You might find a golf ball, a baseball bat, a football helmet, and a racket. You don’t have to pick up all of the stuff, but at least make a list of what you have. If you have no sports equipment, make a sport that doesn’t need any. Use just your body and your environment. Adapt running, hand-to-hand combat, or exercise into a sport. Use non-sports equipment for the game. Look for buckets, brooms, rocks, sticks, chairs, boxes, blankets, or any other household items to somehow use for a sport.
For example, you might have to score the most points to win. You might score by using the racket to hit the golf ball into the helmet from different distances away. The scoring doesn’t have to be points. It could be accomplishing a task first, performing a feat best, or doing something the most times.
For example, most sports have boundary lines that players must stay within. If you cross a boundary line, the other player or team takes control of the game. Make rules about players touching each other. Football allows players to make physical contact with regulations about what’s acceptable. Yet, baseball has very little contact. Include rules about how to use the equipment, such as kicking the ball in soccer, throwing and catching the ball in football, or tagging the base in baseball.
For example, tennis only works with two players or four players, but basketball works with two to ten or more players.
If you need any type of boundaries or starting lines, use trees or the edge of the grass. If you have cones or rope, use that to set up lines, too.
Start a list of features from various sports that you want your sport to include. You might take the layout of a baseball field, the play features of bocce ball, and the penalties of football. Don’t take more than one or two features from each sport unless you want to create something that’s a variation of a sport that already exists.
Decide if teams rotate turns or if play shifts back and forth between them at random. For example, in volleyball, each team serves at specific times, but play passes back and forth until one team misses the ball. In baseball, teams take turns being at bat and in the field. Many sports, like soccer, have a time limit and the winner is whoever has the most points. Others, like tennis, are played until a specific point value is reached.
Sports like soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and football are designed to accommodate a range of player numbers. They typically require at least two people per team and up to ten or eleven, but the game can be played with any number in between. Games like ping pong, tennis, and racquetball require at least two and no more than four, in most cases. Set out what you think is the ideal number of players, but make note of how the game could be adapted for different numbers of players.
You might brainstorm lots of rules and then rank them in terms of importance. Go through a process of elimination to get rid of ones that are not necessary. Rules include what players must do, what they are allowed to do, and what they are not allowed to do. For example, players must walk, are allowed to jump, but can’t run. Incorporate various rules from sports that already exist, which you researched in the first stage of the sport’s development.
If your sport is played with a ball, find an existing one from another sport that fits your sport well. If you can’t find an existing ball, try making one out of rubber, plastic, leather, or fabric. Build new goals, sticks to hit or throw the ball with, or other objects that are necessary for the game to work. Adapt things that are not even sports related so that they work for your sport. Use kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, toys, or other everyday items for your sport.
For example, horseshoes can be played in casual clothing, while ice hockey requires at least skates, but players usually wear a helmet, pads, and extra layers for warmth. Racquetball and tennis don’t require a specific uniform, but wearing tight-fitting and comfortable clothing makes them easier to play. Jot down what you think would be the ideal outfit to play in, but include ways that a player could vary the uniform if they need to.
Design the layout of the field to suit the goal of the game. If there is a lot of running, you may want a long field of play. If the game takes place while standing still, keep the space small. Include boundary lines, score zones, penalty boxes, starting lines, and any other specific aspects of the field that are vital to the play of the game. Be sure to write down the dimensions of each part of the play area because your drawing probably will not be to scale.
Don’t make it too complicated, like “Hooskerdoodlerama,” but make sure it isn’t obvious, like “Throwball,” either. Think of names like “Prawdle,” “Malinny,” or “Bindleboo. ”
Let them look through the rules you’ve written up and any drawings of the field or equipment that you have. This helps them get a better idea of how the game works. Ask them to give you a recap of the sport to see if it makes sense and if they remember the general idea of the game.
If you play with them, make sure you are paying attention that everyone is playing the right way and following the rules. You are the inventor, so you have to referee and coach the players, too. Take notice of how the game goes, and make notes afterwards of what went well and what went poorly. Use these notes to make adjustments to the game for the next time you play. Ask the players to give you feedback about the game. Ask them if it was easy to understand and play. Ask if they had fun and if the game flowed well or was too complicated.
