How to Play Four Square

Players take turns bouncing a ball into each other's squares in this game, which is a bit like tennis.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Masking Tape
• Masking Tape
• Sidewalk Chalks
• Four-square Balls

1. Play this game with children ages six and up. You need at least four people to play, but more is better.

2. Draw a large square with sides of at least four feet - use chalk on pavement or masking tape on carpet.

3. Divide the square into four equal squares and make a circle around the lines that meet in the center.

4. Number the squares one through four.

5. Use a bouncy ball about the size of a volleyball.

6. Place one player in or just behind each square.

7. Put yourself in square four.

8. Line up any additional players behind square one.

9. Serve the ball from square four by bouncing it in your square and then hitting it into another square. You're fine if the ball lands in another square or if someone hits it before it bounces into a square.

10. Return the ball any time it bounces in your square. Hit it and bounce it into another square.

11. Leave your square and go to the end of the line behind square one if the ball you hit goes outside the boundaries without bouncing or being touched.

12. Go to the end of the line if a ball bounces in your square and you can't hit it.

13. Go to the end of the line if a ball you hit lands in the circle in the center.

14. Move up as other players miss and have to go to the end of the line.

15. Develop strategies by learning to bounce the ball at the edge of the square so that it bounces and then goes out of the square.

16. Try putting a spin on the ball so that it bounces and then rebounds in the opposite direction.

17. Win the game by making it to the fourth square and staying there longer than anyone else.

Tips & Warnings

• Play Four Square on knees indoors. Play it standing up outside.
• If a ball hits a player without bouncing first, it is considered out if the player is outside a square and in play if the player is in a square.

[peepeejoe]

on 12/14/2007 "The corner formation" (continued) then the third formation buddy fakes like they're throwing it to the middle corner of a persons square then throws it to the outside corner and gets the person out. *YAY*!!

[peepeejoe]

on 12/14/2007 READ THIS!!!!!!!!
Another thing my friends and i do r "formations"(notice:u need to hav 2 or 3 people in with u that will do the formation with u) one of my favorites is the "volleyball formation". U pass the ball to a friend and they hit it like it was a volleyball back to u. Then u can spike it down really hard and get a person out easilly.LOL its fun!

another one is "basketball formation" u pass the ball to someone and they pass it back like they're shooting a basketball then u do the same to the person u wanna get out and make *sure* they catch it.(notice: this doesn't work if ur playing a game that u can do blackjack in!)(blackjack is were u catch it and say blackjack and the person who threw it is out)

The last formation i know is called the "corner formation" (this works best with 3 formation buddies) you pass it to some1 else, they pass it to the other formation buddy and

[peepeejoe]

on 12/27/2007 Here are a few of our moves that we made up ourselves(they're awesome).

blind bomb-you run around the inside 4 corners(the middle)(notice:you run in all four squares),u close ur eyes, and after u get dizzy u just drop it right in front of u wherever ur standing(even if its ur own square)(u would do that because ur closing ur eyes)its soooooooo fun!!!!!!!!
even if u get urself out.

[peepeejoe]

on 12/14/2007 Another thing is, we call double taps bubbles. its a funny word and way cooler.

[peepeejoe]

on 12/14/2007 What me and my friends do at four sqaure is the "death roll" We close are eyes then spin around jumping then we stick our arm out and sorta do the sprinkler than were u stop your hand do a hard cherry bomb(note you may look behide u and get yourself out...) but it hasnt failed me yet.