15.4.08

(Other sorts of) pushball around the world

Pushball (on foot)
The oldest pushball game is pushball (on foot) (USA, 1891) with a large amount of people on a big square playing a 6 feet large ball above their head.

See the blog of Thorn Pricks with "Who Rembers Pushball?" with the whole history of pushball in general.
http://thornpricks.blogspot.com/2006/11/who-remembers-pushball.html

Pushball Rush Rules (since 1914)
http://www.lib.rpi.edu/Archives/traditions/rushes/push_ball.html

Still in the USA Army the soldiers are training with (strategic) pushball (on foot). And also an University competition of pushball (on foot) still exists in the USA at this moment.
I found pictures in Life magazine (1941) of the US Army playing this game in the Second World War(see the pictures in a next article on this blog).

This added movie is made in 1933 in Chicago, it gives a good impression in playing pushball (on foot).
Chicago, IL: Exclusive pictures of a hectic pushball game in which the Freshmen of Loyola University defeat the Sophomores in a wild battle for a prize beer keg, after many players suffer bumps and bruises.
This item is part of the collection: Universal Newsreels
Production Company: Universal Studios
Audio/Visual: silent, b&w
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

See the movie on this site:
http://www.archive.org/details/1933-11-15_Loyola_Students_Compete_For_Keg










Moto Polo: Polo on four wheels => "car pushball" http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/05/page/8/

12.4.08

Famous Dutch freestyle trainer Emiel Voest with double longe and pushball

Emiel Voest learned me this method of double longe 6 years ago. After a while it was my idea to create a variation on pushball on horsback, you may call it "pushball behind horseback" (if this word exist in English).
Emiel learned my Norwegian fjord horse Ingalill working with the ball and the double longe. See the picture is a result, even we both can turn corners with this horse.

This horse is a daughter of the mare Ose on the picture of 1982, with the ball in the center. Ingalill is in the training of the other horses and pony's the so called "Mirror Horse" (as Monty Roberts should say): the behaviour of this experienced pushball horse is an example (mirror) for the debutant animals who are reallly exited by watching this large (pony size) yellow ball. These learning animals have trusted and watched my patient horse: this proces was a succes for about 55 pony's and horses in 4 years time!

Picture is made by Ben Schellekens on 6. of April 2008 in Rotterdam (NL)