A while back, I was reading a book in a park, and I saw 4 young men playing a game I later googled to be Spike ball. It looked like fun, so I picked up a set, thinking my wife and I could get ourselves off the couch and bat the ball around somewhat less energetically than the young bucks I saw!
Well, it is tougher than I expected. And - I should have realized - not at all something my wife would enjoy. (Anyone interested in a barely used Spike ball set?) :o
Just wondering if any Dopers played this game, and at what level or what types of situations?
I learned about spike ball (aka “round net”, as it does have its competitors–to my inexperienced eye, the spike ball equipment looks to be the best) a year or so ago. I’d dearly love to play it, but can’t find anyone interested enough to (a) get the equipment and (b) actually play. From the videos online, it looks incredible!
p.s. The game is for 1x1 or 2x2. Personally, I’d think 1x1 might run each player into an early grave.
Yeah, you can do it 1x1. I thought my wife and I could do it essentially cooperatively - just batting the ball back and forth, getting minimal stretching and bending. We both try to be somewhat fit and active, but tend to be incompatible in most athletic activities. I had overlooked her considerable aversion to most activities involving balls. Doh!
But even trying to cooperatively bat the ball back and forth was much tougher than I would have guessed.
When I saw the guys playing it in the park, they reminded me of my misspent youth playing hackysack in the early 80s.
I’ve played a few times and will probably get a set at some point. We had the same introduction as you, seeing others playing it and thinking it looked like fun. We asked if we could try, and also found it’s tougher than it looks. But with a little practice, it does get (slightly) easier. We never got to the point of the guys who really spike it hard, but we could keep a rally going for a while.
I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a good beach or park game that doesn’t require a lot of room, and wants a little exercise without hard running.
I doubt I’ll ever get to the point where 4 people put in enough practice to try to get good at it. Honestly, I was shocked at how difficult it was for the 2 of us to just bat it back and forth with it bouncing on the net.
I don’t want to say it’s way easier with 4 people, but it’s a little easier. There’s usually someone who can reach the ball, so you have a little more time to focus on hitting it cleanly versus just getting to it.
Spikeball (“roundnet”) and Ultimate Frisbee (“flatball”) are weirdly connected - a lot of Ultimate players play Spikeball, and there’s often a net or three set up at Ultimate games. I’ve played it a lot, and it can be a blast, and also surprisingly athletic. It can be tough to get into the proper mindset for - quick, instinctive reactions are key.
There are a lot of tournaments happening all the time (there’s a Spikeball app that will notify you of tournaments or pickup games in your area), and some of these guys can get wicked serious about it - but at the end of the day, it’s still just a yard game. But a fun one!
I played it for the first time over the weekend for around 30-40 minutes - it was pretty fun, but definitely quite challenging. It took a little while to even get the hang of serving (though my partner got pretty consistent by the end of the 30 minutes), and we struggled to string together enough volleys to get a good rally going. It’s definitely one of those sports where I could see there being a pretty high skill ceiling - it feels like a mix between volleyball and table tennis. Watching some of the videos online is definitely a humbling experience!
Hey - good news! Dick’s accepted a return on the barely used Spikeball set. Apparently they acknowledge that some recreational purchases might simply be a “bad fit.” What a reasonable policy! Made me a fan of the store.
My wife was able to use the refund to buy herself a couple of shirts. I told her she was welcome!
I played Spikeball with a group of guys almost daily for some time about 6 years ago when it was pretty brand new. There is a bit of a learning curve but when you get it, it’s a blast. Kind of lost touch with those guys and have not played in 5 years, but would love to be able to pick it up again.
