Ever wonder what would happen if you mix volleyball, football, gymnastics, and music into one? Look no further, it’s bossaball! The funny sounding sport you’ve probably never heard of!
Yes, bossaball is an actual sport with its own official sports association and holds several championships throughout the years. If you’re curious about this weird sport, here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is Bossaball?
Similar to fistball, Bossaball is a sport that combines elements of volleyball and football, but with an added excitement of acrobatics as well as music. Two teams play on an inflatable court each featuring a trampoline on either side. The goal of the game is to hit the ball over the net to the opponent’s side in order to earn points. There are three sets in a game. Whichever team earns the most points wins the set and likewise, whichever team wins more sets wins the game.
Music is a huge part of the game. Samba music plays throughout the game and players are encouraged to have fun and be creative with their attacks, defense, and moves on the court. The purpose of the trampoline is to allow the players flexibility as well as the bounce needed to jump high, and sort of dance to the tunes.
In fact, the term ‘bossa’ itself means style or flair. It’s taken from a samba-influenced music type called ‘Bossa Nova’.
How Bossaball was originated? History of Bossaball
Bossaball is a fairly recent sport, originating in 2004 in Brazil. Flip Eyckmans, a Belgian athlete is credited as the founder of this game. Eyckmans had been living in Spain for more than a decade before he conceptualized bossaball. Inspired by the Spanish culture and music as well as his passion for DJ-ing and soccer, he established the game of bossaball.
Which countries bossaball is popular in?
Bossaball is slightly culturally specific however fans of Spanish culture and music have adopted this game worldwide. Currently, bossaball is played in the following countries: Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Belgium, Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Singapore, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, Romania, Paraguay and more.
Bossaball International – Official Headquarters
Bossaball International is the official sports organization that arranges all the bossaball competitions, and world championships as well as training camps, and road shows. It is also responsible for classifying players, training coaches, and samba referees.
Similarly, it promotes bossaball at national and international levels through a myriad of fun activities and music festivals. Its headquarters are located in Spain.
How to play Bossaball?
To play bossaball, there should be two teams, usually consisting of 4 players. A variation of 2 to 5 team members is also accepted. The attacker is positioned on the trampoline, while the other payers are around him/her on the inflatable court. All players aim to hit the ball on the ground on the opponents. The rest of the players try to defend their ground.
Bossaball Equipment required for the game
Following are the requirements for playing the bossaball game:
- An inflatable bossaball court which is basically a volleyball court, usually costs around $1300 to $1400. The recommended dimensions for this court are 50 by 30 yards.
- A 3 meters high net. It can be adjusted to suit beginner, intermediate, and expert players as well as children.
- A ball (almost like a volleyball ball)
- And trampoline set inside the bossaball court.
Rules of Bossaball
Unlike other sports like adult kickball, soccer, baseball, etc., Bossaball is primarily about having fun and being creative. You can score however you want as long as at least one part of your body stays within your side of the court.
Here are some rules of the game you should keep in mind while playing.
The number of sets
As mentioned earlier, bossaball consists of three sets. Each with a maximum of 25 points. Whoever scores 25 points first, wins the set.
Bossaball Game techniques
There are two ways you can win a point in bossaball; volleyball touch and football touch.
- Volleyball touch – Volleyball touch means hitting the ball with hands and forearms.
- Football touch – contrarily, football touch means to play the ball with every other part of the body except arms and hands.
Scoring of the game
Players can score 1 point by hitting the ball on the opponent’s side. Excitingly, if you hit the ball directly in the opponent’s trampoline area, you can win 3 points at once!
Scoring is different for the soccer touch. You can win 3 points by hitting the ball at any point in the other side’s playing field and a whopping 5 points for hitting in the trampoline area.
Music and Samba Referees
During a bossaball game, the referee makes the calls on moves, awards points as well as serves as the Master of Ceremonies. With a whistle, microphone, percussion instruments like drums as well as an entire DJ set, a samba referee entertains the entire crowd and players. His exotic tunes excite the players to make adventurous moves and exhilarate the crowd!
Fun fact about Bossaball
One prominent fact about bossaball is that it is a mixed-gender sport, meaning both males and females can make up a team, and participate in the game. As opposed to other popular sports which segregate men and women, bossaball is all-inclusive. That is one reason behind its popularity. It is not only fun but everyone regardless of their gender can play it and have fun.
Summing up Bossaball is a new game and might not feature famous soccer players of all time but it still is a super fun and exhilarating game that people all around the world enjoy. Instead of fierce competition, bossaball focuses more on flashy, creative moves that enliven the atmosphere and rejuvenate the crowd. Truly, bossaball is what you’ll get if you mix a concert with a FIFA world cup game!
This is a great article! I’ve never heard of Bossaball!