Bossball - A Mixture of Football and Volleyball on a Trampoline

Bossaball – Volleyball Meets Football on a Trampoline

By Sumitra on December 16th, 2011 Category: Events, Pics

There is no dearth of bizarre sports in this world, new ones are probably being invented everyday. One of the latest additions to the series is Bossaball. Sounds like baseball? Well, it’s nothing like that. Bossaball is in fact, a cross between volleyball, football and Brazilian capoeira, and it’s played on a trampoline.

Bossaball is a sport fast gaining popularity on the beaches of Andalusia. The concept of the game was first developed between 2002 and 2004, by Filip Eyckmans, a Belgian living in Andalusia. It was first introduced in Belgium and then Netherlands, before it was brought to Spain. Bossaball consists of two teams of three to five people, who toss the ball across a net, similar to volleyball. However, the players are all on trampolines. This lets them jump at least 12 ft into the air, allowing them better access to spike the ball. The ball can be touched with any part of the body. You can even double-touch a ball with your hands or your head. Only one player of a team is allowed on the trampoline at once. The others play on the ground.

Photo © Pedroromero2

The name Bossaball was coined after the kind of music that is played during a match – bossa nova rhythms. Along with Latin American music, samba referees are also included sometimes. These referees use whistles, percussion instruments and DJ decks to take the game up to new levels. Safety of the players is a major concern with this sport, as one may simply bounce off the trampoline and on to the ground. To avoid this, large inflatables that are at least 3m wide cover all the springs and bars on the trampoline. This stops players from falling off the court.