Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium

by Jessie H. Bancroft

The players are divided into groups which compete against each other. Each group is divided in turn into two ranks which stand facing each other at a distance of five feet, the individual players being from two to five feet apart.

The players in each rank number off in twos, beginning at the head with different numbers, so that a Number One in each rank will stand opposite a Number Two in the opposite rank.

One or more balls are used and are thrown to alternate players, Numbers One throwing to each other all down the line, and the Numbers Two throwing to each other all the way back. There should be nothing to distinguish the players from one another, each being dependent on his own memory and alertness to know to whom he is to throw the ball and from whom he is to receive it. The particular success of this game lies in having a very considerable number of balls in play at once. In this form the balls do not have to accumulate at the foot of the lines before being returned to the head, as the last Number One player to receive the ball tosses it directly across to the last Number Two player, who begins at once to zigzag it up the line.

The group wins which first succeeds in getting all of its balls back to the head of the line.

ZIGZAG OVERHEAD TOSS

20 to 100 players.

Playground; gymnasium; schoolroom.

Hand ball; basket ball; bean bag.

This game is a variation of Zigzag Ball, and is more difficult and interesting for older players. The players are divided into two parties, best distinguished by colors—say Red and Blue. The two parties stand in even ranks alternately about five feet apart; for instance, the Red party will form ranks one and three, and will play together, facing each other, while the Blue party will form ranks two and four, which will face each other and play together.

The first player in each party has a ball which is put in play upon a signal by being tossed over the heads of the intervening rank to Number One in the other rank of his party. This player tosses the ball back to Number Two in the first rank, and so the ball is tossed in zigzag form from one player to another in ranks of the same color until it reaches the end of the line, when it is zigzagged back to the starting point in the same way. This is all done over the heads of an intervening rank of the opposite color. Simultaneously the competing team is playing in the same way.