Downball
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Downball is a playground game similar to table tennis, except that it is played on the ground and the ball (typically a tennis ball but other balls can be used) is hit with a player's hand. The origins of downball can be traced back to Australia. Downball is usually played in primary schools.
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Downball Squares
Downball is played on a hard surface. The markings on the ground may have 2, 4 or 6 different squares. A 2 and 4 squares game will usually have the same size squares. A 6 squared game is like a game with 4 squares only 2 rectangles are on either side of the court.
Rankings
An optional rule is too have different rankings on each square. When someone goes 'out' everyone with a ranking below the person who went out moves up one. The person who goes out only goes to the lowest ranking square (Hell or Bums). The highest rank is usually Heaven or King. The Heaven/King square is one of the large rectangles in a 6-squared game and the Hell or Bums square is the other large rectangle.
Serving
The person who serves is either the player in the Heaven/King square or the player who won the last point in a 2-squared game (which is usually has a score kept). When serving, the server must bounce the ball straight to an other player and must not be too fast.
Fault
In some versions of the game, when a server goes out on a serve, they get a fault. There is only one fault per serve.
Eveready
Servers may call out 'Eveready' to warn others that they are about to serve. Saying 'Eveready' ensures that no one can say that they weren't ready for the ball. The Server may also call 'Ready all Times'instead of everready.
Hitting
When the ball bounces into your square, you must hit it back. Before you touch it, you may let it bounce once or you can hit it straight back. When hitting the ball, it must bounce only once in Player X's square and then go over into another player's square.
Doublebounce
If the ball bounces more than twice in Player X's square before it goes into Player Y's square before X touches it, X is out (out in Downball means either the other player gets a point or they go to the lowest square). Doublebounce also applies if X hits the ball but it bounces twice in X's square.
Over
If the ball is hit by Player X and it goes over into Player Y's square without bouncing first in X's square it is an over and X is 'out'.
Out of Bounds
If Player X bounces the ball legally but it lands past the outer boundary of the Downball court, it is Out [of bounds] by Player X. If X bounces the ball legally and it lands in Y's square but bounces out of bounds (past the outer boundary) it is Out [of bounds] by Player Y. The actual outer boundary line is considered out of bounds.
Inter
Inter (pronounced Inter or Enter) stands for Interference. It is called out by any player if anything interferes with gameplay, such as someone walking through the court. Intos are common in schools because of walking carelessly throught the game. After the Into is over, game resumes from the person who had the ball last.
Replay
If there is a dispute over something, because there is usually no umpire, to speed the game up, a replay can be called. The ball goes to the person who had the ball last.