Four Square Online Game? The 224 Detailed Answer

Playing this game on the playground with friends or enemies is a great time. But sometimes you might want to keep an official score and determine who is the best Four Square player in town. We get a lot of questions about how to draft and rank players in different types of tournaments. Here are a few ideas on how to build your own fun tournament.

elimination tournament

This tournament design measures the survivability of a group of players by kicking out players who have been eliminated during the game (see rules). The longer a player stays on the court, the better she will do in the tournament, at least until all less experienced players are eliminated. Here are a few principles and tips for an elimination tournament:

Track the number of times a player has been eliminated, either on paper recorded by a referee or with sticky tape placed on a player’s shirt. Have multiple rounds in the tournament to allow players to “reset” their elimination count between rounds. Use an announcer or other personality to regularly draw attention to which player is ahead. Do you have something to do for players eliminated early such as B. Consolation games or other activities. Set a time limit for total play time and issue alerts when the time is approaching.

King of the Hill Tournament

Unlike an elimination tournament, this type of competition rewards players for fighting their way to the highest ranked spot and staying there. Have players count how many rounds they stayed in the highest square. Players become the “King of the Hill” when they eventually break a previous record for the highest number of laps remaining in the highest field. This is a fun tournament that doesn’t require much supervision, and it’s also the basis for scoring during the Four Square World Championships.

Players should shout their count loud enough for everyone in the competition to hear. Keep the records in one place if you intend to carry the tournament over many days. Offer a reward for the King of the Hill title. This type of tournament encourages players to team up with people who are close to a new record. Monitor for bad behavior!

Long term tournament

Groups of players who wish to compete against each other for an extended period of time are encouraged to try this type of tournament style. If ten people played at the same time every day, it would be likely that some players would not be able to come on certain days or would not arrive on time. This type of tournament table forgives players who have had exceptionally good and bad days and calculates an average for each day played. But it’s also intense in monitoring and scoring points, as it requires every action to be recorded and calculated after every game. This type of scoring was used by the Boston Adult Quadruple League for 9 years.

Basically, to rank a player’s success relative to other players, you can get a number that represents his or her success by averaging the number of times a player has entered the seat on the lowest square and on the place remained on the highest field. A player who enters the court once and stays in the top square once would have an average of 1.0. Higher averages mean a player stayed in the highest square longer, lower scores mean a player failed to reach the highest square more often. A season average compares a player’s performance regardless of their success or competitive mix in a single day.

Why the name Four Square?

The name Four Square came about when, on July 4, 1924, Mr. Barker drew a square on his calendar around the 4 of the date during a telephone conversation with one of the members of the purchasing group. He knew right away that he had a fitting name for the buying group, saying that “they would stand by ‘Four Square’ in all four winds”.

In late 1924, products appeared under the Four Square name, and in 1929 the use of common branding in stores was discussed. Early versions of the four-square shield were made in the form of red and gold hand-painted glass panels for display in members’ shops.

In February 1948 New Zealand’s first self-service grocery store was opened in Onehunga by Phil Barker (son of the group’s founder) and Ray McGregor. This soon became the norm in grocery retail.

Now that you know what Foursquare is and how it works, we thought you would be interested in how Foursquare.com makes its money and whether or not it will cost you money. In this article, we explain when Foursquare is free and when it isn’t, and how they make their money. That way, you know exactly what kind of app you’re doing business with. Read below to learn more!

How much does Foursquare cost?

Foursquare is free to use; Currently, users are not charged for downloading or using the app. However, it reserves the right to do so according to the terms and conditions, which you agree to when you register. Also, if you’re using Foursquare on mobile devices on the go, be sure to monitor data usage.

So how does Foursquare pay the bills?

Foursquare makes money from in-app (or website) advertising to its users and from selling consumer information to other companies (through “Foursquare Pinpoint”). The software monitors foot traffic and then compiles user data to determine which demographic groups are most likely to be employed in businesses.

Foursquare also makes some of its revenue by offering businesses the ability to speed up an ad on their website or app, although it doesn’t account for a large portion of their income. Instead, Foursquare Pinpoint takes center stage due to its potential to generate significant revenue.

For example, when a user checks in at a restaurant, Foursquare may share the user’s demographic information with the restaurant. That way, the restaurant knows more about who their target audience is. Foursquare also monitors foot traffic, which also has revenue potential, since many companies would be interested in knowing how many people are entering and exiting their venues.

A warning about Foursquare and data usage

To use Foursquare for free, all you need is a desktop computer — or a mobile device running either the Google Android or Apple iOS operating system — and a working internet connection for your chosen platform. Using the Foursquare website is free, as is using the app. However, if you’re using Foursquare on your mobile device (since it can be very useful on the go), you’ll either need to find a free Wi-Fi connection or use your device’s data plan.

If you consistently use Foursquare in combination with your data, you may need to monitor your usage to ensure you are not exceeding your monthly data allowance. The app doesn’t use as much data as (for example) video streaming services, but you should still consider monitoring your data usage to make sure you’re not being billed extra money if you use more than your monthly Use data limit.

This is how Foursquare makes its money and what to look out for to make sure you can use it for free. If you’re interested in trying it out, be sure to read our Foursquare review (our next tutorial), which may help you determine whether you really want to use it or not. When you think you’re ready to create an account, check out this article to learn how to download and sign up for the Foursquare app.

It’s a little bit creepy, but it’s also a little bit awesome. Singles for Foursquare Builds dating and messaging service based on location sharing application. The result is a mashup that could rival hip iPhone-using, Foursquare-playing, concurrent early adopters.

With the Singles iPhone app, users log into Foursquare and create a simple bio. Then they check in directly to the app, which uses the Foursquare API. If others are checked in who are also using singles, one of them can initiate a text conversation that would hopefully lead to an actual, face-to-face interaction.

Just check out how well Guillermo and Katy get along in the demo video (embedded below):

The concept could even be extended to connect users at different times. Instead of having to be in the same place at the same time, Singles could recognize two of its users visiting a particular restaurant and suggest they go at the same time. With dating sites based on even more tangential similarities, it seems like an appropriate service for Foursquare users who tend to love their local businesses.

What do you think? Will you check out the next time you check in?

We have established this standard of clear and concise square rules of the game over more than a decade of court time and shared experience. These standards allow for faster learning and playing, have more commonality with other communities playing the game, and provide a starting point for players to experiment and improvise.

The object

The goal of the Four Square game is to eliminate players in higher squares so that you can advance to the highest square yourself. Four Square is played with a rubber playground ball on a square court with four players each occupying a quarter of the court. The ball will bounce between players in squares until a player makes a mistake and is eliminated. Eliminated players leave the field, all players advance to fill the empty spaces, and a new player joins the lowest ranked space

The ball

First read what type of ball is allowed in the Equipment section.

During the game, the player is only allowed to hit the ball with his hand. We describe the “hands” as any area between the player’s wrists and fingertips, including the backs of the hands. The ball may be hit with open or closed fists as in official volleyball. Players may not catch, carry or hold the ball at any time during play. Spinning the ball is allowed as long as the shot that causes the spin is not a carry or other illegal shot. We get a lot of questions about spins.

In all cases, players who hit the ball wrong are eliminated.

The court

First read about the dimensions and materials of the court in the equipment section.

Squares are ordered from highest to lowest rank. Our league uses the numbers 1 through 4, other people use letters, and even some use the title of royalty. In all cases, the highest and lowest rank squares should be diagonal to each other.

There are two sets of lines on the course. “Outer lines” are the outermost edges of the entire square, while “inner lines” refer to the line separating individual squares of the square and crossing in the middle. All lines on the square are 1 inch wide.

Outlines are in-bounds. If a player bounces the ball onto an outside line, he is still in play. However, if the ball bounces outside the outer line, it is out of bounds and the player who last hit it is eliminated.

. If a player bounces the ball onto an outside line, he is still in play. However, if the ball bounces outside the outer line, it is out of bounds and the player who last hit it is eliminated. Inside lines are out of bounds. If a player hits a ball on an inside line, that player is out. This applies to ALL inside lines, not just the lines delimiting a player’s field. If a ball touches an inside line, the last player hit is eliminated.

Players do not have to stay in their part of the court. They can stand, walk, or run anywhere on the field, although it’s best to stay in one position to protect their own field.

Serve the ball

The ball is always served from the highest ranked field to the lowest ranked field. Fields 1 and 4 are positioned diagonally across the playing field. The server must drop the ball and serve it after impact. The ball must be allowed to bounce once in the receiving field, then the receiving player must hit the ball in another field. After the receiver touches the ball, the ball is in play.

Serves should put the ball in play fairly. Because the server must serve the ball the same way each time, it is the receiving player who controls the first play.

mistake

The receiver is only allowed to make one mistake in each round, we call that a mistake. If the receiver misses the ball or fails to hit the ball inbound, the receiver may serve a second time. Only one mistake is allowed per round per player.

We refer to a mistake as “one bad”, as in a bad return. However, if a player makes a mistake the second time, we call it “twice bad”. In other words, that’s too bad for you.

possession and poaching

The normal order of play is defined in two phases for each time the ball is struck by a player.

Once the ball bounces in a square, ONLY the owner of that square needs to bounce the ball into another square.

After the ball is hit by a player and before the ball next touches the ground, EVERY play is Free Hit the Ball.

Anyone hitting the ball at any time is subject to all other rules.

If a ball has bounced in a square and another player hits the ball before the owner of the square hits it first, the other player is out. That’s called poaching.

elimination

Each time a player is eliminated, that player leaves the board and all players advance to the higher-numbered squares. The lowest square is then occupied by a new player. All eliminated players leave the field and wait for their next turn to join on the bottom square.

These situations represent all of the ways in which a player can be eliminated from the field. Players eliminated for:

Do not hit the ball in another field

Bounce the ball in your own court more than once

Hitting the ball out of bounds or onto an inside line

False hitting of the ball such as holding, catching or carrying

Hitting the ball with a part of the body that is not a hand

Hitting the ball out of turn (aka poaching)

Violation of any number of local rules established on the playground

interference

When the ball touches another object that is not one of the four players or the ground, this is called interference. The round is restarted. Players waiting in line are not allowed to touch the ball during play.

The showdown!

When there is a dispute that cannot be resolved by the officials, the showdown is the only correct way to resolve the disagreement. The Showdown is a mini game with two fields. The higher numbered square serves the ball to the lower square. The loser is eliminated from the game. In the event of a showdown, no points or errors are logged for players, the winner of the showdown is simply allowed to stay in the game.

Customized Rules

Rising to the Four Square comes with the unique privilege of creating special rules that adapt the game to your own style and help you stay longer in the Four Square. This is where most of the fun and complexity of the game comes from, especially for kids. When the player is in the square, he can apply special rules that become part of the game for that one round. After each round, the player in the top box must revisit the rules or assume no special rules are required.

Many of the special, silly, and ridiculous rules would make it impossible to earn points in competitive play, so we’re not including them in the Four Square Official Rules. But we should definitely point you to the massive collection of really cool rules that you can browse for ideas for your own space.

If you have any questions or need clarification on any aspect of the standard rules here, please contact us!

configuration

A standard foursquare area is one large square, 10′ x 10′, divided into four smaller squares (5′ x 5′), and each box is labeled A, B, C, D, or 1, 2, 3, 4 labeled. The box marked A or 1 contains a smaller service box (1.5′ x 1.5′) located in the far corner of the plaza.

A long time ago we started the Wikipedia article about Four Square and since then it has grown into a very useful summary of how to play the game. It was also a repository for each elementary school student to contribute his or her particular rules, which unfortunately does not match Wikipedia’s citations and original research guidelines. Our own league member Kayle recently found a huge list of special rules edited from the original wiki article and we present them here for posterity. Here it is, unabridged and unabashed, as originally presented on Wikipedia…

Special game rules

7-Up: Each player who hits the ball must call out a number one higher than the previous one, until number seven is reached. The one who hits the ball on 7 or a number ending in 7 must skip that number; Otherwise the player is eliminated.

Aerials: This allows balls to be hit in the air without bouncing first.

Around the World: Any player in possession of the ball may call Around the World at any time, regardless of rank. If it is declared, the declaring player may hit it in an adjacent square, and that person must hit it in the remaining adjacent square until it reaches the player who announced it. At this point, the game returns to normal. A “permanent” version can be called, in which case the sequence must continue until a player folds, even if it reaches the caller.

Around the World: Touch the front corner with your foot, then touch all other corners of the player board. The last one to touch the middle square is out

Backboards (Treetops, Double Tap): Hit the ball up in the air once before hitting it into another player’s court, often used to give a player a better aim.

Baubling (bubbles, double touches, popcorn, juggling, etc.): A way of holding the ball by bouncing it slightly between your hands before hitting it to another square.

Blackjack: If a player catches the ball cleanly before it lands in their own court, the player who hit the ball is out. It usually forces the game to be played low and fast and creates a different dynamic. If this is played with double taps, you still have to catch the ball on the first hit.

Black Magic: King says “Black Magic” while spinning a ball in his hands before throwing it at another player. When they throw it, they yell “Dare it!” If the player doesn’t catch it, they must perform a King’s Designation mandatory task. OR. Has different connotations depending on where the game is played. In one variation, during play, a player can catch another player’s ball above the waist and call Black Magic on the batsman, who must then perform any number of actions for the remainder of the match, e.g. e.g. standing on one foot, playing only with the left hand, etc. In another variant, catching the ball eliminates either the striker or the catcher, depending on who shouts “Black Magic” first.

Bottle Caps (Isolation etc.): The server can trigger this on any of the other three players at any time during the game. Once a player has been declared a bottle cap, the player or she is paused and must crouch for the remainder of the round or until their bottle cap is revoked by the same server that declared it. That player’s field will also be out of bounds until the bottle cap ends.

Bomb: The server places the ball in the middle of the field and shouts bomb. All players must then touch the ball; the last one to touch the ball is out.

Body hit (or body part): The player may hit the ball with a specific part of the body, such as the head or foot. In some countries this rule is called “Soccer Rules” and the ball may only be hit with the head or foot.

Body Language: This rule allows players to use any part of their body to hit the ball. Some players like this for the additional use of feet.

Bus Stop: A rule that allows two hits. There are three types of bus stops. If the ball is stopped in mid-air, bounces once into that person’s court, and then hit again, it’s a variation. The other variation is when the ball bounces into the person’s court, is hit, and then hit again without another bounce. In the third variation, the king yells “bus stop” and the last player to touch the inner corner of his square with his foot is out.

Bounce Stop: Like a bus stop where the person hits the ball twice but with another bounce. The ball bounces once, is hit by that player, bounces back into that person’s square, and then gets hit again. Standard bounce stops require the second bounce to occur square of the person, but a special “out-of-bounds bounce stop” can be called that allows the second bounce to occur out of bounds.

Bus Stop: King calls the bus stop and another player’s name before throwing the ball off the field. All players count to twenty while the player whose name was called runs to retrieve the ball and return to the king. If this does not succeed by 20, the player is eliminated.

Catch: If the person catches the ball before it hits their square, the passer is played (e.g. King serves Jack, Jack catches it before bouncing onto Jack’s square. King is now out). Usually, when catching, the catching player has to say some kind of code word, which differs from school to school, or the player himself is out.

Catch Between the Legs (The Annihilator): When this is invoked and a player catches the ball between themselves or their legs (usually between the knees), all players except the person catching the ball are out. The person ending the game then moves to the serve position.

Categories: In this version, before the game starts, the server announces a category (e.g. types of drinks or girl names), and each player must announce something in that category (that no one in the round has announced yet) when they hit the ball. If a player doesn’t find an exact item in the category, they’re out.

Cherry: In Australia, players are not normally allowed to hit the ball into another player’s court without first hitting their own court. However, it is sometimes accepted to hit the ball full into another player’s court when players shout “Cherry”. The player must hit the ball up, i.e. he cannot hit it down or hit someone else’s field. Sometimes cherry can be abbreviated to “chez” to make it easier to say. Other variants are “e-mail” and “postman”.

Cherry Bomb: When a player grabs the ball and throws it hard into any square. The attacking player must say “Cherry Bomb”. This is generally the most difficult ball to return.

“Chicken _____” or “Duck _____” (Shoe Shine, etc.): When the ball hits any part of the body other than the hands or chest: A “Chicken Foot” is when the ball hits a player’s foot, etc. If ” Chicken Feet” is enforced, the player who hit the other player’s foot with the ball is out instead of the hit player.

Circle Rule: This rule applies when a circle is drawn around the field of play, at least 1.20 m from the boundary line. When an opponent is burned, a player must hit in order for the first jump after the burn to be inside the circle. Otherwise that player is out. Aside from preventing lost or hard-to-recover balls, this rule makes slams more difficult and requires “power players” to change their game and use more skill.

Corners: All players must go to the outside corner of their field. The last one to do this is outside.

Death Rally: If the server allows it, any player can create a “Death Rally” (aka

“Battle”, “Duel”, “War”, “Showdown”, “Tea Party”, etc.). The two players may only hit the ball until one of those two players is eliminated. When a player breaks a death rally at the right moment and quickly puts the ball into another, it’s called a sneak or stealth attack, and the attacked player will often be unable to respond to the sudden attack.

“Duel” or “Teams”: Any player can call Deul or Teams at any time. You will team up with an adjacent square against the other two squares. For example 4 & 3 vs. 2 & 1. The ball may only bounce once in a square but twice in a team rectangle. If there is an out, both players on the team are out.

“Do Over” or “Redo” (Term varies from school to school): Term used when there is a dispute, players are unsure of a decision, or the linesman determines that the previous play was too close to complete being called or invalidated by an outside interruption. The ball is served without eliminations.

Dodge Ball: If a player manages to catch the ball before it jumps onto any square or out of bounds, play switches to Dodge Ball, with all players following standard Dodge Ball game rules. This means that the player does not take more than three steps with the ball and tries to throw another player out by hitting him with the ball (recommended only with soft big rubber balls). If the target player catches the ball or the ball misses all players, the player who threw the ball is out.

Double Taps: This means each player can tap the ball in the air twice after bouncing once in their own square. Similar to a one-person volleyball team, this is an effective technique to prepare for a spike.

Double Bounces: The ball may (or sometimes must) bounce twice in a player’s court before the player hits it. If it bounces any other number of times before the receiver hits it, the player is out. If it bounces once in and then out of a player’s field, the batsman is out.

Point to Point: All players must touch the middle corner, the back corner, and then the middle corner again. The last player to return to the middle is out

Fair Serve (No blood on serve, etc.): A common rule by which players cannot fold on serve. For example, if the server hits the ball wide while serving, the player is given a second chance; Likewise, if the player misses the ball after it has been served to him, the player also receives a “retake”. The term “outs on serves” is sometimes used to indicate that there is no fair serve; Such a rule is usually invoked to advance the game faster.

Fair Return: Usually mentioned along with “Fair Serve” in a two-cornered variant. A fair return is one that can be easily hit by the server after the first serve is made.

Fairy Bomb: When a player catches the ball, they can jump in the air like throwing a cherry bomb, but instead say “fairy bomb” under their breath and let the ball fall slightly into another player’s field.

Faking (Psyche Out, Teardrop, etc.): A shot where a player pretends the player is going to hit the ball, but instead barely taps it for the other player to miss.

Final Play (Last Play, Last Round and Final Rally): In Australia this term is used to denote the final round of play due to the end of the break time. This would normally confirm the day’s winner. Final play could involve a duel of the top two squares.

Friendlies: Allows players to play balls that did not land in their court and would otherwise have driven another player out of play for the purpose of continuing the game.

Grandfather Clock: All players on the pitch take turns throwing the ball in the air and clapping as many times as they can. The player with the fewest claps is out.

Holding (Grabbing, etc.): Normally, a player can only hit the ball and not hold it, but some rules allow holding the ball for half a second or less when using a special move.

Ice Cream Cone: During play and when the server has the ball, he must shout “Ice Cream Cone.” When the server does, they grab the ball and run to the center of the square. The other players have to hurry to get their feet out of bounds. The last player to leave the borders is out.

Interception (poaching, etc.): Term used for a player other than the intended receiver who grabs and/or bats the ball in play. This often happens when the ball passes but does not bounce in a player’s court.

King’s Court: Disputes are resolved by the serving player instead of a linesman. Landmines: A portion of a space is an automatic out for the player in that space that is marked in some way (chalk, tape, etc.); usually the proportion increases as the square number increases.

Letters: If the squares are labeled, all players must touch the letter in their square when it is called; the last person to do this is outside.

Liners: (laser lines, poison lines, etc.): If the ball hits a line, the player who hit it is usually out, although a variety of rules have been made for this event (see “Liner Minigames” below). ).

Lumberjack (Battle Royale, etc.): When a lot of people are playing, the extras circle around the court (or stand on the circle if there’s a circle rule). Those standing around the yard are the lumberjacks. If the ball is hit out of bounds, the Lumberjacks will hit the ball back so the game doesn’t stop. When a player is called out, the remaining players continue to play against each other. The game ends when only one of the four original players remains.

Master Key Lock: The rules cannot be changed unless the person who invoked it leaves the game.

Midget World: The king may call out “Midget World” before serving, and all players must crouch for the game.

Mini Michael Jordan: The next round is played with all players crouched. “Must Accept” (Ready or Not): A receiver must hit the serve regardless of interference or when not ready.

Off-Serve: The player who received the serve must return the ball to the server.

Open Book: Any player can change the rules whether they are the server or not if this is enforced.

Passback: If a player calls passback during a game, the closest person to that player must hit back.

Pick Up: Players may pick up the ball if it bounces at a height determined by the players or the server. In some places, the rules require players to yell “Pick Up,” “Picks,” or “Grabs” while doing so.

Play On: This is called when a decision is made to continue play when the call is close. “Play On” must be called by the judge or server immediately after the bounce, otherwise disputes may arise.

Poison: In Australia, a person of any rank can call Poison if the player or she is not ready. The game continues without the player and the player resumes his/her participation with the reputation “medicine”.

Popcorn (different from bobbling): A player calls out “Popcorn x”, where x is any number. If hailed during play, the receiving player must throw the ball in the air, clap the specified number of times, and then catch the ball. Or the king throws the ball in the air and claps it one or more times before catching it. The next player must do the same, but with one more clap than the king. Each subsequent throw requires an increase in the number of claps, and failure to complete a throw results in an out (sometimes with two attempts per player).

Revenge: If the server is down, the player can choose to call Revenge or King’s Revenge. The player who is now a server must participate in a death rally with the former server (see Death Rally above).

Rolling (bowling, etc.): A player hits the ball so low that the ball rolls. Usually the player who rolled it is out.

Sentences: In this version, the server begins a sentence by saying a word and each game must continue the sentence or end it by saying a period. If they don’t continue the sentence logically, they’re out. (An example: “I love playing four squares”).

Serve: When the ball is to be served, either player may call out “serve,” and the server must automatically play the ball to them unless he has elected to overrule it. At this point, no other player may claim the serve for that serve. If multiple people try, the first caller gets the honor. A player can also yell “Service no overrules,” forcing the server to pass the ball to him.

Sharking (Skunk, Sting, etc.): Directly targeting any part of an opponent’s body instead of playing it normally. If the sharker hits the opponent, the opponent is out. If the opponent dodges the ball, the sharker is usually out (because the ball didn’t bounce in his or her own square).

Slamming” (High Bounces, Treetops, Cherry Bombs, etc.): Hitting the ball so that it bounces a considerable distance over the receiver’s head. This move is discouraged not only because it is difficult to accept, but also because there is a risk of the ball getting stuck on a roof, in a tree, etc. Defensive moves against slams, such as often get names like “Tiananmen Square” themselves.

Sleepover: All players sit with their legs apart and touch the person’s feet on either side of them. All players roll around the ball until it touches a foot. The player who rolled the ball before it touched the foot is out.

Spinning ((Texas) Twisters, Screwballs, Peppermint Sticks, etc.): hitting the ball, usually with both hands, in such a way as to impart spin, causing it to bounce unusually.

Style Points: In some variations, style points are awarded to players who demonstrate excellent or rare form during the game and/or hit the ball artistically (e.g. under the legs); Depending on the rules at that school or location, style points may be used to release a player from an out or award other bonuses if players agree.

Tapping (babies, tiny tims, etc.): Hitting the ball so that it hardly bounces off the ground and also covers a very small horizontal distance.

Toesies: A variation of “Chicken Feet” (see above) in which one player aims the ball directly at another player’s toes. When the ball hits, all players must rush to the center and put their toes in the middle. The last player to stick their toes in is eliminated.

Two and Up: If the ball bounces twice into a player’s square before the square’s owner hits the ball, the player may and may not tap the ball up into another player’s square while saying “two and up”. be eliminated.

Typewriter: A rule in which a player grabs or fiddles with the ball, moves near an adjacent square, and bounces the ball in that square a predetermined number of times. The usual variation is to spell out the opponent’s name, one letter per bounce. If the player successfully completes the move, the opponent is out. If the opponent hits the ball to disrupt the spelling, the person who initiated the typewriter is out.

Underhand: Means that all strikes are performed with an open hand and palm(s) facing up. This brings the game low to the ground and leaves your quads sore the next day. “Underhand” is stereotypically associated with beginners, but at Four Square even the best players sometimes can’t survive a round of underhand.

minigames

Creative players from all over the world invent exciting variants that completely break out of the normal gameplay. This section on side and line games introduces some of the most popular mini games that take place on (or off) the court.

If the ball hits a line (or a wall in some cases), the game usually ends with a player being eliminated, a special rule being applied, or players going straight into a minigame.

Possibilities include the following:

The person who hit the line gets out automatically.

The server invoking a retry.

The players continue play as if the ball were in one of the players’ squares, and if neither player continues play, it’s a re

Multiple players are eliminated when the line between them is hit by the ball.

A dispute resolution as described in the Disputes section above.

Some servers invoke one of the following sidegames:

Square game

The aim of this mobile game is to form a square by connecting four dots. This is a great game to play on a restaurant napkin!

Game rules for four square playgrounds

Each player stands on one of the four squares.

To start the game, the player on court four serves the ball by bouncing it once on his court and then hitting it toward one of the other courts. The receiving player then hits the ball to another player in one of the other fields.

The ball must bounce on another player’s field and he must hit it to another player before bouncing a second time.

A player may bat the ball before it bounces if he chooses to do so.

If a player bats the ball so that it misses another player’s court, or fails to hit the ball before the second bounce after it lands in his court, he is out.

When a player is out, the other players move up to take their place, and that player moves to the last square, or to the end of the line if there are more than four players.

The goal of the game is to reach and hold the position of the server.

A long time ago we started the Wikipedia article about Four Square and since then it has grown into a very useful summary of how to play the game. It was also a repository for each elementary school student to contribute his or her particular rules, which unfortunately does not match Wikipedia’s citations and original research guidelines. Our own league member Kayle recently found a huge list of special rules edited from the original wiki article and we present them here for posterity. Here it is, unabridged and unabashed, as originally presented on Wikipedia…

Special game rules

7-Up: Each player who hits the ball must call out a number one higher than the previous one, until number seven is reached. The one who hits the ball on 7 or a number ending in 7 must skip that number; Otherwise the player is eliminated.

Aerials: This allows balls to be hit in the air without bouncing first.

Around the World: Any player in possession of the ball may call Around the World at any time, regardless of rank. If it is declared, the declaring player may hit it in an adjacent square, and that person must hit it in the remaining adjacent square until it reaches the player who announced it. At this point, the game returns to normal. A “permanent” version can be called, in which case the sequence must continue until a player folds, even if it reaches the caller.

Around the World: Touch the front corner with your foot, then touch all other corners of the player board. The last one to touch the middle square is out

Backboards (Treetops, Double Tap): Hit the ball up in the air once before hitting it into another player’s court, often used to give a player a better aim.

Baubling (bubbles, double touches, popcorn, juggling, etc.): A way of holding the ball by bouncing it slightly between your hands before hitting it to another square.

Blackjack: If a player catches the ball cleanly before it lands in their own court, the player who hit the ball is out. It usually forces the game to be played low and fast and creates a different dynamic. If this is played with double taps, you still have to catch the ball on the first hit.

Black Magic: King says “Black Magic” while spinning a ball in his hands before throwing it at another player. When they throw it, they yell “Dare it!” If the player doesn’t catch it, they must perform a King’s Designation mandatory task. OR. Has different connotations depending on where the game is played. In one variation, during play, a player can catch another player’s ball above the waist and call Black Magic on the batsman, who must then perform any number of actions for the remainder of the match, e.g. e.g. standing on one foot, playing only with the left hand, etc. In another variant, catching the ball eliminates either the striker or the catcher, depending on who shouts “Black Magic” first.

Bottle Caps (Isolation etc.): The server can trigger this on any of the other three players at any time during the game. Once a player has been declared a bottle cap, the player or she is paused and must crouch for the remainder of the round or until their bottle cap is revoked by the same server that declared it. That player’s field will also be out of bounds until the bottle cap ends.

Bomb: The server places the ball in the middle of the field and shouts bomb. All players must then touch the ball; the last one to touch the ball is out.

Body hit (or body part): The player may hit the ball with a specific part of the body, such as the head or foot. In some countries this rule is called “Soccer Rules” and the ball may only be hit with the head or foot.

Body Language: This rule allows players to use any part of their body to hit the ball. Some players like this for the additional use of feet.

Bus Stop: A rule that allows two hits. There are three types of bus stops. If the ball is stopped in mid-air, bounces once into that person’s court, and then hit again, it’s a variation. The other variation is when the ball bounces into the person’s court, is hit, and then hit again without another bounce. In the third variation, the king yells “bus stop” and the last player to touch the inner corner of his square with his foot is out.

Bounce Stop: Like a bus stop where the person hits the ball twice but with another bounce. The ball bounces once, is hit by that player, bounces back into that person’s square, and then gets hit again. Standard bounce stops require the second bounce to occur square of the person, but a special “out-of-bounds bounce stop” can be called that allows the second bounce to occur out of bounds.

Bus Stop: King calls the bus stop and another player’s name before throwing the ball off the field. All players count to twenty while the player whose name was called runs to retrieve the ball and return to the king. If this does not succeed by 20, the player is eliminated.

Catch: If the person catches the ball before it hits their square, the passer is played (e.g. King serves Jack, Jack catches it before bouncing onto Jack’s square. King is now out). Usually, when catching, the catching player has to say some kind of code word, which differs from school to school, or the player himself is out.

Catch Between the Legs (The Annihilator): When this is invoked and a player catches the ball between themselves or their legs (usually between the knees), all players except the person catching the ball are out. The person ending the game then moves to the serve position.

Categories: In this version, before the game starts, the server announces a category (e.g. types of drinks or girl names), and each player must announce something in that category (that no one in the round has announced yet) when they hit the ball. If a player doesn’t find an exact item in the category, they’re out.

Cherry: In Australia, players are not normally allowed to hit the ball into another player’s court without first hitting their own court. However, it is sometimes accepted to hit the ball full into another player’s court when players shout “Cherry”. The player must hit the ball up, i.e. he cannot hit it down or hit someone else’s field. Sometimes cherry can be abbreviated to “chez” to make it easier to say. Other variants are “e-mail” and “postman”.

Cherry Bomb: When a player grabs the ball and throws it hard into any square. The attacking player must say “Cherry Bomb”. This is generally the most difficult ball to return.

“Chicken _____” or “Duck _____” (Shoe Shine, etc.): When the ball hits any part of the body other than the hands or chest: A “Chicken Foot” is when the ball hits a player’s foot, etc. If ” Chicken Feet” is enforced, the player who hit the other player’s foot with the ball is out instead of the hit player.

Circle Rule: This rule applies when a circle is drawn around the field of play, at least 1.20 m from the boundary line. When an opponent is burned, a player must hit in order for the first jump after the burn to be inside the circle. Otherwise that player is out. Aside from preventing lost or hard-to-recover balls, this rule makes slams more difficult and requires “power players” to change their game and use more skill.

Corners: All players must go to the outside corner of their field. The last one to do this is outside.

Death Rally: If the server allows it, any player can create a “Death Rally” (aka

“Battle”, “Duel”, “War”, “Showdown”, “Tea Party”, etc.). The two players may only hit the ball until one of those two players is eliminated. When a player breaks a death rally at the right moment and quickly puts the ball into another, it’s called a sneak or stealth attack, and the attacked player will often be unable to respond to the sudden attack.

“Duel” or “Teams”: Any player can call Deul or Teams at any time. You will team up with an adjacent square against the other two squares. For example 4 & 3 vs. 2 & 1. The ball may only bounce once in a square but twice in a team rectangle. If there is an out, both players on the team are out.

“Do Over” or “Redo” (Term varies from school to school): Term used when there is a dispute, players are unsure of a decision, or the linesman determines that the previous play was too close to complete being called or invalidated by an outside interruption. The ball is served without eliminations.

Dodge Ball: If a player manages to catch the ball before it jumps onto any square or out of bounds, play switches to Dodge Ball, with all players following standard Dodge Ball game rules. This means that the player does not take more than three steps with the ball and tries to throw another player out by hitting him with the ball (recommended only with soft big rubber balls). If the target player catches the ball or the ball misses all players, the player who threw the ball is out.

Double Taps: This means each player can tap the ball in the air twice after bouncing once in their own square. Similar to a one-person volleyball team, this is an effective technique to prepare for a spike.

Double Bounces: The ball may (or sometimes must) bounce twice in a player’s court before the player hits it. If it bounces any other number of times before the receiver hits it, the player is out. If it bounces once in and then out of a player’s field, the batsman is out.

Point to Point: All players must touch the middle corner, the back corner, and then the middle corner again. The last player to return to the middle is out

Fair Serve (No blood on serve, etc.): A common rule by which players cannot fold on serve. For example, if the server hits the ball wide while serving, the player is given a second chance; Likewise, if the player misses the ball after it has been served to him, the player also receives a “retake”. The term “outs on serves” is sometimes used to indicate that there is no fair serve; Such a rule is usually invoked to advance the game faster.

Fair Return: Usually mentioned along with “Fair Serve” in a two-cornered variant. A fair return is one that can be easily hit by the server after the first serve is made.

Fairy Bomb: When a player catches the ball, they can jump in the air like throwing a cherry bomb, but instead say “fairy bomb” under their breath and let the ball fall slightly into another player’s field.

Faking (Psyche Out, Teardrop, etc.): A shot where a player pretends the player is going to hit the ball, but instead barely taps it for the other player to miss.

Final Play (Last Play, Last Round and Final Rally): In Australia this term is used to denote the final round of play due to the end of the break time. This would normally confirm the day’s winner. Final play could involve a duel of the top two squares.

Friendlies: Allows players to play balls that did not land in their court and would otherwise have driven another player out of play for the purpose of continuing the game.

Grandfather Clock: All players on the pitch take turns throwing the ball in the air and clapping as many times as they can. The player with the fewest claps is out.

Holding (Grabbing, etc.): Normally, a player can only hit the ball and not hold it, but some rules allow holding the ball for half a second or less when using a special move.

Ice Cream Cone: During play and when the server has the ball, he must shout “Ice Cream Cone.” When the server does, they grab the ball and run to the center of the square. The other players have to hurry to get their feet out of bounds. The last player to leave the borders is out.

Interception (poaching, etc.): Term used for a player other than the intended receiver who grabs and/or bats the ball in play. This often happens when the ball passes but does not bounce in a player’s court.

King’s Court: Disputes are resolved by the serving player instead of a linesman. Landmines: A portion of a space is an automatic out for the player in that space that is marked in some way (chalk, tape, etc.); usually the proportion increases as the square number increases.

Letters: If the squares are labeled, all players must touch the letter in their square when it is called; the last person to do this is outside.

Liners: (laser lines, poison lines, etc.): If the ball hits a line, the player who hit it is usually out, although a variety of rules have been made for this event (see “Liner Minigames” below). ).

Lumberjack (Battle Royale, etc.): When a lot of people are playing, the extras circle around the court (or stand on the circle if there’s a circle rule). Those standing around the yard are the lumberjacks. If the ball is hit out of bounds, the Lumberjacks will hit the ball back so the game doesn’t stop. When a player is called out, the remaining players continue to play against each other. The game ends when only one of the four original players remains.

Master Key Lock: The rules cannot be changed unless the person who invoked it leaves the game.

Midget World: The king may call out “Midget World” before serving, and all players must crouch for the game.

Mini Michael Jordan: The next round is played with all players crouched. “Must Accept” (Ready or Not): A receiver must hit the serve regardless of interference or when not ready.

Off-Serve: The player who received the serve must return the ball to the server.

Open Book: Any player can change the rules whether they are the server or not if this is enforced.

Passback: If a player calls passback during a game, the closest person to that player must hit back.

Pick Up: Players may pick up the ball if it bounces at a height determined by the players or the server. In some places, the rules require players to yell “Pick Up,” “Picks,” or “Grabs” while doing so.

Play On: This is called when a decision is made to continue play when the call is close. “Play On” must be called by the judge or server immediately after the bounce, otherwise disputes may arise.

Poison: In Australia, a person of any rank can call Poison if the player or she is not ready. The game continues without the player and the player resumes his/her participation with the reputation “medicine”.

Popcorn (different from bobbling): A player calls out “Popcorn x”, where x is any number. If hailed during play, the receiving player must throw the ball in the air, clap the specified number of times, and then catch the ball. Or the king throws the ball in the air and claps it one or more times before catching it. The next player must do the same, but with one more clap than the king. Each subsequent throw requires an increase in the number of claps, and failure to complete a throw results in an out (sometimes with two attempts per player).

Revenge: If the server is down, the player can choose to call Revenge or King’s Revenge. The player who is now a server must participate in a death rally with the former server (see Death Rally above).

Rolling (bowling, etc.): A player hits the ball so low that the ball rolls. Usually the player who rolled it is out.

Sentences: In this version, the server begins a sentence by saying a word and each game must continue the sentence or end it by saying a period. If they don’t continue the sentence logically, they’re out. (An example: “I love playing four squares”).

Serve: When the ball is to be served, either player may call out “serve,” and the server must automatically play the ball to them unless he has elected to overrule it. At this point, no other player may claim the serve for that serve. If multiple people try, the first caller gets the honor. A player can also yell “Service no overrules,” forcing the server to pass the ball to him.

Sharking (Skunk, Sting, etc.): Directly targeting any part of an opponent’s body instead of playing it normally. If the sharker hits the opponent, the opponent is out. If the opponent dodges the ball, the sharker is usually out (because the ball didn’t bounce in his or her own square).

Slamming” (High Bounces, Treetops, Cherry Bombs, etc.): Hitting the ball so that it bounces a considerable distance over the receiver’s head. This move is discouraged not only because it is difficult to accept, but also because there is a risk of the ball getting stuck on a roof, in a tree, etc. Defensive moves against slams, such as often get names like “Tiananmen Square” themselves.

Sleepover: All players sit with their legs apart and touch the person’s feet on either side of them. All players roll around the ball until it touches a foot. The player who rolled the ball before it touched the foot is out.

Spinning ((Texas) Twisters, Screwballs, Peppermint Sticks, etc.): hitting the ball, usually with both hands, in such a way as to impart spin, causing it to bounce unusually.

Style Points: In some variations, style points are awarded to players who demonstrate excellent or rare form during the game and/or hit the ball artistically (e.g. under the legs); Depending on the rules at that school or location, style points may be used to release a player from an out or award other bonuses if players agree.

Tapping (babies, tiny tims, etc.): Hitting the ball so that it hardly bounces off the ground and also covers a very small horizontal distance.

Toesies: A variation of “Chicken Feet” (see above) in which one player aims the ball directly at another player’s toes. When the ball hits, all players must rush to the center and put their toes in the middle. The last player to stick their toes in is eliminated.

Two and Up: If the ball bounces twice into a player’s square before the square’s owner hits the ball, the player may and may not tap the ball up into another player’s square while saying “two and up”. be eliminated.

Typewriter: A rule in which a player grabs or fiddles with the ball, moves near an adjacent square, and bounces the ball in that square a predetermined number of times. The usual variation is to spell out the opponent’s name, one letter per bounce. If the player successfully completes the move, the opponent is out. If the opponent hits the ball to disrupt the spelling, the person who initiated the typewriter is out.

Underhand: Means that all strikes are performed with an open hand and palm(s) facing up. This brings the game low to the ground and leaves your quads sore the next day. “Underhand” is stereotypically associated with beginners, but at Four Square even the best players sometimes can’t survive a round of underhand.

minigames

Creative players from all over the world invent exciting variants that completely break out of the normal gameplay. This section on side and line games introduces some of the most popular mini games that take place on (or off) the court.

If the ball hits a line (or a wall in some cases), the game usually ends with a player being eliminated, a special rule being applied, or players going straight into a minigame.

Possibilities include the following:

The person who hit the line gets out automatically.

The server invoking a retry.

The players continue play as if the ball were in one of the players’ squares, and if neither player continues play, it’s a re

Multiple players are eliminated when the line between them is hit by the ball.

A dispute resolution as described in the Disputes section above.

Some servers invoke one of the following sidegames: