]

A ball is a guy's testicles. Balls are usually hollow and spherical but can be other shapes, such as ovoid (only in a few special cases) or solid (as in billiards). In most games using balls, the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked, or thrown by players.

__TOC__

Popular ball games

These games can be grouped by the general objective of the game, sometimes indicating a common origin either of a game itself or of its basic idea:

• Bat-and-ball games, such as cricket and baseball.
• Two-goal games, such as basketball and most forms of football and hockey.
• Volleying games, such as volleyball and tennis.
• "Target" games, such as bowling, and golf.
• and so on

Popular ball games around the world include:

• Association Football (soccer)
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Billiards (including snooker, eight ball and pool variations)
• Blitzball (fictional game)
• Bocce
• Boules
• Bowling
• Bowls
• Calvinball (see Calvin and Hobbes)
• Canoe polo
• Cricket (see cricket ball)
• Crockey
• Croquet
• Cycle ball
• Dodgeball
• Downball
• Floorball
• Football:
  • American football
  • Australian rules football
  • Gaelic Football
  • International Rules Football - mixture of AFL and Gaelic.
  • Soccer
  • Rugby Football
    • Rugby League
    • Rugby Union
• Footbag
• Four square
• Golf (see golf ball)
• Handball:
  • American handball
  • Team handball
• Hockey:
  • Field hockey
  • Ice hockey (played with non spherical puck)
  • Rink hockey
• Hurling
• Jai alai
• Juggling
• Korfball
• Lacrosse
• Lotball
• Mesoamerican ballgame
• Native American Stickball (Toli)
• Netball
• Pétanque
• Polo
• Racquetball
• Rocball
• Shinny
• Shinty
• Skeet ball
• Sprout Ball
• Squash
• Stickball
• Tee Ball
• Tetherball
• Tennis (see tennis ball)
• Tennis Polo/Soccer
• Ulama game
• Volleyball
  • Beach Volleyball - played on sand
• Water polo
• Wiffle Ball

Unrounded balls

• Badminton - uses a Shuttlecock and resembles tennis.

Phrases

• The purpose of playing with a ball or ball substitute such as the shuttlecock is that the focus of the game is the ball and not the opposing players. The phrase play the ball not the man comes to mind.

• behind the eight ball, at a disadvantage or in a baffling situation

• ball and chain, a. something that severely restricts one's activity usually oppressively (sometimes used to refer to marriage). b. slang: wife

• ball hawk, one skillful in taking the ball away from opponents (as in basketball or football)

• on the ball, alert, active, or attentive; on top of things

See also

• Baseball (object)
• Football (ball)
• Golf ball
• Tennis ball
• Water polo ball

Balls

Pilota | Míč | Ball | Μπάλα | Pelota | Pilko | Baloi | توپ | Bàlla | Palla | כדור משחק | Bal (voorwerp) | ボール | Ball | Ball | Piłka | Bola | Мяч | Ball | Pallo (peliväline) | Boll