Introduction: Ping Pong King - How to Play

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Ping Pong King is a fun, simple ball game to play with friends.

When I was a kid, we used to play this game every day at school, whenever we could.

We spend hours play this game, thinking of new rules to add to make the game more fun.

Back then, we used to have a permanent court in school, but anyone can make their own Ping Pong King court in just few minutes, let me show you how and the rules of the game!

Supplies

In order to play this game you should have 2 things:

  1. Bouncing ball
  2. The court - A big square divided to 4 small equal squares

To make the court you can use tape or chalk.

Step 1: Create Your Court #1

With the tape or the chalk create a big square (around 3x3 meters).

Step 2: Create Your Court #2

Now, you'll need to divide the big square into 4 smaller squares.

Step 3: Create Your Court #3

The last part is to mark one of the squares with tiny square inside it, you will understand why in few minutes.


Optional: Mark the other squares with numbers: 4, 3, 2 and 1 where 4 is the marked square. 

 

That's it! Now we can start playing!

Step 4: The Game Flow

During each round of the game, there will be 4 players in the court, 1 in each square. If there are more players, they will wait in a line next to the court.

The player in the marked square (the one with tiny square in it, or "4"), also called "The King", start the play by serving the ball in a way that hits his square, and then another square (like a serve in Ping Pong). After that, each player needs to hit the ball to another square after it hits theirs (this time without hitting their own square first, exactly like Ping Pong).



Step 5: Basic Rules

The classic rules are that a player can't catch the ball, he has to just hit it away with his hands. Also, you can hit the ball as powerful as you'd like. Of course, you can decide with your friends on different rules, see more about it later on "Step 4".

Step 6: When Does a Round Ends?

The round is finished when one the following occurs:

  1. A player hits the ball and it go outside the court
  2. A player misses the ball after bouncing on his square and it bounces twice (weather the second bounce was in the player's square, in another square or outside the court).
  3. A player hits the ball inside his own square.
  4. A player breaks one of the rules (For example, catches the ball when playing the classic rules).

In every one of these situations the player is eliminated from the game.

After the player is eliminated, he returns to the back of the line and the first one in line gets in to square 1, the other players move 1 square up if its empty.

Example: The player in square 3 got eliminated, then the player in square 2 moves to 3, the player in square 1 moves to 2 and the new player from the line goes to square 1.

Step 7: Specific Scenrios

  1. If a ball bounce on one of the lines and go out then the 2 players who shares the line are eliminated and 2 new players from the line will enter the game.
  2. If the ball bounce on the middle of the court then all of the players are eliminated and 4 new players from the line will enter the game. The first in line will be the King.

Step 8: Only If You Want...

A fun and cool rule that I recommend is that the King can makes new rules each round.

This really makes the game more interesting and also more competitive because there is an incentive to be the King.

For example, the classic rules are that you must hit the ball with your hands when it comes to you, but you can't catch it. And also, that you may hit the ball as hard as you want.


Here are few ideas of different rules you can use:


1) The "Shanti Banti" rules:

The "Shanti Banti" rules are chill, nice and relaxing.

When playing with the "Sahnti Banti" rules, you are not allowed to hit the ball hard, you need to hit it softly. Like the classic rules, you still can't catch the ball when it comes to you.

If someone hits the ball powerfully (All the players need to agree on the level of power that is allowed) he gets eliminated and go to the back of the lines.


2) Football rules:

The name tells it all, when playing football rules you can't use your hands to hit the ball, has to do it with your legs, head or any part of your body you can use in a football match.

 

3) The "On the Floor" rules:

When playing with the "On the Floor" rules, everybody must sit down during the round.


4) The "All out Attack" rules:

Exactly the opposite from "Shanti Banti". When playing with the "All out Attack" rules, you must it the ball as hard as you can.

 

You can also combine some of those rules together, or make your own. But every round the King is the decider and decides according to which rules you are playing.

The only thing is that the rules must apply to all the players (For example, you can't make a rule that only one player needs to sit down)