# Are there any competitively played ball games with \> 1 ball in play at the same time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791 "2011-03-07T16:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/1 "2011-03-07T16:48:54Z")
Prompted by what the instructors of the sports class for middle-aged people that I take part set up from time to time: a soccer game in the gymasium with 2 teams, 4 goals and 2 balls in play at a time, each team defending two goals diagonally opposite from each other. That makes for interesting tactics, and a lot more running than would be the case with 2 goals and 1 ball. It’s not a game played in a league or even really competitively, of course. The only game with \> 1 ball-like object in play at a time that I am aware of is a fictional one - Quidditch. Is there any that is in fact played somewhere on a regular basis, not just on an ad hoc exercise as with our group? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/2 "2011-03-07T17:00:30Z")
I’m thinking golf might not qualify as only one ball is “in play” at a time. Croquet can have two balls in play and billiard games have multiple balls in play depending on the shot. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/3 "2011-03-07T17:06:21Z")
It’s not a team sport, but perhaps pinball would count. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/4 "2011-03-07T17:07:57Z")
When we played dodgeball in high school gym class, there were always several balls used at once. I’m not sure if there’s any formal rules for dodgeball which would codify the number of balls to be used. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/5 "2011-03-07T17:07:59Z")
My school intramural department runs a two ball indoor soccer tournament every year. Normal field, just with two balls - crazy hight scoring. Dodgeball is probably the best answer here. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/6 "2011-03-07T17:08:41Z")
Billiards? Depends on what you consider a sport. Of course, you only directly act on one ball. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/7 "2011-03-07T17:09:37Z")
Billiards. Bowling. Probably not what the OP meant, though. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/8 "2011-03-07T17:10:27Z")
Bingo if it uses a blower. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/9 "2011-03-07T17:11:53Z")
Bowls. Not bowling, old-fashioned lawn bowls. That’s not exactly a running around sport though. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/10 "2011-03-07T17:15:02Z")
Bocci and croquette, too. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/11 "2011-03-07T17:25:06Z")
Pocket pool ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/12 "2011-03-07T17:58:48Z")
Petanque, too. > **[Pétanque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9tanque)** > > Pétanque (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French: \[petɑ̃k\] ⓘ, locally in Provence \[peˈtãᵑkə\]; Occitan: petanca \[peˈtaŋkɔ\] ⓘ; Catalan: petanca \[pəˈtaŋkə, peˈtaŋka\]) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports (along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling). In these sports, players or te... petanque is also the only game with a bare female rear end as a fundamental part of the game: > [@](#): > > ``` > * To fanny (mettre fanny in French) > > To beat one's opponents 13 to 0. The figure of a bare-bottomed lass named Fanny is ubiquitous in Provence wherever pétanque is played. It is traditional that when a player loses 13 to 0 it is said that “il est fanny” (he's fanny) or “il a fait fanny” (he made fanny), and that he has to kiss the bottom of a girl called Fanny. Since there is rarely an obliging Fanny's behind handy, there is usually a substitute picture, woodcarving or pottery so that Fanny’s bottom is available. More often, the team which made "fanny" has to offer a beverage to the winning team (see the French popular expression "Fanny paie à boire !"). > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/13 "2011-03-07T18:32:20Z")
Together with the bocce-type games, there’s curling, (I think) shuffleboard, and whatever the bar version of shuffleboard is called. There are probably other similar games in the family of ‘aiming balls/pucks at a target’ where some balls/pucks are left on the court for subsequent throws. Dodgeball is a good call. I can’t think of any others outside of the bocce-type family. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/14 "2011-03-07T19:40:11Z")
Dodgeball is a great answer. Combat juggling although we usually played with clubs rather than balls. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/15 "2011-03-07T19:44:32Z")
Marbles. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/16 "2011-03-07T21:43:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Pocket pool There are competitions? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/17 "2011-03-07T21:49:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Pocket pool > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > There are competitions? Circle jerks? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/18 "2011-03-07T23:26:06Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > There are competitions? It’s the easiest competitive sport of all. You just have to beat your own best. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/19 "2011-03-08T00:42:09Z")
I wouldn’t call bocce, lawn bowling, pétanque, billiards, marbles, curling or bowling an answer to the OP, because in those sports, only one person is doing something to the balls at any one time, and that person can only do something directly to one of those balls. E.g. in pétanque the player throws one ball at a time, in billiards you can only touch the white ball with your cure, etc. Dodgeball is the only sport where you have several people throwing different balls at the same time. When does croquet have two balls in play? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/20 "2011-03-08T00:44:07Z")
I’m sure Calvinball uses more than one ball when convenient. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791.md?page=2)