What you need:

• a long hall *
• chairs for everyone
• 2 balls (basketballs, volleyballs, or soccer balls for Variations 1 and 3;
  4 beachballs for Variation 2)
• 2 large garbage cans

Setting up the game:

Line both walls of a long hallway with enough chairs for everyone. Chairs face towards each other, backs to the wall.

Divide everyone into 2 teams. Seat people from both teams every other person on both sides of the hall. Make sure people are facing someone from the opposite team, like this:

Speed up the process by putting a piece of tape on all the Team 1 chairs for quick identification.

Position a large trashcan at the end of each team’s line as shown above.

Playing the game:

Variation 1 – Hall Ball Two-Way ZigZag

The first person for each team tosses the ball to the teammate who is kitty-corner from them. Continue the zig-zag tossing down the hallway until the ball gets to the last person on that team. That person runs down the hall to the team’s starting seat (sort of like in the Virginia Reel, but not really since this isn’t a square dance and there’s no do-si-do-ing, high-fiving, or swing-your-partnering; also sort of like the mattress pass, except no mattresses and no passing – but in every other way, just like that). Everyone else on the team moves to the next next seat in their team’s zigzag. Play continues until everyone has been in the starting seat. On the last round, the final player (who was the original starting seat sitter) drops the ball in the basket. First team to finish wins. Obviously.

Variation 2 – Hall Ball Free-for-All

Toss four beachballs in the air at midpoint of the hall. Students try to hit the balls towards their own basket. The only players who can catch and hold the balls are those sitting next to the basket – the slam-dunkers, if you will. Everyone else can only hit the balls. All chair legs must stay on floor. All behinds must stay in chairs. After all four balls are scored, repeat. Whoever has the most beachballs in their trashcan wins that round.

Variation 3 – Hall Ball One-Way ZigZag

Same as Two-Way ZigZag except put both baskets at the same end of the hall and have both teams zigzag in the same direction, like this:

In Variation 1, the two team balls will cross only once in each round so hopefully no one gets too confused. In this Variation, be sure the balls are easily distinguished since they’ll be zigzagging across, around, and through each other on every round.

*Actually, the hall isn’t technically necessary (though it makes Variation 2 more interesting because of the rebounding possibilities), but a large group game called just “Ball” – yeah, no thanks.

**The game variations above are adapted from youthmin.org (http://youthmin.org/2015/10/hall-ball-youth-group-game/)