Stykball

How to play

First the player learns to balance the ball on the stick, receiving the ball and passing the ball around between the circle of players.

The main aim of the game is to keep the flowing motion of the ball being passed around the circle, never hitting the ball but instead keeping contact and balancing, gracefully guiding and redirecting the movement of the ball.

A game of Stykball is usually played by between 2- 9 players (with more than 9 players the circle becomes large and each player recieves the ball less often). With 3 or more players a "circle" is formed and the ball is much more likely to stay in play even if mistakes are made.

The spirit of the game of Stykball is one of fairness and co-operation, players of any skill level can join or leave the circle at any time. Creativity is encouraged, players are welcome to join the game without using a stick but instead using their body (or even other props such as rope or fans) to roll and guide the ball in play.

Equipment

The size and weight of the equipment you use is a matter of personal choice. Each different type of stick and ball has its advantages and disadvantages.

Sticks

Light sticks have the advantage of speed and can be used for longer without the player becoming tired as quickly, although generally they are not as strong. Short sticks are particularly good for fast tricks with lots of rotations etc. Heavier sticks are stronger and more powerfull although they are slower to react with and tend to be more dangerous. Long sticks are good for big throws and power shots.

Sticks can be plain wooden broom handles, pieces of bamboo or even cardboard plastic or metal tubes. Some players prefer to have different grips and textures applied to them so they grip on to the type of ball being used. Tassles can be fastened to the ends of the staff to make it safer to use and they look good. See the tutorial on how to wrap sticks and connect tassles. Use bright coloured equipment! It looks good and makes the game safer.

Sticks need to be as straight as possible and not have any sharp ends or splinters.

Some good ways to check if a stick is straight

Roll the stick on some flat ground.
Look down the length while turning the stick.
Throw the stick in the air whilst it's spinning and look for wobbles.
Balls

Any type of ball can be used to play Stykball. The smaller the ball used the more difficult it will be to balance.

The giant tennis ball

The official Stykball is the giant tennis ball (aka jumbo tennis ball). These balls are about 9 - 9.5 inches in diameter (approximately the same size as a basketball but much lighter (about 350 grams).

Playground balls

"Playground balls" are also good to play Stykball with and have a nice grip. They are a bit heavier than the giant tennis ball but are easy to get and come in lots of different colours. These balls are good to use in wet weather and at the beach as they do not become waterlogged like the giant tennis ball does.

10 inch diameter PG balls are nice to use but can be a bit too bouncy. Pumping up an 8 inch diameter playground ball to 9 - 9.5 inch diameter is no problem (use the air pump at the petrol station) this reduces the "boingyness" that larger PG balls tend to have.

Other balls

Soccer balls and volley balls can be used but they are a bit more difficult to play with because they are generally smaller and heavier as well as having a smooth surface which makes them slippery unless a rubber grip is used on the stick. Netballs are usually a bit easier to play with as they are very grippy. Basketballs are a good size and have a great grip to play with and are usually nice and round but they are commonly so heavy that they can be quite dangerous to play a game of Stykball with.

How to check if a ball is spherical

To check if a ball is spherical throw the ball high up into the air with lots of fast spin on it and look for wobbles, then turn the ball 90 degrees sideways and repeat the throw again with lots of spin and high into the air.

If the ball is egg shaped you will notice a wobble when it's spinning. Eggy balls are not as good for balancing but can still be used to play Stykball with. A perfectly round ball is very rare.

The 3 golden rules of Stykball

Rule # 1 - Never play dangerously
Rule # 2 - Go with the flow
Rule # 3 - Never say sorry

Rule # 1 - Never play dangerously

The most important thing to remember when playing Stykball is to play safely and allow each player their space to move. If played in this way players should never crash into each other and no one should ever be hit by another player's stick. Holding the circular formation helps the game to flow better and is the safest way to play.

Each player has an invisible zone around them which should not be entered by the other players or their sticks.
Never throw or let go of your stick when playing with other players.
Never hit the ball with the stick. Hitting the ball is dangerous, sticks can get broken and you could accidentally hit someone or yourself. It's also not good for the shape of the ball.
Never play with sharp or splintered sticks.
Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the ball! If you're not watching the ball for a reason it's recommended to put your elbow up as a guard to protect your face.
When running with the stick always keep the ends high above the ground. If the end locks into the ground while you're running towards it, this can be very bad.
Rule # 2 - Go with the flow

Stykball is all about guiding and keeping contact with the ball. In this game we never whack the ball with the stick, the idea is to keep the flowing motion of the ball going between the players in the circle, building upon the energy of the movement of the ball.

If the ball is moving in the direction of one of the players then it should be left to go to that player, even if the ball is travelling very slowly. This is because the player who is most in the direct line of the ball's travel has the best chance to receive the ball easily rather than trying receive it from a sideways angle which is much more difficult.

It's not polite to step in front of someone and take the ball when they are lining up to do their move. Holding the circular formation is important for the game to be able to be played safely.

Rule # 3 - Never say sorry

This rule has been borrowed from the game Hakeysak. It is a good rule. If rules one and two are followed properly then there should be no reason to say sorry. Mistakes are made often in Stykball even by experienced players. As long as you try your best then there's no reason to apologise because a pass is not accurate, or the ball ends up flying out of the circle of play.

If players apologised for every mistake in Stykball there would be thousands of sorrys in every game!

The history of stick and ball

Stick and ball balancing has existed for a long time and has been performed as part of the routines of some of the world's most famous jugglers, often holding a short stick in their mouth and balancing, throwing and catching the ball and even juggling at the same time as balancing!

One of these styles is a form of object manipulation originating from ancient Japan called Edo-daikagura. This form of traditional juggling involves many different types of balancing and spinning objects as well as toss juggling and even balancing teapots on a stick held in the mouth. Most of the historical information on stick and ball manipulation I've been able to find has been about this type of mouth stick balancing done by jugglers and circus performers and seems to trace back to this traditional form of Japanese juggling.

The multi-player game known as Stykball using long sticks to balance a ball was invented in September 2000 by a man called Damien James. Beginning in West End, Brisbane on the east coast of Australia, the game quickly gained popularity and was expanded upon by other people with some changes to the equipment being made such as the use of the giant tennis ball and different textures and grips being added to the sticks.

Different forms of the game were discussed and played and a decision was made to leave the game as a non-competitive freestyle game with no rules or referees to encourage creativity and improvisation. Stykball can often be seen being played on the streets, at markets, festivals and is commonly appearing at juggling meets and conventions.

Over time the complexity of tricks and skills of the players has increased but the game itself has stayed the same. Since it's invention Stykball has gained in popularity and there are people playing stykball in places all over the world.

Here's some interesting links to discover more information about stick and ball manipulation …

http://www.juggling.org/books/alvarez/

http://www.edo-daikagura.com/english/index.htm