I recently introduced the game of Hooverball to members of my fitness center. It is a fun twist on volleyball, with a few tennis rules, and played with a medicine ball. It was developed for President Hoover, who wanted to be physically fit but “was not fond of formal exercise” (Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, n.d., p. 2). The game virtuously disappeared after he left the presidency, but has been brought back today by new fans (Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, n.d.).

Hooverball is a relatively simple game, played very vigorously. The official rules call for a 4 to 6 pound medicine ball, and CrossFit participants have been known to use a 12 pound medicine ball (Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Associaition, n.d.; Glassman, 2003). Fortunately, Hooverball can easily be played using a medicine ball of any weight, or even a regular playground ball.

Lesson Plan: Hooverball Introduction

Grades: 9-12 to adult

Equipment for a class of approximately 20 students: 2 regulation sized volleyball courts (the capacity for most gymnasiums), 2 eight foot volleyball nets, and 2 medicine balls (or playground balls, depending upon skill level).

Preparation: Divide the class into four teams of four people and assign two teams to a court. Extra people will act as score keepers and substitute for other players. Substitutions can be made when points are scored in order to keep everyone as active as possible.

Proper technique is essential to safely throw and catch the ball. Before the game, take time to have the students practice different types of throws used in the game. To control the weight of the ball, each throw incorporates movement from the upper, lower body, and core. The Body Twist is the most common throw in which a player holds the ball in both hands, and twists at the waist while bending slightly at the knees and hips. The throw is made by extending through the whole body. The Over the Head is accomplished by facing away from the net while holding the ball in front with both hands, and knees slightly bent. The ball is then tossed backwards overhead as powerfully as possible. The Trebuchet is the most challenging throw in which the ball is thrown with one hand. The arm is extended behind the body, straightening elbow. The throw is completed by pulling the arm forward and taking a step- similar to a pitch in baseball (Hooverball, 2009).

Play: The ball is served from the back line, and rotated among the players. Like tennis, the serve alternates between the teams after each game. The serve is allowed to hit the net. After the serve, the ball must be caught and immediately returned from the point it was caught. There is no running with the ball or passing it to teammates. Half of a team controls the back section of their side of court, and the other half, the front section. A ball caught in front, must be returned to the back of the opposing team’s court; a ball caught in back must be returned to the front (Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, n.d.).

Scoring: The game is scored like tennis (love-15-30-45), and played for the best out of five, or best out of seven games. Points are scored when the opposing team fails to catch the ball, return the ball across the net or to the proper area of the court; or throws it out of bounds (Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, n.d.).  

These instructions provide information for an introductory game. Answers to other questions regarding rules of play can be found at http://www.hooverassociation.org/newsevents/hooverball/hooverball_rules.php. Further instruction on throwing technique and strategy can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverball. Great videos of the game can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hooverball&search_type=&aq=f.

References

Glassman, G. (2003, February). Hoover ball. The CrossFit Journal, (6), pgs. 2. Retrieved

October 30, 2009 from the CrossFit website: http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/06_03_Hoover_Ball.pdf.

Herbert Hoover Presisdential Library Association. (n.d.). Hooverball. Retrieved October

30, 2008 from http://www.hooverassociation.org/newsevents/hooverball.

Hooverball. (2009). Retrieved October 30, 2009 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverball.