Pushball

Think about what you feel is the toughest, most physical sport being played in the United States. If you thought rugby, you’re wrong, if you thought football, you’re also wrong. It’s a relatively unknown sport called Pushball. Some people might have played it at summer camp when they were kids and are probably thinking, “That’s not tough, and not really physical at all.” I’m not going to tell you about the Pushball being played at summer camp. I'm going to tell you how it’s being played in the United States Army. The Army actually has Pushball listed as an intramural sport in its field manual for physical fitness, FM 21-20. It’s very similar to regular Pushball, but has a few different rules. I’m going to tell you how to play Pushball, how to set up your field, how to set up your teams, and I’m going to tell you about the rules, the referees, the penalties, and the uniforms.

The first thing you need to do is set up your equipment and your field. All you really need for equipment is a large ball, preferably 5-6 feet in diameter. The playing surface needs to be 240-300 feet long, and 120-150 feet wide. The field needs to be separated by a center line, and two more lines need to be marked 15 feet from the end lines to make your goals. Basically, your field needs to look like a football field, having two end zones and a half line.

After you set up your field and gather your equipment, you need to set up your teams. You will have two teams, each with ten to fifty players. Both teams will need a uniform, usually pull-over vests or jerseys of a different color for each team. Any sports shoe is authorized except for metal cleats.

After your teams have been set up, you need to choose a referee. The referee should be someone of high rank, preferably from another unit or a from the unit’s headquarters. The referee must have a whistle to start and stop play, and may use a starter’s pistol or air horn to start and stop the game. Players must not question the referee’s authority.

Now your field, teams, and referee are ready to play. Let’s talk about how to play the game. The object of pushball is to send the ball over the opponent’s goal line by pushing, rolling, passing, carrying, or using any method other than kicking the ball.

The game begins with the ball placed on the center line with the opposing team captains three feet from the ball. The rest of the players will line up across the field 45 feet from the centerline on their half of the field. The referee starts the game, and the captains immediately play the ball while their player’s come to their aid.

A team scores when it sends the ball over the opponent’s goal line. A goal counts as five points. After the team scores, they can then try for an extra point. For the extra point, the ball is placed on the opposing team’s five yard line and the teams will line up across the field separated by the width of the ball. Only one player can place his hands on the ball until the referee starts play. At the referee’s signal, the ball is put into play for one minute.