A popular recess play activity at Pacific Beach Elementary is gaga ball played in the school’s gaga pit.

The pit is an octagonal enclosure, approximately 15 feet across with edges typically 45-48 inches high. Gaga, translated literally from Hebrew means “touch touch.”

Gaga ball is a variation of dodgeball that is played in a gaga pit. Six to eight students can play at any one time.

The game starts with students standing along the inside of the pit with one hand touching the edge of the pit. A student drops the ball into the middle of the pit to bounce three times. Corresponding to the three bounces is the announcement, “ga…ga…go,” and the ball is then in play. The ball is usually a soft foam ball or a standard 10-inch rubber playground ball. The game combines dodging, striking, running, and jumping. The game is fast-paced and kids quickly realize they are getting a very physical workout.

The object of gaga ball is to be the last person remaining in the pit. Players hit or strike the ball at each other with an open hand and are eliminated if the ball strikes them on or below the knee. The game can be played by a group of individual players or with teams, as well as in one-on-one matches. Rules, ball types, pit surfaces, and pit sizes may vary at different venues.

At PB Elementary, basic rules include hitting or slapping the ball with an open hand and aiming the ball at another person’s leg, knee, or below. Any contact with the ball and a player’s knee or below and the player is out and leaves the pit…free to join the next game.

Anytime the ball goes out of the pit, the person the ball touched last is out. A player can only hit the ball one time until the ball either hits another player or the wall, then the player may hit the ball again.

The game ends when there is only one player remaining in the pit. Other players re-enter the pit, go to the edge, the ball is dropped and bounces…a new game begins.

There are several versions of how gaga ball originated. One version has gaga ball originating in a summer camp at Camp Idylwold in New York, courtesy of John Crosley, the camp’s owner in the 1950s. It was at this camp that gaga ball was commonly referred to as Crosleyball.

Other versions of the history of gaga ball have it imported from Israel by camp counselors staffing summer camps at various locations in the Northeastern U.S. during the 1950s and ’60s. There is an indoor facility located in Bergen, N.J. In 2016, two moms, Pamela Diamond, and Leslie Schraer, opened an indoor facility named The Gaga Sphere (thegagasphere.com) offering year-round opportunities for kids, families, private parties, and even corporate events to experience gaga ball.