Maya Ballgame
GAMES
Created by: Jasmina Solankee
A long long time ago, before football, the Mayans gave us one of the earliest ball games. Grab your friends and play our version of the game!
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Materials
- Ball: 1 sheet of computer paper
- Goal post ring: your own two hands!
- Scissors
Where to play
- Any table or flat surface where 2 players can sit comfortably at the edge
Number of players
- Two at a time. Can have multiple games running at once!
Setup
Creating the ball:
- Fold your paper in half lengthwise so that it is in a long skinny rectangle
- Cut the paper along the fold with your scissors. If you do not have scissors, rip along the fold carefully. You should now have 2 strips of paper
- Take one strip and fold the paper in half lengthwise, creating a strip 2 inches wide. Place the strip in vertical orientation to start the folding process
- Fold the top right corner of the strip down towards the left edge forming a triangle at the end
- Fold the top point of the triangle down along the left edge seemingly with the previously created triangle
- Fold the top left corner of the strip (which is now a corner of your created triangle) down across to the right edge
- Again, fold the top point of your triangle down over the previous fold
- Repeat steps 4-7 until you reach the end of the paper strip. Tuck any extra paper into a pocket of your folded triangle. There should be a place for it, If not, you may use a piece of tape or glue to stick the extra paper down.
- Create a second ball with the other strip of paper
Creating the ring
- With your hands, form a circle/ring. (Use each hand to form one half of the ring) You can make the ring as small or as big as you would like – but make sure your ball can fit through it easily.
Purpose
- Get more points than the other player. The first player to 15 points wins!
Gameplay
- Select one player to start. Make sure you are sitting across from each other at a distance of 2-3 feet.
- From your side, take the ball flat and flick/push it towards the ring or the goal line (edge of the table). The goal is to get the ball closer to the edge of the table without it falling off. Remember, you do not have to do this in one turn – you will be alternating turns to get your ball closer to the edge
- If the ball gets to the edge without falling ( hanging off or touching the edge), it is a touchdown and 1 point
- If the ball falls off the edge, start over from your side the next turn (0 points)
- If you score a touchdown, you get to kick a field goal:
- To kick a field goal, place the ball on your side of the table standing up with one point on the table, and one point held up with your finger.
- The other player will hold their hands in a ring (decide on size before the game). Flick the ball and try to get it through the ring (1 point)
- After a field goal, you start from the beginning and the other player continues
- The first player to 15 points wins the game.