How to Use Different Strategies for Playing Gaga Ball

Last Updated: November 20, 2020

Gaga ball is a fun game and you can vary the way to play it using different rules and four different styles in place of the usual approaches. The offensive can prove to be interesting in situations where you are the best one there, while defensive is useful if you're not. Pick the style that works best for you.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Learning the rules

1
Set up a gaga pit. It is hexagonal or octagonal standing 3–4 feet (0.9–1.2 m) high. 1 wall is 2–3.5 feet (0.6–1.1 m) tall so people can get in and out. You can play with any number of people 2 or higher.
2
Get a gaga ball. It shouldn't be especially hard; a volleyball or kickball will work.

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3
Learn the rules. Everyone stands in the pit with at least one hand touching the wall. Anyone can serve it and he or she thrown it into the middle. After it bounces twice, you can move anywhere in the gaga pit and hit the ball with your hands or any part of your body above your waist.
4
Know how losing happens. There are many different ways to lose. If you get hit with the ball below your waist, you have to get out of the gaga pit or restart the game. Another way to get out is called "double tap." If someone hits the ball twice in a row before it bounces off a wall or another person, they are out. Another way to get out is hitting the gaga ball out of the pit. If the ball goes out of the pit, the last person to touch it gets out. The ball is then brought back in and served again. If you use the wall to jump, grabbing it and pulling yourself up, you are out. If you take your hand off the wall before the ball bounces twice, you are out. Lastly, if you pick up the ball, you are out.
5
Play until only one person is still in, then you start over, and that person serves. Now you know the rules to gaga ball.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Offensive Strategy

1
Use this strategy when you are a very good player. If you can hit the ball hard or skillfully, this approach is for you.
2
Try to hit the ball right after it bounces twice, and hit it at people. Try to hit hard enough so if it misses, it bounces back to you, and you can try again. Hit the ball every which way and get the biggest threats out quickly. Hit hard, move fast.

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Defensive Strategy

1
Seek to hang in there with this strategy. In the defensive strategy, the goal is to last as long as possible and in the final two, take advantage of the other person who probably used the offensive strategy and is worn out.
2
If people allow it, try turtling. This is hunching over in a corner and putting your hands in front of your legs. It is hard to get someone out who is doing that, except form a side. If the people you are playing with don't want to allow it, hunch and protect your legs. Then, when the other person is about to hit the ball at you, move around so they can't get a good shot. When you reach the final two, use the offensive strategy.

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Dodging Strategy

1
Don't be where the ball is. The point of this is to dodge the ball so that it won't hit you, and you want to stay in as long as possible.
2
Improve your reactions and try to practice your technique. Jump around a lot and run around the pit, so as to make it hard for the person to aim. Jump around until the last two. If you make it that far, use the offensive strategy or get the last person out.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

The Luck and Hope Strategy

1
Expect mixed results. This is based entirely on luck and hope.
2
Stand in a corner and hope people don't notice you. Just hope the ball goes past you and doesn't hit you. When there is one person left, and he or she thinks he or she won, reveal yourself and face someone who has been working and is probably tired out when you are completely rested, having done nothing the whole game.

Community Q&A

Question

Most of our games have twenty people, does that make it easier or harder?

Community Answer

It depends. You can hide better with more people. But having people in front of you who may be targets can give you a disadvantage of not seeing the ball and not being able to dodge or protect yourself. In cases like that I prefer to play in the middle of the pit.

Warnings

Don't use the luck and hope tactic much, people figure this one out pretty quickly.

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Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0
If you are known for "turtling", people will go after you more.

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Helpful 9 Not Helpful 1
If you become good enough, you will be the biggest threat, and people will go after you until you are out until you win.

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