Court soccer

Abstract

An intense and athletic game employing skills typical of soccer played generally under the rules of handball or racquetball. The court game primarily requires use of the feet to advance the ball to the court front wall but also other parts of the body except extended hands and arms to receive the ball off a front court wall and control and ready it in preparation for returning it to the front wall without the ball contacting the floor outside the conditions allowed in normal court games such as racquetball. The game can be played using a small soccer ball but more ideally it is played with a smaller ball more conducive to court conditions and walls.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of playing a game in an enclosed court having a floor, front and rear walls, and side walls with a resilient ball between opposing teams having a preselected number of players, comprising the steps of: 
 a. one of said players of a first team beginning play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly;    b. a receiving player from a second team receiving the ball in play off the front wall, directly or indirectly, by the receiving player contacting the ball with a part his body other than his extended arms or hands before the ball contacts the floor more than once;    c. the receiving player advancing, or contacting with the intent to advance, the ball to the front wall, directly or indirectly, with a part his body other than his extended arms or hands without the ball contacting the floor after the receiving player's last touch of the ball;    d. a different player from a team other than the second team then receiving the ball off the front wall;    e. said different player returning the ball to the front wall, directly or indirectly, without the ball contacting the floor after said different player's last touch of the ball with a player from a team other than the team of said different player then becoming the receiving player;    f. repeating said receiving and return of said ball by said players until end of play when said ball fails to successfully return to the front wall without the ball contacting the floor after a receiving player's last touch of the ball;    g. if the last player to successfully return the ball to the front wall was on the same team as began play, counting a score to that team and the same player again beginning play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly;    h. if the last player to successfully return the ball to the front wall was not on the same team as began play, a player other than the player that last began play begins play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly;    i. repeating steps a. through i. until a team accrues a predetermined number of scores.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step d. further comprises the step of allowing the receiving player at his discretion to bounce the ball from the floor after receiving it and before contacting it with the intent to return it to the front wall.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step d. further comprises the step of allowing the receiving player at his discretion to juggle the ball between parts of his body other than extended arms and hands after receiving it and before contacting it with the intent to return it to the front wall.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  where in juggling the ball, the user is allowed to contact the ball a total of three times including his last contact with the ball in advancing it to the front wall.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ball may contact one or more walls, the rear wall or a ceiling before the opposing player receives the ball, whether or not the ball also contacts the floor.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ball may contact one or more walls, the rear wall or a ceiling before it contacts the front wall either on beginning play or on returning the ball to the front wall after receiving it.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein play is begun by said player beginning play standing in one or more designated serve zones in the court and bouncing the ball to the floor and then kicking the ball to the front wall.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  in which the serve zone is forward of a short line on the floor parallel to the front wall and in which upon beginning play the ball must contact the floor rearward of the short line before a defending player contacts the ball.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  in which upon beginning play defending players may not cross the short line before the ball contacts the floor behind the short line.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of ending play without a change in server and without scoring a point because a defending player interferes with a player attempting to return the ball to the front wall either by contacting the player or the ball.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further including the step of ending play without a change in server and without scoring a point because a defending player commits a violation of rules of play.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each team comprises a single player.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step h. includes the step of a different player from the team last beginning play next beginning play after an end of play and before a player from an opposing team begins play.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein three teams play simultaneously and wherein any player from a team other than the last player to successfully returning the ball to the front wall may receive the ball and attempt to return it to the front wall.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each team comprises two players.  
     
     
         16 . A method of playing a game in an enclosed court having a floor, front and rear walls, and side walls with a resilient ball between opposing teams having a preselected number of players, comprising the steps of: 
 a. one of said players of a first team beginning play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly, while standing in one or more designated serve zones in the court and bouncing the ball to the floor and then kicking the ball to the front wall, the ball permissibly contacting one or more walls or a ceiling but not a rear wall before it contacts the floor, the serve zone being forward of a short line on the floor and parallel to the front wall wherein upon beginning play the ball must contact the floor rearward of the short line before an opposing player contacts the ball;    b. a player from a second team receiving a ball in play off the front wall, directly or indirectly, behind the short line before the ball contacts the floor behind the short line more than once by the receiving player contacting the ball with a part his body other than his extended arms or hands, the ball permissibly contact one or more walls, the rear wall or a ceiling before the opposing player receives the ball, whether or not the ball also contacts the floor before the player receiving the ball does so;    c. without use of his extended arms or hands, the receiving player contacting the ball with a part his body other than his extended arms or hands with the intent to return the ball to the front wall, directly or indirectly, without the ball contacting the floor after the player's last touch of the ball; the ball permissibly contacting one or more walls, the rear wall or a ceiling before it contacts the front,    d. a different player from a team other than the second team then receiving the ball off the front wall, allowing this receiving player at his discretion to bounce from the floor after receiving the ball and before contacting the ball with the intent to return the ball to the front wall, and further allowing the receiving player at his discretion to juggle the ball between parts of his body other than extended arms and hands after receiving it and before contacting it with the intent to return it to the front wall but without advancing the ball to the front wall while juggling,    e. said different player returning the ball to the front wall, directly or indirectly, without the ball contacting the floor after said different player's last touch of the ball;    f. repeating said receiving and return of said ball by said players until end of play when said ball fails to successfully return to the front wall;    g. if play ends because a defending player interferes with a player attempting to return the ball to the front wall either by contacting the player or the ball or if a player commits a different violation such as touching the ball with an extended arm or hand, the play begins again without a score and with the same player serving the ball;    h. if the last player to successfully return the ball to the front wall was on the same team as began play, accounting a score to that team and the same player again begins play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly;    i. if the last player to successfully return the ball to the front wall was not on the same team as began play, a player other than the player that last began play begins play by kicking the ball off the front wall, directly or indirectly;    j. repeating steps a. through i. until a team accrues a prescribed number of scores.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  in which the ball comprises a material on its out surface hard enough to sustain repeated kicks of substantial force while not marking or damaging court walls.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  in which the ball is resilient with bouncing characteristics such that it cannot be kicked to the front wall, bounce to the back wall, and then bounce back to the front wall off the back wall without first contacting the floor.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  in which the ball is smaller than an outdoor soccer ball.