| Name of Game | Circle Earth Ball |
| Type | athletic |
| Age Range | 6-adult |
| Number of Players | 5-24 |
| Playing Environments | gym, sand, grass field |
| Shared Equipment | one Earth Ball (Cage Ball) of 4-6 foot diameter |
| Individual Equipment | none |
| Summary | Players lie on their backs, forming a circle, with their feet pointing inward. The Earth Ball is rolled into the circle, then the players begin kicking it with the bottoms of their feet, trying to knock it out of the circle over one of the other players. When the ball passes over a player, he gets an out. One variation has players with three outs leave the circle, but this gives them nothing to do but watch. A better variation has all players stay in and try to get the fewest outs. |
| Rules | In the elimination variation, play until only 4-6 players are left, depending on their size (more if smaller).
Players may use their arms only to protect their faces, not to stop the ball. If unclear about which of two players the ball passed over, give neither an out. A player cannot kick the ball over the person immediately next to him. |
| Comments | Keep players far enough apart that they can't kick each other. Advise them to use their arms to protect their faces if they see the giant ball coming down on them. The ball shouldn't injure anyone, but it's not something you'd want landing on your head.
Make the circle large enough that the players can only very rarely kick the ball completely above the reach of the legs at the opposite side, but small enough that good kicks send the ball across at a challenging height. Players usually kick with both feet at once. Smaller kids should be advised to do this every time, because the ball might be too heavy for one leg to kick successfully. Make sure all of the players have legs strong enough to endure the weight of the Earth Ball even if they do kick it with one leg. |