Playing a new sport is exciting. Sometimes you think, “how the hell did the inventors of the sport come up with this?”
That’s what I thought the first time I played Spike ball. But as I kept playing, I noticed it resembled a few other sports and activities. Thus, I thought to investigate exactly how the creators of Spikeball constructed the blueprint for the sport. I found that Spikeball was a mash up of three different activities/sports.
1) Beach Volleyball
You may have noticed Spikeball for the first time on a trip to the beach. It’s no accident that Spikeball originated as a backyard beach sport that shares the same spirit and soul as that of beach volleyball. It’s played by many on the beach, and has a fun carefree nature similar to beach volleyball.
But not only does Spikeball share the same personality, it also shares many of the same tactics. In team beach volleyball, each team gets 3 hits of the ball before it has to return the ball over the net. This is the same of Spikeball, where a team (consisting of 2 players) gets 3 chances to hit the ball before they have to send the ball back into the Spike ball net.
The types of shots you take in Spikeball resemble those of volleyball as well. Players typically either bump, set or spike the ball into the Spike ball net.
2) Four Square
It may not have a net, but there is an aspect of the sport where the ball hits a flat surface on the ground (the ground itself). Once the ball hits the ground, players must hit the ball to a specified square. This is very similar to Spikeball in that players are hitting the ball down to a specified area and letting it bounce off that area.
In terms of the rules, Spike ball is quite different than Four Square. Rules-wise, Spike ball resembles that of volleyball a bit more. But where it does resemble foursquare very much is the athletic maneuvering around something that is beneath you. Sports are typically played horizontally or vertically where you are running from one side of the other, and are interacting with objects above ground (hockey goal, soccer goal, basketball hoop, volleyball net, etc.). What is unique about four square and Spike ball is that a player’s focus is downward for most of the game.
3) Trampolining
This is the last one everyone forgets about – trampolining. Now I know what you might be thinking…
“No one is launching themselves off trampolines!”
“Trampolining isn’t even a team sport!”
And you would be right. Trampolining is completely different, except for one important detail within the sport of trampolining – the trampoline.
Trampoline is a technology. It’s simple and has been around for centuries, but it is a technology that Spikeball/RoundNet takes advantage of. The Spike ball net has tension built in that helps the ball bounce high enough that it allows players to move to it and make a play. It is an integral part of the game and deserves mentioning.
Conclusion
The great advantage that Spikeball has over all of these sports is the adaptability of the game to any environment. Whether you set it up for a beach game or on a camping trip 50 feet from the firepit, you can basically bring it to any outdoor environment where you and your friends are hanging.