The Game in a Circle was first played in Africa by two brothers in the early eighties. In their backyard, Mark and John Collins invented a game that involved bouncing a ball off of a round, centrally placed disc, with players rotating freely around an enclosed circular court marked with a rope.
Originally, 360ball was played by striking the ball with the hands rather than with rackets, and it was an instant hit with Mark and John’s friends. They began to dream of making it a this new Game in a Circle a world sport. Fueled by this desire, they experimented with various iterations on the rules, equipment, and the sport overall.
For example, to prevent players from “scooping” the ball, they added padded discs to be worn on the hands. These were eventually replaced with rackets, enabling greater reach for longer rallies.
The game continued to evolve over the years, and in its form in 2011, it won the award for the Best New Sport at the ISPO in Germany.
In a backyard in South Africa, the Collins brothers experimented with a ball game involving bouncing a ball bouncing off a circular disc. The game involved elements of volleyball, allowing players on a team to pass to a teammate or spike to their opponent — and the ball was struck with the hands. The big idea was that the playing area was to have no separate sides, allowing players to rotate around the disc freely as dictated by play. The game was an instant hit with their friends, and the game in a circle was born.
In 2009, a 360ball game took place in a defunct water reservoir, modified to be played off the wall. A separate set of rules developed and 360ball Court was born. The first league of 360ball Court started in KNysna in April 2010, with facilities soon established in Spain and Germany.
360ball became the first ball sport to be awarded the Brand New Overall Award at the prestigious ISPO BrandNew Awards in Munich, Germany.
ISPO Brand New is described as the largest start-up competition in the sports business.
In a backyard in South Africa, the Collins brothers experimented with a ball game involving bouncing a ball bouncing off a circular disc. The game involved elements of volleyball, allowing players on a team to pass to a teammate or spike to their opponent — and the ball was struck with the hands. The big idea was that the playing area was to have no separate sides, allowing players to rotate around the disc freely as dictated by play. The game was an instant hit with their friends, and the game in a circle was born.
In 2009, a 360ball game took place in a defunct water reservoir, modified to be played off the wall. A separate set of rules developed and 360ball Court was born. The first league of 360ball Court started in KNysna in April 2010, with facilities soon established in Spain and Germany.
360ball became the first ball sport to be awarded the Brand New Overall Award at the prestigious ISPO BrandNew Awards in Munich, Germany.
ISPO Brand New is described as the largest start-up competition in the sports business.
Click to watch a 360ball match on a professional court.
The game has since been played on beaches, sports grounds and on courts across South Africa, Spain, France and Germany.
Click to watch a 360ball match on a professional court.
The game has since been played on beaches, sports grounds and on courts across South Africa, Spain, France and Germany.
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