Tetherball Rules

After being used prominently in the movie Napolean Dynamite, Tetherball has gained something of a cult following. The game, long a favorite on the schoolyard, is not just about hitting the ball as hard as possible. When played right, it is a fast-paced battle of subtle strategy.

The object of the game is to wrap the rope, onto which the ball is attached, around the pole in your direction. The most common scoring practice is to play best of seven, where the first player to reach four game wins is the winner of the match.

Many people follow the rule that the person not serving decides which direction the ball is served.

There are many different rules to the game. In the basic form of the game, one player serves, and then either player can hit the ball from that point on. Here, the server has an immense advantage. She has control of the ball from the start of the game. An advanced player should be able to hit the ball over her opponent each time it comes around, wrapping it to win the game without her opponent ever getting a chance to even touch the ball.

Because the server is at such a great advantage, some people like to even the playing field by requiring the server to wait until either the opponent strikes the ball or the ball has wrapped four times before they can strike the ball again. This gives the opponent a better chance to gain control of the ball.

A key strategy in Tetherball is to try to angle the ball so that is high enough to be out of reach on your opponent's side, but then comes down on yours.

A foul in Tetherball results in the serve going to the other player. There are four basic ways a player can foul:

Striking the ball with any part of the body other than the hands or the forearms

Holding or catching the ball during play

Touching the tether ball pole with any part of the body during play

Playing outside their designated playing area

Because the serve is so important, a foul can quickly turn the tide of the game.

More information on tetherball