FINAL FOUR - the game  

This is where Four Square morphs to a circle formation of up to 12 people.This instant activity has been run successfully by students as young as 3rd grade. At the secondary levels,it is used to prompt students out of the locker room to start class, because winners choose the Friday fitness activities.

Equipment: one 10” playground ball per group

Space needed: a basketball court key

Participants: 8-12 to start a game is ideal.

A student leader acquires a ball and calls out “Chicken Wing! Chicken Wing!” All players circle up putting their hands on their hips. Players touch elbows with the people on both sides of them. Feet are positioned under the torso in a balanced athletic

    stance. Your feet do NOT touch neighbors’ feet.

Each player acts as a goalie.  They protect the five hole, as well as their knees, shins and shoes. If a “live” ball bounces and touches any of these parts of the body, that player is eliminated. If the ball bounces and passes through the 5 hole, that player is eliminated.  If the ball bounces and passes between two players, BOTH players are eliminated.

Using a command voice, the student leader with the ball says, “Ready!” All players must lock their feet in position.  Moving your feet at any time during “live” action eliminates that player, even if the player is not involved with the ball. Yes, multiple players can be guilty of this rule violation! On “Ready!” players open their palms w/fingers pointed downward. Only one hand can be used to hit the ball. Your hit must bounce once, but not more than once or you are eliminated. You CANNOT hit the ball to a person standing on either side of you.

After saying “Ready,” the student leader quickly peers around the circle and then drops the ball straight down in front of themself. Using just one hand, the student leader hits the ball towards a player across the circle. The ball must bounce once, but only once or the player who hit the ball is out. Likewise, if the player who hit the ball hits it so hard that it bounces up to strike another player’s body above the knee, the player who hit the ball is out. This is a game of finesse, not power.

As the ball bounces to another player, the receiving player can use only ONE hand to redirect the ball to another player. Hitting the ball with two hands gets a player eliminated. Receiving players can let the ball bounce more than once, if the second bounce occurs before the ball hits the receiver’s knee, shins or shoe, the player who hit the ball is out. Players who are eliminated leave the circle. The circle gets smaller as everyone calls out Chicken Wing! Chicken Wing! and move closer together to resume playing. Whoever is closest to the ball should secure it, call out “Ready,” look around the circle then drop the ball in front of themself and hit it across the circle.

Players who are eliminated from a game are immediately eligible to join a newly forming group to start another game. Multiple games will be going on at the same time. There will be rallies of 3-4-5 or more hits before someone is eliminated.

Game play continues until the FINAL FOUR players remain alive. Those four players win THAT game and then move to the championship round of 12 players using the yellow/gold ball in the center of the gym. The championship round is played out until four players remain. Players who lose in the championship round form a new group and look to win there so they can return to the championship round. The winners of this round are champions of the day!