# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/21 "2011-03-08T01:29:54Z")
Quiddich? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/22 "2011-03-08T01:39:15Z")
Paintball 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/23 "2011-03-08T02:00:14Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Quiddich? Did you even read the OP? ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/24 "2011-03-08T02:31:56Z")
Wasn’t there a variant of 43-man-squamish with multiple balls in play at once? If there wasn’t there should have been. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/25 "2011-03-08T03:23:55Z")
When I was in primary school, in addition to multi-ball dodgeball, we also played multi-ball [four square](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_square). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/26 "2011-03-08T03:32:47Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > The only game with \> 1 ball-like object in play at a time that I am aware of is a fictional one - Quidditch. Quidditch started as a fictional game but there are real people who play a non-flying adaptation that they call [Muggle Quidditch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggle_Quidditch). Some people are even advocating for it to be a recognized intermural NCAA sport: [A Muggle's Dream: Quidditch As A NCAA Sport : NPR](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131144212) ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/27 "2011-03-08T03:32:49Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > My school intramural department runs a two ball indoor soccer tournament every year. Normal field, just with two balls - crazy hight scoring. You know, that might actually make soccer interesting. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/28 "2011-03-08T04:23:13Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > There are competitions? You don’t want to eat the cookie do you? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/29 "2011-03-08T04:29:37Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > When does croquet have two balls in play? Croquet always has two balls in play, or else it wouldn’t be much of a game. Who would you be playing against? ---
**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, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/30 "2011-03-08T12:42:09Z")
I meant that in croquet, like in golf or billiards, don’t you always just hit one ball on your turn? There are never two balls being struck at the same time by different players. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/31 "2011-03-08T15:21:08Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > It’s not a team sport, but perhaps pinball would count. You have more than one ball in play at a time? Not that I’ve seen. Pachinko might count, but not (IMO) traditional pinball. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/32 "2011-03-08T15:36:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > You have more than one ball in play at a time? Not that I’ve seen. Pachinko might count, but not (IMO) traditional pinball. On some machines if you hit a certain target or combination of targets, two extra balls are released into play. Wackiness ensues. ---
**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 8, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/33 "2011-03-08T16:03:40Z")
Also, on some very old machines you can pump more than one ball onto the field at once. There are plenty of games with multiball action, going back over decades of pinball play. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/34 "2011-03-08T16:45:01Z")
That’s a great idea from the OP. I think I’ll try that out. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/35 "2011-03-08T16:52:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Petanque, too. > > [Pétanque - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9tanque) > > petanque is also the only game with a bare female rear end as a fundamental part of the game: Leave it to the French to come up with this… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-competitively-played-ball-games-with-1-ball-in-play-at-the-same-time/573791/36 "2011-03-08T17:04:09Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I meant that in croquet, like in golf or billiards, don’t you always just hit one ball on your turn? There are never two balls being struck at the same time by different players. However, your opponent’s ball is in play, because you can hit your opponent’s ball with your ball. I don’t think that’s allowed in golf, for example, though there probably is a rule about accidentally hitting your opponent’s ball. Similarly, in lawn bowls there can be several of your balls and of your opponents’ balls in play, though you can only roll one ball at a time. Again, as in croquet, you can deliberately hit any of the balls in play on the green. ---
**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 8, 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/573791/37 "2011-03-08T17:09:25Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, your opponent’s ball is in play, because you can hit your opponent’s ball with your ball. I don’t think that’s allowed in golf, for example, though there probably is a rule about accidentally hitting your opponent’s ball. There’s a rule for everything in golf. If you hit someone else’s ball, you put it back to its original location the best that you can. You play your ball wherever it stopped. There is no penalty. [Previous 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=1)