Kimball, is a

team sport A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a number of ways s ...

created in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1986 by Mario Demers, a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

, in which the main distinctive characteristics are the large size of the ball (1.2m (48 inches) in diameter) and that the matches are played by three teams at the same time. The International Kin-Ball Federation counts 3.8 million participants, primarily from

, the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Japan,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Switzerland,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and China (including

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

). The newest country is the UK; Kin-Ball UK formed in 2018.

Game

Kin-Ball Diameter: 1.2m (48 inches) Weight: 1 kg Court Size: 20×20 meters (66×66 feet) (Court lines are included in measurement). Three teams play per game. Each team has 4 players. The official Kin-Ball team colours are: Black, Grey and Blue. (Sometimes pink is used instead of blue). The team in possession of the ball is the Attacking Team. To make a play, the Attacking Team will designate a Defending Team, by calling out their colour. The designation has to start with the declaration "Omnikin!" followed by the colour of another team. After the designation, the ball has to be hit with a body part above the hips, while all other members of the Attacking Team touch the ball, in some way. If the Defending Team is able to control the Kin-Ball successfully, it becomes the Attacking Team. A Kin-Ball Game is usually played until one team has won three periods. Each period takes about 10 minutes to play. When the first team reaches 11 points in a period, the team with the fewest points has to leave the court and the remaining two teams play until one team reaches 13 points. A player can commit a series of fouls during the match: # Not being able to catch the ball before it touches the ground. # Hitting the ball out of bounds or stepping out of bounds while touching the ball. # Walking with the ball after the third player touches the ball during a play. # Hitting the ball with a downward trajectory. # Hitting the ball less than 1.8 meters. # Not all players of a team being in contact with the ball. # Making a mistake during the colour announcement (wrong colour, more than one player talking, etc.). # Having more than 1 player within 1.8 meters during the hit (close defense). # Intentionally interfering with a defending player. Whenever a team commits a foul, the other two teams receive 1 point each. This ensures that teams of a lower skill level are kept in play. So long as they do not commit too many fouls of their own in a row.

International competitions

Men

Women

References

External links

{{commons category
International Kin-Ball Federation

USA KIN-BALL Sport Web Site

Al Mayrit
''(Spanish Kin-Ball Team)''
Inclusive Kinball Cup Hong Kong
Team sports Ball games Sports originating in Canada Games and sports introduced in 1986 Articles containing video clips