Gaga facts for kids
Gaga (which means 'touch touch' in Hebrew) is a fun game similar to dodgeball. It's played in a special fenced area called a "gaga pit." The main goal is to be the last player left in the pit! Players hit a ball with their hands. If the ball touches you on or below your knee, you are out of the game. Gaga is a fast-paced game that involves dodging, hitting, running, and jumping. You can play it alone, with teams, or even one-on-one. The rules, types of balls, and pit sizes can be a bit different depending on where you play.
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How to Play Gaga
Gaga is played in a large fenced area, usually shaped like an octagon (eight sides) or a hexagon (six sides). This area is called a gaga pit. The pit usually has flat walls and a smooth surface, like dirt, sand, or a rubber mat. The ball used can be different sizes, often a soft foam dodgeball or a rubber kickball.
To start the game, one player or a referee throws the gaga ball into the air. All players stand with their backs or hands touching the pit walls. As the ball bounces, players shout "Ga" for each of the first three bounces. After the third bounce, the ball is "in play." Now, players can leave the wall and hit the ball at each other.
If the ball hits a player, or if a player breaks a rule, they are out of the game and must leave the pit. You cannot hit the ball twice in a row. Also, if you hit the ball so hard that it leaves the pit, you are out. If someone hits the ball into the air and another player catches it before it hits the ground, the person who last hit the ball is out.
Gaga Rules to Remember
Here are some common rules for playing Gaga:
- You can only hit the ball with your hands. You are not allowed to pick up the ball and throw it at another player. Some games don't allow "scooping," which is curling your fingers to make the ball go high in the air. Sometimes, only open-hand hits are allowed to keep the ball low and safe.
- If the ball touches you anywhere on or below your knee, you are out. In some games, this rule might be for below the ankle or waist. If you accidentally hit yourself with the ball, you are also out.
- You cannot hit the ball out of the pit. If the ball leaves the pit, the last player who touched it is out.
- "Wall jumping" is usually not allowed. This means you cannot use the pit wall to help you jump higher.
- You cannot hit the ball twice in a row. However, you can hit it again if the ball touches a wall or another player between your hits.
- If a player hits the ball high into the air, another player can catch it before it lands. The player who hit the ball up is then out. Some games do not allow catching at all.
- When you are out, you must step completely out of the pit.
- At the start of the game, players must have one foot (or sometimes hands) touching the wall. The ball is thrown in and bounces three times while players chant "ga-ga-ga" (or similar phrases like "ga-ga-go"). If you move your foot or hand from the wall before or during the chant, you are out.
- The winner of the last game usually gets to start the next game.
Sometimes, if only two or three players are left and the game is moving slowly, a countdown might start. If no one is out by the end of the countdown, a new game might begin.
Where Did Gaga Come From?
The exact start of Gaga is a bit of a mystery, but it became popular in the middle of the 20th century. Many people believe it was invented in Israel and then spread to other countries, especially through summer camps for kids.
Gaga in North America
Gaga is often said to have come to the United States from Israeli counselors working at Jewish summer camps. It appeared in the northeastern U.S. as early as the 1950s and then spread across the country over the next few decades.
Today, Gaga is very popular at summer camps and school playgrounds. Building a gaga pit is usually cheaper than building structures for other games, like soccer goals.
Gaga Becomes Popular
In 2012, The New York Times newspaper wrote that Gaga had become "solidly mainstream." This means it was no longer just a camp game but was played by many kids everywhere. The article said that kids love the game so much that they often teach it to their parents, instead of the other way around! Kids feel like Gaga is "their" game.
In 2011, The Gaga Center opened in Manhattan, New York. It was the first place in New York City completely dedicated to playing Gaga.
Who Invented Gaga?
A magazine called Tablet looked into the origins of Gaga in 2016 and 2017. A reporter named Stephen Silver interviewed a man named Steve Steinberg from Baltimore, Maryland. Steve Steinberg, who was 61 years old at the time, said he invented Gaga in 1975. He was a teenage camp counselor at Camp Milldale, a Jewish Community Center camp.
Steinberg said he started the game to keep young campers busy on rainy days. He explained that the name "Gaga" came from a moment when he told his campers they looked like "a bunch of babies." The children then started chanting "goo-goo, ga-ga." Steinberg shortened the name to "ga-ga" so it would fit on the camp's activity schedule. This story has been shared in many other magazines and blogs across the country.
