matches focus on rallies.
As the name suggests, advanced players can hit the ball at speeds exceeding 160 km/h, and that exhilarating speed is a hallmark of the sport.
Beach soccer
Soccer is a sport you can enjoy anywhere as long as you have a ball.
With beach soccer played on sand, it feels like it’s okay to take a tumble now and then.
You might even be able to pull off those acrobatic shots you usually only see in manga.
Of course, the ball size and pitch dimensions are different, but once you’re at the beach, you can’t help wanting to play beach soccer, right? These days, it’s common to see former professional soccer players—like Ruy Ramos—thriving in beach soccer as well.
Make the most of the beach and enjoy the kinds of play you can only experience on the sand!
[Fun Ball Sports] A Compilation of Ball Games and Game Sports (11–20)
Society Football (7-a-side/8-a-side football)
Society is a seven-a-side form of soccer that originated in Brazil around 1950.
The name of the sport derives from the Portuguese word “society,” meaning social or sociability, and it is said that games played in social settings simply lent their name to the sport itself.
Often called social soccer, it functions not only as a competitive sport but also as a lifelong activity that people of all ages can enjoy.
A major feature of Society is its rules, which sit somewhere between soccer and futsal.
With smaller team sizes and unlimited substitutions, it’s a sport designed to encourage active participation from all players.
Wiffle ball
Wiffle ball is a sport based on baseball that was devised in 1953 by David N.
Mullany, who lived in the United States.
It was developed with the motivation of making it easy to enjoy baseball in the limited space of a home yard, so the rules are a simplified version of baseball.
The most distinctive feature of the sport is its special equipment, which makes it challenging even for experienced baseball players—but that’s part of the fun.
As the name of the sport suggests, it uses a plastic ball with holes, and the air resistance created by these holes allows anyone to throw complex breaking pitches, which is another appealing aspect.
flag football
When you hear “football,” you might picture a sport that requires body contact, power, and momentum.
But flag football isn’t dangerous with tackling or shoving—instead, players wear flags (cloth strips) on their waists and aim for the goal while trying to pull each other’s flags.
The game is divided into offense and defense.
The defense wins a down by pulling the flag of the ball carrier, and play restarts from the spot where the flag was pulled with the roles switching between offense and defense.
It’s a football game that can be enjoyed in various ways, including mini-games.
Basketball
Basketball is a sport where two teams of five engage in intense battles for points.
Because the scoring changes depending on where you shoot from—one, two, or three points—it’s a thrilling game where a small shift can flip the score.
In Japan, thanks to the excitement around the B.LEAGUE and more, it has become one of the most popular ball sports.
In its birthplace, the United States, the game is so strong and prominent that it’s almost fair to call it a national sport, with dynamic plays on display.
It’s also easy to enjoy in a small space—so long as you have a ball and a hoop, you can play or compete in a limited area.
