Let’s Play
LADDER BALL
How To Play
Setup
To set up, position ladders 15 feet apart. This distance can be adjusted based on the players' skill level.
Each player must throw from behind the ladder on their side.
The game starts with an agreed-upon method to determine which player or team goes first.
Games can be played 1 on 1 or in teams of two with teammates at opposite ends.
Gameplay
Players take turns throwing their bolas at the ladder, aiming to wrap them around the rungs to score points.
Players alternate tossing bolas with the person or team who scored in the last round throwing first.
Cancelation scoring applies, and point totals are calculated at the end of each round.
Bolas that remain hanging on the ladder at the end of a round count their points.
Bolas on the top rung score 3 points each.
Bolas on the middle rung score 2 points each.
Bolas on the bottom rung score 1 point each.
If a bola is touching more than one rung, it only counts for the higher point value.
The score is tallied after each round, and the first player or team to reach a set number of points (often 21) wins the game.
Bust rule is in effect. If the person who scored within the round new total exceeds 21, no points are scored for either team that round, and they begin the next round at the same score as the previous.
Scoring
Bolas may be thrown in any manner but one at a time.
Bolas can knock off opponents' bolas from the ladder, affecting their scores.
If a bola is thrown but falls off before the round ends, it doesn't count for any points.
Variation on scoring – Some play that cancelation scoring is specific to a rung on the ladder. For example, bolas on 3 would cancel each other out, but a bola on 2 or 1 could both score. In this style of play, both players can score within a round. This style of play can lead to a tie, in which case play continues until someone ends around ahead by at least two points.
History
Bolas began as a weapon of the indigenous people of South America. Like most weapons its intended purpose was likely used for both hunting and warfare. What we don’t know is what bolas were used for during idle times. It is likely that as humans sat around board with, at the time this three balled weapon, likely gamified it in some way for both training and entertainment. There is no record of an official indigenous game played with bolas.
As we try to piece this puzzle together, we have to add in the stories of cowboys gamifying barbed wire fences and snakes. It’s not an overly pleasant thought but as the story goes this game of tossing snakes on the three strands of wire may have been played similar to todays ladder ball. There are patents for similar games as far back as the 1950’s that are a close relative of ladder ball showing that variations of ladder ball have indeed been played prior to its current popularity.
In more modern times there are rumors of ladder ball being played in Florida campgrounds in the 1980’s. One story has its creation stemming from a desire to have a lighter alternative to horseshoes. Others date the game to the early 1990’s. Ladder Ball and its many names and variations has become one of the most popular yard games in the United States with many manufactures making their own version.
Ladder Ball can be seen made out of wood, PVC, plastic, concrete, metal and often combinations thereof. The bolas also come in a wide range of options ranging from manufactured bolas with sand filled plastic balls connected with rope to drilled out golf balls and tennis balls. The variation in materials for the ladders and bolas makes game play vary from set to set.
