Ga-ga

Ga-ga or Gaga ball is a form of dodge ball that is thought to have originated in Israel. "Ga" (גע) means "touch" in Hebrew. Along with the racket sport of Matkot, ga-ga is one of the most popular Israeli folk sports. The game has also gained popularity in English-speaking countries ranging from Great Britain to Australia, especially in Jewish communities. For example, many Jewish American summer camps have special ga-ga arenas or so-called "pits" in which to play.

Game Play/Rules

"Ga-ga" is played within an octagonal enclosure when available, or in any other space that is completely enclosed by surrounding walls. A ga-ga pit may be any size as there are no official dimensions. The objective of the game is to eliminate players by hitting a ball with an open hand or fist into the region at or below his or her waist. That player is then out and must leave the playing area. Carrying, throwing, or catching the ball after a bounce also results in elimination. Hitting the ball, unobstructed, out of bounds is grounds for elimination. Anyone who hits another player in the head with the ball is also out. Pushing a player into the ball and any other physical contact is also a violation. This and other matters of dispute are settled by the game's judges. Traditionally, only a single ball is in play at a time in ga-ga. However, modified versions may use multiple balls, which increases the difficulty for players who must defensively keep track of the positions of the ball, even while they offensively control the action of one of the balls. Use of multiple balls also tends to shorten the duration of a game, by allowing for more speedy elimination of players.

The game is started by bouncing the ball. After two bounces the ball is in play and the players may leave the wall. Any player touching the ball or leaving the wall before the second bounce is considered out. This is also the procedure for resuming the game after a stoppage of play. Stoppages of play result from the ball being hit out of bounds. A player being hit at or below his or her waist is not grounds for a stoppage of play. The winner is the last player left in the playing area or the ball going out of bounds.

Elimination

#Being hit on or below the knees with the ball.
#Leaving the pit or using the pit walls to jump.
#Touching the ball twice without it touching the wall or a person first.
#Hitting the ball out of the pit without it ricocheting off another person or the wall.
#Catching the ball after it hits the ground or the wall.
#Scooping/carrying the ball (as opposed to just hitting it.)
#Hitting the ball before it bounces two times at the start of the game
#Blocking your feet & knees with your hands & arms
#Being the last person to touch the ball before the ball is out of play.

The Ball and Playing Surface

Balls as small as a tennis ball or as large as a beach ball are sometimes used. The ball used depends vastly on the desired speed of the game and the practicality of the ball given the terrain. The surface of a pit may be paved or composed of dirt, sand, or even grass. Injuries however, may result from harder surfaces.

Adaptation for home play (Israeli Gaga)

Many places do not have a gaga pit; an enclosed building or area (play room, half basketball court, etc) are used instead.

A common variant for home play is Israeli Gaga; which entails the same rules as regular Gaga, but there is no pit, you simply play in a yard or open area, usually rules are changed to allow infinite hits without rebounds or an increased limit, as well as some other area you are not allowed to hit out of over a few feet (neighbors yard).

Variations

* Ga-ga can be played with a large group of people playing for themselves, a group of people working as a team against another group, or a series of one-on-one matches.
* Ga-ga can be played in any enclosed space. As the game progresses however, the ratio of open space to remaining players increases. To avoid lengthy matches many players may sometimes form a human wall composed of elimated players to decrease the size of the playing area. The human wall acts in just the same way a regular wall does, and can be moved at the judge's discretion. If the walls are made of over turned tables and benches, usually they are moved in instead.
* To avoid the problem of players simply kneeling down and covering the exposed area below their knees with their hands, some variations require that a player cannot stay in the same position for any longer than three seconds. The first offense results in a warning from the judge, and the second offense results in elimination. In some places, while kneeling a player can be hit anywhere and be eliminated.
* Some versions require that only a player's hands and feet can touch the ground. This prevents players from falling to their knees as a defensive maneuver.
* Some versions do allow "blocking" with your hands and arms.
* Some house rule versions have a "Sudden Death" rule for when the game gets down to two players where the players are allowed to hit the three times without it touching anything else, and the players are eliminated if the ball touches anywhere besides the hand.
* Usually the winner of a game has the honor of either calling out "ga, ga" from the wall of the enclosure or throwing the ball in the pit, thus initiating play.
* In another version of ga-ga a player is not eliminated if he or she is hit by the ball directly on the knees, but only in areas below.
* Also, several variations allow additional touches of the ball without hitting the wall or another player.
* A few camps in New England (New England Keswick, Monadnock Bible Conference Center, and Lakeside Christian Camp) play with some variations including the height of the pit's walls (about a foot) and the ball used (a tennis ball, though Monadnick Bible Conference Center uses a volleyball)
* One camp, in Westchester, New York, called Summer Trails Day Camp plays with a plastic arena about 3 feet high, with volleyballs, but campers hit the ball with an open palm so that others do not get hurt
* There is a rare variant of the game called "flame ball" and is played in the New England Keswick style, having a small pit (only 9-12 feet in diameter) and a tennis ball. The only difference being the ball is soaked in lighter fluid and then lit on fire during play. Whoever has the most players out before the ball burns out is the winner. While this seems dangerous, the ball never touches one's hand long enough to cause any harm, even though caution and common sense are obviously strongly recommended.

Representative Injuries of Ga-ga

"Ga-ga Knuckle"

"Ga-ga Knuckle" is a common injury associated with ga-ga. The injury is nicknamed as such because it results from the player's knuckles scraping against the playing surface in an attempt to hit the ball, and the most common symptom is bleeding knuckles. The injury most commonly afflicts players who hit with a closed fist. In most circumstances the injury is treated with a quick trip to the camp nurse, who may apply some hydrogen peroxide to the wound and cover it with a bandage. The injury is painful on turf or dirt surfaces, but can be especially severe if the surface is paved. The scars resulting from a "ga-ga knuckle" wound may take a week or more to heal. To prevent this specific injury a baseball glove is sometimes employed to the "Ga Ga" hand. Players may also choose to wrap tube socks on their hands to prevent injury.

Knocked Heads

Players attempting to gain offensive control of the ball may collide headfirst while sprinting toward the ball, especially when the ball has stopped in a neutral area away from other players. Because players are looking downward toward the ball and are running with their heads in the lead position, this can lead to collisions and head injuries. It is also common for players to get hit in the face by the ball.Ga-Ga is an intense game that can be enjoyed by many age groups but can cause serious injury at the more competitive levels.

Regional and Location-Specific Ga-ga Specialties

The Perth Ga-ga scene in the 1980s

Ga-ga, most likely introduced by either Israeli madrichim (counselors) or perhaps Australian madrichim returning from Israel, had been played amongst the Jewish community of Perth, Western Australia as early as the 1960s. However, the 1980s saw a thriving period for junior competition Ga-ga ball. A fantastic competitive but friendly rivalry developed between the local junior champion Steven David and Israeli import Ofer Shuval, with Ofer Shuval dominant in their early encounters, but with Steven David narrowing the gap in their later contests. The rivalry unfortunately ended when Shuval had to permanently return to Israel for family reasons. [http://www.ynet.co.il/home/0,7340,L-8,00.html]

Trivia

* The comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, despite his lanky frame, was noted for being a champion ga-ga player in his Habonim days. According to his official online biography, Cohen won the Habonim UK ga-ga championship on multiple occasions and in 1992 led his country to a silver medal in the world ga-ga ball championships eventually coming in second to the undefeated Australian Habonim team.

* The professional wrestling champion Chasyn Rance was also ga-ga champion of South Florida. Chasyn was ga-ga champion for five straight summer from 1996-2000. Tournaments were held at camps from all over Miami up to West Palm Beach, FL. Winners from all over would gather for the finals. Finals were held in Miami at Camp Simcha in a 20-foot diameter ga-ga pit. Chasyn played previous years but it wasn't until 1996 when he started his five year reign as champion. 2000 was Chasyn's last year in a summer camp and retired as champion.

References

* [http://www.balashon.com/2007/07/ga-ga.html Etymology of "Ga-ga"]
* [http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/gaga-or-israeli-dodgeball.html Ultimate Camp Resource on the rules of ga-ga]