Official Rules: sol-R
The following rules and guidelines of play for sol-R have been excerpted from the book, "Ricochet and Other Fun Games with an Odd Ball" by Chris Cavert. (The Ricochet Page has information on how you can obtain the paperback version.)
Applications: Sol-R is a great game for players to develop hand-eye coordination at their own speed. Players also learn to challenge themselves and establish personal goals. Sol-R can be played on small or large Spans (hard surfaces of play), however, be mindful, too many Sol-R games going at the same time, in the same area, can be hazardous.
Needs: 1 Ricochet Ball (the official ball is a 6-nubbed rubber ball) and a ground level Span for every player. (Playing this game off of a table-top, like some other ricochet games, is really tough!) Don’t forget to stretch out before playing!!
Numbers: 1 (now do you get where I got sol-R from? If not, call me!)
Play: This game is a great way to begin developing and practicing the skills needed for other Ricochet games found in the book. Even though there really is no way (at least we haven’t done a formal study on it yet) to determine the reaction of the r-ball (the players name for the ricochet ball), you CAN work on your moves and reaction time.
In this game you will be the server as well as the receiver or, catcher. If you want, just for practice, you can call the serve to yourself - as it is done in other ricochet games, (but don’t let anyone catch you talking to yourself, they may never want to play the games with you) – remember, either a Sneaker (low serve), a Skyscraper (mid-level serve), or a Rocket (a very high serve). You get 10 serves for one game. So, that means, you get 10 chances to catch the ball for points during a game. The objective is to see how many points you can accumulate after 10 serves. A point is counted every time the ball touches the Span [ground surface], but to earn the points you must catch the ball - and, you decide when it is most appropriate to catch it.
In this game you will be the server as well as the receiver or, catcher. If you want, just for practice, you can call the serve to yourself - as it is done in other ricochet games, (but don’t let anyone catch you talking to yourself, they may never want to play the games with you) – remember, either a Sneaker (low serve), a Skyscraper (mid-level serve), or a Rocket (a very high serve). You get 10 serves for one game. So, that means, you get 10 chances to catch the ball for points during a game. The objective is to see how many points you can accumulate after 10 serves. A point is counted every time the ball touches the Span [ground surface], but to earn the points you must catch the ball - and, you decide when it is most appropriate to catch it.
Scenario: Okay, let’s go with a Skyscraper (mid-level serve into the air). You make the underhand serve into the air (serves are always underhanded in this game). You let it hit the span once, twice, three times – you better grab it!! YES! Nice Catch. You have 3 points on the board. Let’s stay with the Skyscraper one more time. Nice Throw, OH NO, crazy bounce! It’s heading for the fence. It hits the fence, lands on the ground and stops bouncing. This is called a, "Done Ball!" No points for that serve. You still have 3 points though (you never lose what you got!). You play it safe and go for the Sneaker. Good serve, one, two, grab it! Okay, maybe a little too safe! But, you got two more. Total of 5 now, in three serves. You’ve got seven more serves. Give it all you’ve got! How many points can you collect after 10 serves?
Be sure to check the Official Records Book to see if you are in the top ten - but don't forget, if you want to get into the Records Book you will need a witness to verify your attempt. (The Records Book has more details about game score submissions.)
Play On!!
Be sure to check the Official Records Book to see if you are in the top ten - but don't forget, if you want to get into the Records Book you will need a witness to verify your attempt. (The Records Book has more details about game score submissions.)
Play On!!