Note that there are many, many variants of Four Square, and, while this article attempts to cover all variants, there are far too many for this to be possible.
Four square is a sport usually played by children, but is sometimes played by youth and adults. Apart from the players, the game only requires a ball and a set of four squares. With such little required equipment, almost no setup and short rounds of play that can be ended at any time, it is a most invigorating and rapid game that is very popular, especially in Altoona,PA
Equipment edit
The game of four square requires a ball. The ball may be a rubber or "bouncy" playground ball, such as is used in the game of kickball, a tennis ball (most common in the United Kingdom), or a basketball. In the United States, especially on the East Coast, the preferred ball of play is a Red Voit 8.5" Playground Ball. A volleyball generally makes for very poor gameplay, and its use is not recommended. In United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand a tennis ball is virtually always used, as this enables faster play. However, rubber balls about the same size of tennis balls are becoming more popular as they generally have more "bounce".
Many playgrounds have four square courts painted on the pavement, but if no such pre-fabricated court exists, large cement tiles that are of the same size and have clearly defined edges make excellent substitutions. Also, sidewalk chalk may be used on a driveway or road to make a court from scratch.
Boundaries edit
Four square is most commonly played on a square court divided into four smaller squares of equal size. Different communities use different size courts, and often different rules, but there is no regulation size court.
Most commonly, the outside lines of the court are considered 'inbounds' meaning a ball may land on any portion of an outside line and still be in play. Often, the inside lines are considered 'out of bounds' and balls landing on any portion of an inside line are considered faults. A popular abbreviation of these rules is known as 'inside-out, outside-in'. Of course, balls landing outside the court are considered faults as well.
Gameplay edit
A round of four square is started by the server in square 4. The server then announces any rule variations. In one variant of the game, the server drops the ball into his or her own square and then hits it into another square after it bounces (pitti patters). In another variation, the ball is immediately bounced into one of the other three squares. The receiving player returns the ball into any other square. Play continues in this fashion until a player makes a mistake or error and gets "out."
In the most commenly used New Zealand variation, the ball is hit in your own square first and it must travel into one of the other squares. The receiving player may play the ball to any square of his/her choosing by hitting it into his/her own square first it than has to travel into the other square. A receiving player may hit the incoming ball on the full or may let the ball bounce once, before hitting it.
Play continues in this fashion until a player makes a mistake or error and gets "out."ce The 'out' player moves to the end of a line of any people waiting to play. Players in lower numbered squares player progress to higher squares and leave the lowest square open for a new player to join. For example, when player 3 is out, players 2 and 1 move the next highest open square. The next person waiting enters the game in square 1.
Basic gameplay continues like this until time is over for the activity or players reach a specified number of points or the players lose interest.
In the Australian rules a player is required to hit the ball into their own square and have it bounce into other courts from there, and hitting it directly into the other persons court is called "out on the full".
Allowed and Banned Moves edit
Players may make certain hits that are considered cheap, unfair, or bad sportsmanship because of the difficulty of receiving the ball. Games with beginners generally choose to ban difficult moves. Some advanced variations will only allow the servers to hit the ball a certain way, such as high bounces. Servers usually specify if they allow or disallow the following:
Number of Squares edit
If there are only two players, a square court may be spilt up into two large rectangles, with the privilege of serving alternating. This is usually only entertaining if both players are very good.
Players may also choose to form a larger court of six (two by three) or nine (three by three) squares, to accommodate large amounts of players waiting in line. Players do not receive the ball as frequently, but the gameplay is enhanced as the ball can be hit more directions and further distances. In Six-square and Nine-square, one of the central squares is the server's square, and the other players rotate around it.
A fairly common variant in Australia and New Zealand is line square, in which the squares are arranged in a line rather than in a grid, thus allowing for any number of squares and participants.
Making the Game Harder edit
If the ball is replaced with a tennis ball, the game of four square becomes far more difficult. This is commonplace in England and Australia. New York City residents enjoy a variety played with a tradional raquetball on city sidewalk squares as a court.
It can also be varied to include hits from the head and foot, sometimes known as 'header's and 'footer's, where the player can use either the head or a foot to hit the ball directly into an opponent's square.