If you are tired of the basic ball games that you play every gym class, this is the right place for you. I am going to introduce you to a new ball game that will definitely mix up the games that you have played before. In the game “The Great Wall Of China”, you will find and might even recognize some aspects of different ball games, such as Zombie Ball, but nevertheless, this game is one of a kind.
Let’s get into it.

What do you need?
The first thing you need is a team. As it is often the case with gym class games, the more people you have, the more fun it becomes which is why I would suggest to keep the number of players between 10 and 30. The next step is to set a playing field. It is easiest to play the game inside a gymnasium since it has the lines for the different sports on the floor and therefore gives us the perfect borders for the playing field. The field should be adjusted though according to the number of players. Other requirements for this game are two school gym benches and ball(s). You can play with as many balls as you like, whatever fits the number of players and your preferences best.

How to play?
You start by creating two equal teams. If you are playing the game inside a gym, the (often black) line in the middle separates the two teams. Before the game can begin, the two benches have to be put inside each half of the field, preferably halfway between the middle line and the outer border of the playing field, depending on how big the field is. Once both teams are in their half of the field, there are different options as to how to get the ball(s) into the game. An outside person can f.e. throw the ball right above the middle line, while one person of each team is standing side by side next to the middle line and has to try to catch it or, if the game is being played with more balls, they can be evenly split up and put into each side of the field. The idea behind the game is that both teams are trying to hit the players of the other team. Once a player is hit, they have to go stand on the bench in the playing field of the other team. There are two reasons as to why a player has to stand on the bench: He or she either gets directly hit by the ball or a player of the opposite team directly caught their throw (directly means without touching the ground first). In order to leave the bench and get back into their own half, they have to catch the ball that one of the players of their own team threw to them. If a player catches the ball of their teammates, they are allowed to go back into their side of the field and keep playing. This game then goes on until one team has no players left in their side of the playing field because they all got hit and are standing on the bench.

I hope you enjoy this game and have fun playing!