Tetherball ball anyone?

Tetherball is a game for two opposing players. The equipment consists of a 10 ft (3 m), stationary metal pole, from which is hung a ball from a rope, or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole. Each player tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one counterclockwise. The game ends when one player manages to wind the ball all the way around the pole so that it is stopped by the rope.

  

Rules vary from region to region and even from one court to another, and there is no definitive set of rules that everyone follows.

1. The game begins when one player serves the ball, usually by holding it in one hand and hitting it with the other.
2. The opposing player then attempts to return the serve by hitting it in the opposite direction.
3. The object is to hit the ball in such a way that one's opponent will be unable to alter the ball's direction; this gives the server an advantage since the server has more control over the ball from the beginning.
4. It is generally acceptable to hit the ball with either the fist or the open hand.
5. A player can commit a violation by stepping onto his opponent's half of the pole, by catching and throwing ("carrying") the ball, by striking the rope instead of the ball, or by hitting the ball twice before it has either circled the pole or been returned by the opponent (or, in some variants, struck the pole).
6. Generally, after a violation occurs, the game pauses and the ball is returned to the position it was in before the violation; the number of wraps around the pole is re-created.
7. The player who did not commit the violation then serves the ball. If, however, the violation appears to be intentional, it may result in loss of game.
8. The game ends when one player hits the ball around the pole in their own direction as far as it will go, so that the ball hits the pole.
9. In addition, the ball must strike the pole with the final wrap above a line marked on the pole.
10. A five-foot high mark is satisfactory, though a lower mark might be used for younger players.
11. A match can consist of one, three, five, or more games.

Tetherball is an informal sport, and has not seen any organization beyond contests within schools, summer camps, or towns.

You'll find tetherball sets ranging from the "stick in the ground" to the industrial strength version built for schools and town playgrounds at Buck A Ball.com. Got a set but need a replacement tetherball? Buck A Ball.com offers a variety of tetherballs, in stock and ready for imediate shipment.

How to play Bocce

This ancient game, whose modern adaptation most closely resembles bowling, requires skill, strategy and just a little luck.

1. Find a flat, level playing surface (packed dirt, gravel or grass are ideal). A regulation bocce court is 76 feet long and 10 feet wide.
2. Divide players into two teams of one, two or four players each. Each team gets four balls, divided equally among the players.
3. Have a player from the starting team stand behind the foul line (which is 10 feet from the throwing end of the court) and throw the small ball, or "pallina," toward the opposite end of the playing surface.
4. Let the player then throw one of the larger balls, or "boccia," trying to get it as close to the pallina as possible without touching it.
5. Have players from the opposing team take turns throwing their balls until one of the balls stops closer to the pallina than the starting player's ball. If they fail to do so, the starting team tries to outdo its first attempt.
6. Let the starting players take their second turn if the opposing team gets closer to the pallina than the starting team without using all of their balls.
7. Continue in this fashion until all eight balls have been thrown. The team with the closest ball gets one point for each of its balls that are closer to the pallina than the other team's closest ball.
8. Keep in mind that if the two teams' closest balls are an equal distance from the pallina, no points are awarded.
9. End the frame after all eight balls have been thrown and appropriate points have been awarded. The scoring team begins the next frame. If no team previously scored, the team that threw the pallina last begins the next frame.
10. Play as many frames as needed until one team has a total score of 16 points.

The key... players may use their balls to knock the other team's balls away from the pallina, or to knock the pallina closer to their team's balls.

Need a bocce set? Buck A Ball.com sells several bocce ball sets starting under $25.00.