Hooverball

Hooverball is a medicine ball game invented by Herbert Hoover's personal physician to help keep then-President Hoover fit. The Hoover Presidential Library Association and the city of West Branch, Iowa co-host a national championship each year.

In general, the game is played on a volleyball type court of grass or sand and involves throwing a heavily weighted medicine ball over the net. Officially, in Hoover-ball, the medicine type ball weighs about six pounds, and is thrown over an eight-foot volleyball type net. The game is scored just like tennis. The ball is caught, and then thrown back. The weight of the medicine ball can make the sport to be quite physically demanding.

The sport is best-known in Iowa, although has gained extended interest globally due to practicioners of CrossFit.

There is also a group in Baltimore that hosts a spring tournament.

History

Hoover-ball originated from a game that was called "bull-in-the-ring" which was a popular game played by sailors on Navy ships. In their version, the ball was soft and weighed nine pounds. The person in the middle of the circle was called the "bull". While on these navy ships, Hoover enjoyed watching and playing with the men. The net was 8 1/2 to 9 foot in height and 30ft wide.

Rules of Hooverball

Some rules are:
*You cannot take a step after catching the ball.
*You cannot throw the ball from the front half of the court to the opponent's front court. This rule eliminates dangerous "spikes."

Often, special rules are employed for females or exemptions made of the above rules. For example, women may be allowed to take an extra step when throwing the ball. Another common rule for women is letting them throw from front half to the opponent’s front half, a very effective strategy known as a "dink".

Types of Throws

There are many different ways to get the ball over the net. Generally the best throw is the one you have the most power and control with. The most important thing about throwing the heavy medicine ball is using the whole body, not just the arms.

*Body twist: Hold the ball with both hands a little below the waist. Next bend the knees slightly. To make the throw twist a little more and at the same time push with your legs and throw with your arms. This can be a quick, off the hip throw.
*Over the head: Face away from the net and hold the ball in front of you about waist high with both hands. Bend your knees slightly. To make the throw use your back as well as your arms and throw the ball over your head. This is the best way for a weaker player or a female to serve the ball as it engages the whole body in the throw.
*Trebuchet: This is a more advanced throw that is very effective. Hold the ball in one hand, fully extend the elbow off to the side of your body. To make the throw "cock" the arm back while keeping the elbow straight, now take a step forward twist and release the ball.
*Spike: This throw can be used when the ball is caught in the front half of the court. Here the idea is to jump as high as you can and throw the ball toward the opponents' back half. To make this throw hold the ball over your head, jump up, and throw the ball over the net. The key to a successful spike is throwing the ball toward the ground as fast and hard as possible. You don't want to lob the ball over the net in an arch; rather you want to throw it in a direct line to the opponents' back half.

Strategy

There are many strategies that are used when playing hoover ball.

*Strong players known for powerful throws can fake a long throw by grunting and pretending to throw far while throwing gently and just getting the ball over the net. If done correctly the opponents will expect a throw to the back court and often will not have enough time to rush forward for the short ball.
*"Picking" on a weaker opponent by constantly throwing the ball to them to wear them out. This will wear out an inexperienced player and often result in them missing a catch.
*Picking on an opponent but throwing the ball just to the same side each time. This may move the player in that direction and open up a hole in the team's defenses.
*"Keep away" The heart of this strategy is keeping the ball away from the hands of the strongest member of the opposing team. Usually the strongest person will play the center so the idea is throw to the sides and corners to the other two players, assuming they are weaker.

Videos

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjiZbgb7Nc 6 Pound Ball in action] Clip from 20th Annual Hoover-Ball National Championship in Iowa.

External links

* [http://hoover.archives.gov/education/hooverball.html Hoover Presidential Library article] on "Hoover-Ball"
* [http://www.hooverassociation.org/hooverball.html Hoover Library Association] site on national championships
* [http://www.hooverball.org/ Baltimore Hooverball] group