More people than ever are discovering the game of gaga ball. It’s an excellent pastime for kids, allowing them to have fun while staying active. However, a few essential things to remember can keep children from hurting themselves while playing. While most accidents will be forgotten relatively quickly, others might be more serious. Here are six safety tips to prevent gaga ball injuries.
What Is Gaga Ball?
Gaga ball has been around for decades and has become a popular sport for summer camps and other youth-focused events. It likely originated in the 1950s when Israeli counselors introduced it to their campers as an alternative to dodgeball. The sport quickly spread across the world as more people discovered it was a great group activity for young people.
The name comes from players yelling "ga" as the ball bounces. Players can kick the ball but aren’t allowed to pick it up or throw it. Players are out if the ball touches them beneath the waist. Also, you can change the rules as necessary to create unique play styles that suit children of different ages.
Why Safety Is Important
Because the game involves lobbing a ball at other players, organizers must address specific safety concerns. Taking the time to go over essential safety precautions before playing will allow caretakers to reduce the potential for accidents and injuries.
Teaching kids to use good judgment and not be too aggressive will allow them to have fun and stay safe. However, you should enforce a few other specific safety precautions if you’re planning a game of gaga ball.
1. Use a Lightweight Ball
Any ball that bounces will work for gaga ball, but if you’re concerned about safety, you should find a lightweight one. A high bounce can cause the ball to hit someone in the face or other sensitive areas, causing injury if the ball is too heavy.
Therefore, even though soccer balls, volleyballs, and basketballs all work, you should use foam or playground balls made of squishy materials to help break the impact. A lightweight ball will also add velocity, making the game more fun for players of all ages.
2. Keep the Ball Low
One of the central tenets of gaga ball is throwing the ball at other players to get them out. However, if players constantly aim high, they could hit someone in the face. A direct blow could fracture bones and injure the eyes, nose, or cheeks. With everyone moving around the pit quickly, tripping and falling are also concerns. Bleeding, swelling, and bruising can also occur if kids don’t remember the rules.
To host a safe game, ensure all players keep the ball low when kicking it at others. This will help prevent injuries from high aims and keep players’ focus lower to the ground, helping prevent falls and collisions.
3. Use Soft Pit Borders
Gaga ball takes place in a pit surrounded by six or eight sides. The border gives players something to hit the ball off of, and it outlines the play area so they don’t go out of bounds. Depending on the players’ ages, you should alter the border height and find softer materials for younger children.
Some pits use concrete and asphalt to create a permanent court. However, harder surfaces are more likely to cause injury. Conversely, a grass-and-dirt pit will save you some money, but it’s much more challenging to maintain. For younger players, you may want to use a rubber or plastic gaga ball pit to reduce the impact of fall-related injuries.
4. Inspect the Gaga Ball Pit
Always inspect your gaga ball pit before a game begins. Loose fasteners can cause the borders to become loose, creating a tripping hazard that kids might not see. Properly anchoring your gaga pit to the ground will ensure everyone stays safe while at play.
If you want to prevent your gaga pit from deteriorating, inspect it regularly for flooding, uneven surfaces, and loose fasteners. Choosing a starting point and working around the entire border is good practice to ensure you don’t miss anything. Keep your gaga ball pit in pristine condition to ensure there are no unexpected obstacles that kids need to avoid.
5. Mitigate Reckless Behavior
Gaga ball is an active sport in which kids are constantly competing. Therefore, tempers can easily run high, resulting in poor judgment and reckless behavior. If kids are playing too rough or behaving dangerously, you should stop the game immediately and deal with the situation.
According to the rules, any player who touches another player with their hands will be eliminated. Players should always avoid pushing, shoving, grabbing, or holding. If players get into a fight, you should remove them from the game altogether. Ensure everyone understands these rules beforehand to avoid behavior-based accidents.
6. Ensure Constant Supervision
Keeping an eye on kids while at play is always a good idea, especially if they’re playing sports where someone could get injured. Therefore, constant supervision during gaga ball is necessary to track the game’s progress and ensure nobody cheats. It will also reduce the likelihood of dangerous behavior during play.
Supervising games also allows you to give kids advice and moderate arguments. Players should only hit others with the ball while the game is on. If someone is angry that they lost, you can remind them of the rules and suggest they wait patiently for another game to start. Essentially, your supervision ensures nothing gets out of hand.
Keep Kids Safe While They Play
Gaga ball has become an increasingly popular sport for kids of all ages. Gaga ball is excellent for children’s physical and mental health, but they can still sustain injuries if the game gets too rough or the play area isn’t safe enough. Therefore, communicating and enforcing the game’s rules and maintaining your gaga ball pit will ensure kids stay safe while having fun. Additionally, an adult should always be around to supervise and assist if anything goes wrong. Using these recommended safety tips to prevent gaga ball injuries will help kids have a great time playing and grow through their wins and losses.
