A staple of any elementary school, four-square has managed to bring the competitiveness out of any child who played it; me included. Four-square introduced the true fun of playing a sport while also teaching children respect for one another.
While four-square may only be seen as a game that is only for children, it is really a game for all ages. Bringing the fun out in everyone, four-square gives the player an experience they’ll never forget.
Even as a junior in high school, I still enjoy playing four-square whenever I get the chance. Putting both the arms and legs to work, the sport gives the player a full experience of cardio and athleticism.
With this in mind, why isn’t four-square shined in a larger light in our student body? Here are some of the reasons why you should give this nostalgic activity another shot.
In situations such as family gatherings, activities are needed to satisfy kids and adults alike. A first thought would be to bring a few games such as ring toss and corn-hole; why not add four-square to the mix?
Like the other two activities listed, a match can be set up anywhere, four-square is no different. All that is needed to play a game of four-square is a flat ground, a ball, and an area with four defined squares, which can be set up easily with chalk. The simple nature of the sport makes it one of the best things to do when supplies and time are limited.
For people such as high school students, taking time to set up something such as finding a net for soccer or searching for a field for football can be exhausting. With four-square, however, there is no time needed.
Along with being able to be played basically anywhere, four-square also helps to improve reaction time. A huge part of our generation is video games and a large part of that is one’s reaction time.
Four-square helps increase reaction time as it gives the player split-second decisions in regards to the ball. Setting their minds on the ball, the player has to decide how far they need to be from the ball and at what angle they need to shoot the ball to correctly keep themselves in the game.
While the same can be said for sports such as basketball and baseball, the reaction time isn’t achieved when it is not played at a competitive level. Considering the dedication one has to put into joining a sport such as these two, four-square is a better option.
Four-square is also a very easy sport to learn, only having a few rules. Considering the only movement in the game is hitting a ball, even a kindergartener could understand how to play.
When tallying up the points, it should be reasonable that one would play four-square more often. However, this is not the case as to the average person above the age of 13, four-square is a long lost game. Four-square should be something that everyone should give a second thought, a game they should allow to bring out the inner-child in them.
