[Sports] Recreational games using a ball [Play]
Here are a variety of ball-based recreational activities.
We’ve gathered ball games that can be enjoyed by everyone—from children to seniors!
From sports aiming for the pinnacle at the Olympics or World Cup to simple time-killers, the variety of sports and games that use a “ball” is practically limitless.
Many people love ball games regardless of age or gender!
If you’re looking for “ball-based activities everyone can play together,” be sure to use this as a reference.
You might even use these games as inspiration to invent your own original new ball sport!
- Fun Ball Sports: A Roundup of Ball-Based Play, Games, and Sports
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- No worries even in the rain! Fun recreational activities you can do in the gym
- Sports that everyone can enjoy regardless of age. Including Yuru Sports.
- Fun activities for junior high school students. Recreation games.
- [Sports] Play that gets you moving. A roundup of exercises perfect for adults.
- [Exercise] Recreational Ideas for Olympic Sports
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- Recreation Ideas That Truly Excite High School Students! A Fun Collection of Activities
- Recreation popularity rankings for junior high school students
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- [2026] Easy sports anyone can do. Popular “yuru-sports” (casual/relaxed sports).
[Sports] Recreational Games Using a Ball [Play] (1–10)
Padel
Padel, a sport attracting attention worldwide, is like a blend of tennis and squash.
The rackets and balls are similar to those used in tennis, but their size and materials are slightly different.
The court is about half the size of a tennis court, and matches are played only as doubles.
Scoring and scorekeeping follow tennis rules, but a distinctive feature of padel is that the walls surrounding the court are part of the game.
The basic rule is to hit the ball before it bounces on your side, but even if it bounces once and then hits the surrounding wall, you can still return it as long as the ball is in the air.
It’s a unique sport where the entire venue becomes part of the battle!
Esquí tennis
Created in Hiroshima Prefecture with hopes for peace after the Pacific War, Esukī Tennis is a sport that blends elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton, enjoyable for everyone from children to seniors.
The rules are almost the same as tennis, but the court is only one-eighth the size of a tennis court.
The racket is slightly larger than a table tennis paddle, and the ball is a sponge ball fitted with feathers like a badminton shuttle.
Thanks to these special feathers, the ball doesn’t travel too fast, and because the court is small, the physical exertion required is modest, making it easy to try even for those who aren’t confident in their stamina.
A prank game that makes it rain color balls
As long as there’s trust, I think a prank like this would be forgiven.
It’s also a fun game that can be adapted for club training camps and, of course, company recreation.
It’s even fun to try showering your boss coming up the stairs with a barrage of color balls!
[Sports] Recreational Games Using a Ball [Play] (11–20)
Ball-toss game
It’s the familiar ‘tamaire’ game often seen at school sports days.
As you all know, the rules are simple: just toss as many balls into the basket as you can.
But it’s surprisingly deep—there are even national championships.
Skilled players use various techniques to land an incredible number of balls.
Give it a try and experience the depth of tamaire for yourself.
Spoon relay
A ball game using a kitchen ladle and a ping-pong ball called the “Ladle Relay.” You balance a ping-pong ball on a ladle and run; the team that reaches the goal the fastest wins.
It sounds easy, but running without dropping the lightweight ping-pong ball is actually pretty tricky! If you drop the ball along the way, just pick it up, go back to the spot where you dropped it, and start running again—no problem! When switching to the next runner, pass the ping-pong ball using the ladles without using your hands.
You could even draw pictures on the ping-pong balls or try balancing different items on the ladle for extra fun!
Pudding drinking game with a plastic bottle
It’s a game where you place a plastic bottle on the tennis court and try to knock it down with your serve! As long as you can hit the ball with a racket, anyone can enjoy this as a recreational activity, so give it a try.
The most important thing in this game is control.
It looks easy but is actually quite tricky, so if it doesn’t fall, experienced tennis players might get a bit competitive (lol).
One bottle is fine, but it’ll be even more exciting if you set up multiple bottles and assign different point values depending on their positions!
Beach ball game
Beach volleyball is a classic game to play at the ocean or the pool.
It’s a great ball game, too! Because beach balls are soft, even small children and older adults can play safely.
It’s perfectly fine to just rally casually as usual.
But if you want to play in a more competitive, sport-like format, set up a court the same size as a badminton doubles court and use a badminton net in the middle.
Play matches 4-on-4, best of three sets, first to 9 points per set.
You can practice a bit like you normally do, then try a match-style game!