Four Square

Space: Half football court

Duration: 15 min

Materials/equipment: Ball
Number of participants: 4
Task description: The game starts with four players on a square court divided into four
quadrants, the objectives of four square are to eliminate other players to achieve the
highest rank. The court is divided into four smaller equal-size squares, with sides
measuring 2.4 m. Each of the four squares has a rank and is occupied by a single player.
The ranks may be arranged so that either the highest ranking square is positioned facing
the lowest ranking square, or the ranks increase as one moves clockwise.
The lines on the court are boundaries. The interior lines separating player squares are out
of bounds. The ball may not touch any portion of an inside line or the player who hit the
ball is in error. The lines marking the outermost edges of the court are considered inbounds. If a ball lands on or touches the inside lines then the game ends and the last
person to touch the ball is eliminated.
Players may be eliminated from the court because of errors or fouls they commit.
Eliminated players leave the court, the remaining players move up to the next highest
square, and a new player joins the court in the lowest square. Eliminated players wait in
line for their next turn.
They are eliminated for Failing to hit the ball into another square, hitting the ball out of
turn, hitting the ball incorrectly, hitting the ball out of bounds, letting the ball drop twice
on a player's own square, holding the ball or carrying the ball

Norms/rules: During regular play, the ball must be hit with the player's hands only, The
ball must be struck once and for a single instant only. Carrying, catching, or holding the ball
during play is not allowed.

Alternatives:

Graphic explanation:

History
the origins of the game Four Square remain somewhat murky, with differing accounts of how the game started and
when. Some sources date the game back to the early 1960s, while others suggest that the game began only a decade
or so prior to that time.
One account, however, says the game evolved from a combination of handball, a game called "Paume" (popular in
France in the 12th Century and consisting of teams of two players hitting a ball over a net - as in tennis but played
without rackets originally) and lawn tennis, which featured a court divided into four quadrants. These three games
eventually morphed into "boxball", played by city dwellers who took advantage of the limited space needed by the
game.
Boxball is believed to have made its first appearance around World War I and by World War II, it slowly transformed
into the game we know as Four Square. The ball, originally a tennis ball, gave way to a larger ball that could be easily
handled by youngsters with smaller hands. There are accounts of Four Square being mentioned in children's books
as far back as the 1800s and a game known as King's Corners, similar to Four Square, is listed in children's books in
the early 1900s.