What is Bossaball? A Beginners Guide
A Beginners Guide to Bossaball
Bossaball is a unique acrobatic game that is played mostly for fun but has developed a friendly competitive edge of late
Bossaball game is a combination of Volleyball, football, slam ball, and gymnastics.
It is certainly not an old, traditional sport and was only conceived in Spain in 2004 but since then it has gone international. ✈️
Countries like the Netherlands, Brazil, Singapore, Germany, KSA, Portugal, Romania, and Kuwait all have successful Bossaball teams. Many of these teams play on an international circuit of sorts, but The Netherlands is the only country that hosts a major Bossaball league.
History of Bossaball
Bossaball is a relatively new sport invented by a Belgian athlete named Filip Eyckmans in 2004, who lived in Spain at the time.
Bossa is a Portuguese word that means ‘Style’. The word “Bossa” is also associated with Bossa Nova or Samba music, which is very popular in Spanish countries.
The popularity of Bossaball soon reached countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. Mohamad Saifudin then introduced Bossaball to Singapore in 2007. It became so popular in Singapore that they formed a national Bossaball team, which participated in the Bossaball World Cup in Turkey.
A Bossaball Court - It looks bonkers but its fun!
What is required to play Bossaball?
As this game is a combination of many games, there are quite a few bits of equipment:
A Net
A Ball
Inflatable trampoline
A court is required too, to accommodate both teams. The court can be any size, but the recommended dimensions are 50 yards long and 30 yards wide.
A 3-metre high net is sufficient for play.
Both sides must have a trampoline, surrounded by inflatable scoring and out-of-bounds sections.
The person monitoring the rules of the game is called the "Samba Referee."
The Samba referee also calls and acts as the Master of Ceremonies. They are provided with a whistle to start the game along with a microphone and an exotic DJ set to set the mood with music.
How is Bossaball played?
Bossaball is played between two teams. Each team can have a maximum of 5 players
Just like Volleyball, the Bossaball teams try to hit the ball to the opponent’s side of the court to score. The players can use their hands, feet, or bodies to throw, hit or kick the ball back to their opponents. The players, however, are not allowed to touch the net, otherwise, it is considered a foul.
The real twist comes with the trampoline and inflatables.
The attackers from both teams are positioned on the trampoline while others around them are on the inflatables.
The serving team throws the ball into the air and hits it so that it goes over the net to the other side, where the opponents can use a combination of five contacts maximum with the ball and return it to the serving team.
Crazy Bossaball highlights!
What are the rules for Bossaball?
Here are the brief rules of Bossaball:
The Bossaball teams should consist of three players minimum and five maximum. There is no gender requirement, so anyone can play
You can only contact the ball three times. Once with hands, twice with feet or head, and then you must pass it to other teammates
The serves or hits can be made using any body part
A team is allowed to serve the ball up to 5 times before they try to pass it onto the opponent’s side
There is no time limit in Bossaball. Any team that scores 25 points in two clear games is the winner
When a team scores a point, they have to rotate clockwise so that a different player is on the trampoline section each time.
For the extended rules of Bossabll please click here!
Scoring in Bossaball
If a team hits the ball to the opponent’s team and they cannot return it in due time, then a point is awarded to the hitting team.
3 points are given if you hit the trampoline section of the court, while one point is awarded if the hit goes anywhere else on the inbound inflatables.
The game continues as normal if the ball touches the ring around the trampoline, which is also called Bossa.
The team that scores 25 points first wins the game.
If the scores are tied by 24-24, then a team has to win by two clear points in the set. Bossaball is generally played over the best of 3 or 5 sets.
Why not give Bossaball a try?
Bossaball is an epic show of gymnastics and fun. This game is trending rapidly, and soon it will reach other countries too. If you haven’t played Bossaball yet, then you're missing out!
