Santa's Square

Santa's Square is played among four players on a square court divided into quadrants. The objective of Santa's Square is to eliminate other players to achieve the highest rank on the court, and this is done by bouncing the ball back and forth between quadrants. A player is eliminated when a ball is bounced in a player's quadrant and the player is unable to touch the ball into another player's quadrant. 

How to play:

Court setup

1. Using masking tape or chalk, draw 1 large square about 3m by 3m. 
2. Divide this square into 4 equal squares and number them 1 through 4, with 1 being the top left square. 
3. Square 1 is labeled “Santa’s Square." The goal is to get to Santa’s Square (square 1).
4. Have one player stand in each square and the 5th player stands outside square 4 in the “North Pole” (waiting zone).

Gameplay

1. The player in “Santa’s Square” starts with the ball. 
2. They must use a chest bounce pass to bounce the ball into another player’s square. 
3. That player must catch the ball and then pass it to another player. 
4. Play continues until someone does not catch the ball. 
5.  If the receiving player does not catch the ball they step out of the square and into the “North Pole”.. 
6. The player in the “North Pole” steps into square 4. 
7. All players in lower numbered squares than the player who has moved to the “North Pole” move one spot to the next square. (e.g. if in square 3 move to square 2, if in square 2 move to square 1 “Santa’s Square”).
   

Variations:

• Use different types of passes (e.g. one hand bounce pass, chest pass without a bounce etc.).
• Use different types of objects to pass (e.g. beanbag, rubber chicken, etc.).