I used to roll a sheet of paper up into a very tight tube, then flatten one half and tie an overhand knot in it. That's how I won the "distance shot" portion of informal classroom wastebasketball competitions. You just hold the light end and flip it towards the trash can.
So even the wadded-up ball can be improved upon.
And no, I don't know why the teachers ever left us alone in the classroom.
I was at a math camp where one of the activities was that each team had to design a paper plane and get it to a castle on top of a hill by throwing it the fewest times possible (like in golf). Several teams converged on a design of a crumbled ball of paper as that was what offered the best combination of accuracy and distance.
Since there was no rule against it, we've allowed it. Some of the teams who played with conventional airplanes got furious. (These were all adult people!) Although innitially looking fairly innocent, I believe it ended up as the second most controversial activity we've held.
I did the same thing in eighth grade. Put my toes on the throw line with an unfolded sheet of paper, and crumpled it right there on the spot. We were judged on both distance and "straightness" of flight, I believe that I won on both counts. However, I was disqualified for "not being an airplane" though nobody, not even the teachers, could tell me why. I was hoping to justify my stance that golf balls produce lift, so therefore my ball should produce lift and be considered an airplane as well, but there was no interested ear to appeal to.
Would you rather have a ball made out of trash that falls apart when you kick it, a "proper" ball that gets torn to shreds, or this "not regulation" ball that can withstand any abuse you throw at it?
This seems like a no-brainer to me. These kids don't need a regulation ball, and they deserve better than trash.
We (my roommates and I) used to do this while tossing a frisbee in college. It’s amazing how we could do hundreds of associations and then go backwards without missing any.
I'm still a bit proud of my solution, which involved simply turning the board upside down, enjoying a completely flat surface I could easily control the ball with.
Keeping them in that plane is the biggest hurdle to get over for a lot of people. Try juggling in front of a wall. Or standing over a desk against a wall (no chasing drops). You can even keep juggling bounces off the wall. Also, lots of practice with just two balls doing the exchange.
I'm terrible at bowling, but I've found that I can get kid-weight balls to curve by holding them in my palm (no fingers in holes) and tossing them with a gratuitous amount of spin. I'm sure that serious bowlers laugh or cringe, but I'm only there for the company of friends.
It's not remotely close to impossible to hook a polyester house ball. You have to go out of your way to do it, but it's not even particularly difficult to get some movement.
So even the wadded-up ball can be improved upon.
And no, I don't know why the teachers ever left us alone in the classroom.
reply