Active group games refer to fun games that require your players to be quick on their feet. One such group game is Slam Ball – a group game that will have your players running around a room and train their minds through the different game styles you can try.
Features of the Slam Ball Game
| ★ Game Name | Slam Ball |
| ★ Group size | small |
| ★ Age | any (8+) |
| ★ Type | active |
| ★ Skill | running / reaction |
| ★ Place | outdoor or indoor (gym) |
| ★ Time | up to 5 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | ball |
Aim of the Game
In Slam Ball, your goal is to throw a ball to the wall, so it bounces to your opponents. Your opponents must catch the ball before it touches the ground or grab the ball before it goes out of bounds.
Group Size and Age
Thanks to its simplicity, Slam Ball is ideally played between 2 players. If you have larger groups, you’ll want to consider having everyone take turns or assign them to smaller groups as they face different walls.
You can play Slam Ball with anyone aged 8 or up as it can be dangerous to younger children.
Things to prepare when playing Slam Ball
Here is a list of things you must prepare to play Slam Ball:
- A bouncing ball – this can be a basketball or tennis ball, depending on how hard you want the game to be
- A stick or tape to draw the boundary
- A wall for your players to bounce the ball against
How to play Slam Ball
Before you begin, you’ll have to draw the boundary several feet behind the wall. Be sure to keep enough space between the wall and the boundary, as you’ll want your players to run around comfortably.
The game starts with one player bouncing the ball against the wall, and the other player will have to try to catch it. If they fail to catch the ball before it hits the ground, or if the ball lands outside the boundary, they will lose.
If you’d like to make the game more difficult, you may also ask your players to say a word following a theme each time they bounce the ball against the wall. The player that doesn’t say a word will lose, even if their opponent fails to catch the ball.
Variations to playing Slam Ball
To make Slam Ball an extra fun icebreaker game, you could also include a rule that requires your player to choose who becomes the next player to throw the ball against the wall. This is best played when you have more than 5 players, as your players will have to memorize everybody’s names beforehand.
The player who forgets a name or doesn’t catch the ball when their name is called loses. You can play this variation until all players have been eliminated, and the last player standing wins.