Bouncing to it with wallyball
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Next time you are stuck in the house when you are supposed to exercise outside, think of a new sport that can be played indoors. Who knows, it might become popular and you could gain a fortune.
That worked for Californian Joe Garcia.
After rain canceled his volleyball game back in 1979, he came up with an idea for a new sport, a combination of volleyball and squash.
Garcia then christened it with the name Wallyball. He traveled across the country promoting the new sport from a motor home wildly painted with the sport's name.
If the idea of combining volleyball and squash is a head- scratcher, it is actually pretty simple.
Wallyball comes from the word wall, as the ball -- a smaller, blue version of a volleyball, can be bounced off the wall, just like squash.
The court is the size of a standard racquetball court, or some 12 meters by six meters. The court area is divided into two equal team courts with a center line between them.
The net should not be higher than 2.45 meters for men, or 2.24 meters for women. The ball weighs around 0.28 kilogram.
The rules are similar to volleyball. Each team, made up of two to four players, has three hits to get the wallyball over the net. If the ball hits the ceiling, back wall on the opponent's side of two more walls consecutively on a serve, volley or block, it will be called out of bounds.
All matches of wallyball consist of the best of two, best of two out of three games, or best of three out of five. The score in one set depends on the agreement: 15, 18 or 21 points.
"But compared to volleyball, it has a faster pace. It is also a little rougher because of the smaller size of the court. You're moving pretty constantly," said Catherina Day, the manager of Club Athena health club at the Aryaduta Hotel which offers wallyball equipment.
The Club -- which claims to be the only one that offers wallyball in the capital, uses its squash courts for wallyball. Traces of the rubber ball can be seen on the glass door.
Wallyball players have to be able to anticipate the ball bouncing off the walls. They also have to be more aware because they risk slamming against the walls and each other as they dive for the ball.
"You never know at what angle the ball's going to come. But that what makes the game fun!" Catherina said.
The extreme sport apparently has grown in popularity worldwide.
A report from the American Wallyball Association said that more than a million players around the world have signed up for the organization's free registration. More than 5,000 clubs offer the sport, including some in China, England, Australia, and of course here.
Club Athena first introduced the sports a couple of years back. According to Catherina, although the game is not so popular yet here, those who have played are very dedicated.
"Many members join us just to play the game," she said.
Interested? Just call Catherina on 2311234 (ext.88178). For more information about the game and the official rules of game, check out the American Wallyball Association's website at www.wallyball.com.