Back Yard Ball Basher

This is a very quick and simple fun game for garden or yard.

It was a nice sunny day and my grandson was playing in the garden.

He wanted me to keep throwing the ball to him to try to hit it.

I was happy to play with him but thought there could be a better way to enable him to play anytime on his own.

I remembered a game we played as kids called swingball and decided to see what could be used to build a version.

10 minutes later I had assembled the scrap items you will see in the next picture.

5 minutes after that my grandson was very happy playing what he called Bash Ball.

Step 1: What You Need:

A small ball
A long'ish stick or rod
A short'ish stick or rod
A long fat screw or bolt
An old pair of tights
A bat or bats
Soft earth to stick it into

Your items may well be in better condition than mine.

Even though I used a rusty old screw, it all worked fine.

Step 2: Stocking Filler:

Take the ball and one leg of an old pair of tights.

(Colour and size are not important but black may be best).

Step 3: Ball Containment:

Squeeze your ball into one of the legs of the tights.

Step 4: The Swinging Arm:

Insert a bolt or large screw about 2/3 along the length of the stick or rod.

Then drop the assembly into the end of the rod.

(If you are using a stick then drill a suitable loose hole to take the screw.)

Step 5: Ball Tether Arm:

Tie the end of the tights to the end of the short stick that has the screw through it.

Step 6: Arm Support:

Insert long stick or rod into the ground.

It would also be possible to insert it into a large pot of earth or to build a base to enable play on hard surfaces.

Place the screw into the hole in the rod or stick.

Test that it can swivel smoothly around.

Step 7: Ready to Play:

You have quickly assembled a neat swinging arm with a tethered ball.

It is ready to bash.

Step 8: Ball Bashing:

Using any available bat or even a stick the ball can be hit.

The fun is in successfully hitting the ball as it swings back and spins around on the central column.

Two players can score points based upon hits and misses.

Single players can enjoy improving their hand eye coordination.

Players can challenge themselves to reach a personal best for numbers of consecutive hits.

I do hope that you will make this and then enjoy setting up and playing this simple but effective game.