Today’s expression: “Do something at the drop of a hat.”

Meaning: To do something without having planned beforehand.

It’s now the end of the second full week of WB Month. Let’s take a look at the basics of how to play. But first, if you missed the introduction and the information you need to know before you start, review Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

How to play:

As I mentioned, there are a multitude of Wall Ball variations, most of which involve rules similar to squash or racquetball (without the rackets). However, I have always preferred the version of the game that was closer to dodgeball, so I will spend the majority of my explanation delving into this type of Wall Ball.

To begin the game, one player starts with the ball and stands at a point within the boundaries (if defined) furthest from the wall. They throw the ball at the wall. The ball must bounce off of the wall. We will call this initial throw “the serve.”

Other players must let the ball rebound off the wall and bounce on the ground at least one time on the serve.

Now that the ball has been served, bounced off the wall, and bounced on the ground at least once, anyone else may catch or pick up the ball. We will refer to catching or securing the ball as “receiving.”

The server may not receive their own ball. (This rule only applies to the first throw of the game.)

A player may receive the ball at any point after it bounces off the wall, whether it is rolling, bouncing, or soaring through the air.

A player may use any part of their body to aid in receiving the ball. Once a player has received the ball, they must throw it against the wall. Kicks, spikes, or other forms of hitting are not allowed.

Note that a player who is attempting to receive or who has been hit with the ball has from the moment they first make contact with the ball until the moment the ball falls to the ground to complete their receive attempt. In other words, if the ball is tipped into the air here and there with several attempts to catch hold of it, the player may continue their attempt to receive up until the point at which the ball makes contact with the ground or the wall, and no other player is allowed to touch them during their attempt.

When a player has successfully received the ball, they may walk or run before throwing.

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There is more than one solution to today’s brain teaser.

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Brain teaser:

Using only the official two-letter postal abbreviations for US states, what’s the longest English word you can spell? You may not repeat states in any one word that you create.