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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Four square

The serve and first two hits in a four square game.
Players	4
Setup time	Minimal, if any
Random chance	None
Skills required	Manual dexterity Social skills Walking

Four square is a ball game played among four players on a square court divided into quadrants. With such little required equipment, almost no setup, and short rounds of play that can be ended at any time, it is a popular playground game, and is considered a sport by some.

Contents 1 Rules 1.1 Objective 1.2 Boundaries 1.3 Ball handling 1.4 Regular gameplay 1.5 Errors and elimination 2 Variations 2.1 Typical adaptations 2.2 Two square 2.2.1 Two-person four square 2.2.2 Team two square 2.3 Australian variant 3 Tournaments and competitions 3.1 World Championships 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Rules

Four square is played with a rubber ball on a court made of four adjacent squares.

[edit] Objective

The objective in four square is to advance yourself to the highest square on the court by eliminating other players.^[1] The ball is bounced from one square to another and players are eliminated for hitting the ball incorrectly or committing other such errors. Once at the highest-ranking square, a player scores points and is the server to start the next round. Any number of players may wait in a line outside the court for their turn to play.

[edit] Boundaries

Four square is played on a square court divided into four smaller squares of equal size. The overall court may vary in size from 16 to 24 feet (4.9 to 7.3 m). Court sizes are often adjusted for age or skill level.

The lines on the court are boundaries.

• The outermost lines of the court are in-bounds. This means that the ball may land on or touch any portion of an outside line and still be in play.
• The interior lines separating player squares are out-of-bounds. If the ball lands on or touches any portion of an inside line, the player who hit the ball last has committed an error.^[2]

[edit] Ball handling

Four square is played with an 8.5-inch rubber playground ball. During regular play, the ball may be legally hit with any part of a player's hands from wrist to fingertip. The hit may be open- or closed-fisted, forehand or backhand. The ball may also be hit with one hand, or two hands at the same time, much like the rules of volleyball.

Carrying, catching, or holding the ball during play is illegal because because prolonged contact with the ball can give players unfair control over the play. The ball must be struck once and for a single instant only. ^[3]

[edit] Regular gameplay

The player in the highest square begins the game by serving the ball. The ball is bounced in the server's own square and hit legally into the lowest square. Players let the ball bounce in their square once, and the occupant of that square must return the ball to any other player's square by hitting or striking the ball with the hands. Once the ball lands in a new player's square, that player must return it, and so forth, until a player makes an error and is eliminated.

[edit] Errors and elimination

Players may be eliminated for the following errors:

• A player hits the ball out of bounds or onto a line between squares.
• A player lets the ball bounce more than once in their square.
• A player fails to hit the ball properly into another player's square.
• A player hits the ball more than once before returning it to another square.
• A player strikes the ball incorrectly, such as carrying or holding.
• A player violates a special rule invoked by the server.

The eliminated player leaves the court and the remaining players move up to the next highest square until the lowest square is empty. A new player may now join the court in the lowest square. Eliminated players wait in line for their next turn to join the court again.

Play continues like this until time runs out or a winner is determined through any number of methods.

[edit] Variations

[edit] Typical adaptations

In the United States, this playground game freely adapts to available materials. The game may change in the following areas:

• Rubber balls are available in sizes from 8 inches (20 cm) to 13.5 inches (34 cm). (Outside the United States, a tennis ball or other ball of comparable size is used, as described below.)
• The size of the court is adapted to the ages and skills of the players. Squares may be drawn on pavement with chalk, or adjacent sidewalk squares may be used as player boxes.
• There is no standard for naming the squares. Some regions use numbers, letters or titles.
• A local rule should govern the legal reaction to a high volley that does not bounce in a player's square but comes directly toward the player. Typical options are: (1) Any contact before the bounce is an error; the player's only legal response is to try to evade the ball; (2) The player may catch the ball; if successful (and, sometimes, after uttering a designated word or phrase), it constitutes an error for the last player to hit the ball; (3) The player may block the ball, let it drop in the player's square, and give the ball a legal hit to another square.
• A local rule may correct the problem that it is easy to deliver a serve that is unmanageable.
• A local rule may prevent the use of excessive force to deliver a volley that is unmanageable.

[edit] Two square

[edit] Two-person four square

Two people can play the game of four square on any two adjacent squares of a four-square court, or using two squares drawn for the purpose. If the server commits an error, the players sometimes agree for simplicity not to exchange positions. The players may keep score using rules comparable to those of volleyball.

[edit] Team two square

Two square also refers to a game played in the USA by two teams of two players each.

Objective

A team wins the game by scoring points until its score is both (a) 11 or greater, and (b) at least two above the other team's score. Play pauses when a team commits a ball-handling error, including a violation of the two-square rules set out below. If the serving team commits such an error, the other team becomes the serving team but the score does not change, and the teams do not exchange boxes; if the receiving team commits an error, the serving team scores one point and serves again.

Court Size and Shape

Unlike four square, the courts in two square are not adjacent (separated only by a line), but are separated by a neutral zone. The official sizes are as follows:

• The individual team boxes are 10 ft. wide by 7 ft. long.
• The entire field of play is 18 ft. wide by 20 ft. long

Serve

Play begins when a member of the serving team hits the ball. This serve, and any subsequent volley, must bounce once in the neutral zone, then once in the receiving team's box. It is an error to touch the ball before it has taken both these bounces. It is an error to hit the ball outside the neutral zone, or to hit the ball so that it bounces twice in the neutral zone. If the ball bounces in the receiving team's box, but bounces again before the receiving team can play it, it is an error to the receiving team.

Return

After the ball bounces in the receiving team's box, each player on that team can hit the ball twice; once above the waist and once below the waist, for a maximum of four touches, in any order. The final touch must send the ball back to the other team, bouncing once in the neutral zone as for serves. As in four square, all touches must be momentary.

The teams continue volleying the ball back and forth in this manner until someone commits an error.

[edit] Australian variant

A similar game played in Australia with a tennis ball is called handball.^[4][5] The Department of Education and Children's Services has cited the game as a method of fostering social competencies in young children.^[6] The game is a schoolyard craze that predates 1999, with its popularity at peak during fine weather conditions.^[6][7] Several schools have constructed courts, for the purpose of allowing students to play Australian four square,^[8][9] but other schools have banned students from playing the game.^[10] The game has recently been played on a rubber surface.^[11]

[edit] Tournaments and competitions

As players rise in skill level or athletic ability it is important to appropriately raise the challenge of the game. Some communities or groups have developed rules for tournament-style play. Squarefour and The International 4-Square League both use systems of scoring that give numbers or averages to players over time, while other groups use an elimination or double elimination system.

[edit] World Championships

The Four Square World Championships, a competitive adult four square tournament, take place in Bridgton, Maine, USA, each winter season. Peter Lowell of the Lakes Environmental Association hosts this annual fundraiser each winter to support the environmental work done in the lakes region of Maine, USA. This competition draws athletes from the USA and Canada, and has registered competitors from Israel to Bermuda. Prior world championships have been held on Jan 29, 2005, Jan 28, 2006, Feb 3, 2007, Feb 16, 2008, and Feb 28, 2009.

Four Square World Championships February 28, 2009

• Men's World Champion, Christopher Glasser, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
• Women's World Champion, Justine Petrillo, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
• Senior Men's World Champion, Tom Stockwell, Bridgton, Maine, USA
• Senior Women's World Champion, Audrey Castro, Portland, Maine, USA
• Team Champions, The Mauve Avengers, Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA
• Audience Choice Award, Matthew Fishbein, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA
• Player's Choice Award, Melissa Woodman, Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA

The 2010 World Championships have not been scheduled yet.

[edit] See also

• Four square regional

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Squarefour - League Play in Boston Metro Area, MA
• The International 4-Square League
• Illinois State Theatre Four-Square
• Four Square Club of Rutgers
• University of Pittsburgh 4-Square
• BigFatTigerHome FourSquare Rules