Grab ‘n’ Go: Four Square

A four square court is a great area to add to a playground or even temporarily to a gym floor.

The court size can be adjusted so it’s easier for smaller players to cover the court.

Cycling players in and out of the game allows multiple people to play.

While the basic rules are pretty much the same, you can customize your own rules to add variety to the game.

Tools:

• 8.5″ rubber ball
• Hard, flat surface for court
• Court diagram (see PDF below)
• Ruler

Materials:

• Blue tape or chalk to mark play area

Steps:

Line — Start a line of players. The first four step onto the squares.

Ball — Ball can only be hit by the player’s hands. Players may not catch, carry or hold the ball during play. Incorrectly striking the ball eliminates a player immediately.

Serve — The ball is served from square 1 to square 4 to start the game. To serve, the ball must be dropped and bounced before hitting to the square. Balls are allowed to bounce once in a receiving square before being hit into another square of his or her choice. After the receiver of the serve touches the ball, the ball is in play.

NOTE: The receiver of the serve may make one mistake or fault each serve. If they do it a second time, they are out.

Play — Each player must protect their square. Ball has to bounce once in their square before they hit it to another. Only the owner of the square the ball bounces in can hit the ball. If the player doesn’t hit the ball after the bounce, they are out.

Out — Players who are out step out of their square. Lower numbered players move into higher numbered squares and waiting players cycle in.

Players are out if they:

• Fail to hit the ball in their own square
• Hit a ball that’s in someone else’s square
• Allow the ball to bounce more than once in their square
• Hit the ball out of bounds or onto an inside line (see diagram)
• Hit ball incorrectly
• Hit ball with body part other than their hands
• Hit ball out of turn

When a player is out, the round is started again with the player in square 4 serving it.

Interference — If a ball his hit during play by something other than the players, the round is started again.

To download a PDF of this Grab ‘n’ Go sheet, click here: GnG_Four Square_lrl