www.jpvoelkel.com
SUBJECT: PHYSICAL EDUCATION
“What’s this?” asked Max.
“The ballcourt,” said Lola.
“The Maya played baseball?”
“It was called Pokapok.”
“Sounds like a kids’ game.”
“Except that the losing team and their supporters usually got sacrificed.”
Now Max was interested. “How do you play?”
From The Jaguar Stones, Book One: Middleworld, by J&P Voelkel, page 209.
Published by Smith & Sons. ISBN 978-1-57525-561-3
How was the first team sport in history played?
- What was the ritual meaning of the Mesoamerican Ballgame?
- How is it similar to and different from today’s ball games?
Meets standards of group cooperation, cultural diversity, crosscurriculum engagement, and applied problem solving skills.
Moderately-sized kickballs, Ball nets, Goals, Hula hoop
TSW know:
• The history of the Mesoamerican Ballgame Pok-A-Pok and its
place in Maya mythology and society.
• How to work as a team to overcome challenges placed upon them
by the physical restrictions of the game.
TSW be able to:
• Understand how Pok-A-Pok compares and contrasts to modern
ball games.
• Demonstrate a cultural understanding of the game and its place in
ancient society.
• Engage in physical activity, group cooperation and friendly
competition.
Mesoamerican Ballgame - page 1
Copyright J&P Voelkel 2007. Not to be reproduced for sale or profit.
Pok-A-Pok (also called Pok-a-Tok and Pitz), the Mesoamerican
Ballgame played by many Central American peoples including the
Ancient Maya, originated around 2000 BC. Thanks to the latex of
the rubber tree, they were able to make large, very heavy, bouncy
balls. (Some balls had human skulls inside to make them lighter and
bouncier!) Pok-a-Pok was usually played by two three-man teams
on a large, “I” shaped court with sloping walls. The object was to
manipulate the basketball-sized ball between the players using only
hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and head. Using hands or feet was
forbidden, though a heavy padded belt called a yoke (which was worn
on the hips and often decorated with a carved stone ornament called
a hacha) aided in the gameplay. To score, the teams had to either a)
get the ball through the opposing team, or b) shoot the ball through
a small stone hoop placed high above the court. Hoop scoring was
so rare that such a point usually ended the game. Although aware
of these rules, archeologists are uncertain as to the details of how the
game was actually played, or how the players manipulated the ball in
such a manner. The game was highly symbolic to the ancient Maya,
and was used as a metaphor to represent the struggle between life and
death. The Maya took their games so seriously, that players on the
losing team were sometimes sacrificed.
: alternate names for the Maya
version of the Mesoamerican ballgame
: the milky sap of certain trees and plants (including the
rubber tree) that hardens on exposure to air
: heavy padded belt worn by ball players
: carved stone ornament decorating the yoke
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Adaptation of Content
Links to Background
Links to Past Learning
Strategies incorporated
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Modeling
Guided practice
Independent practice
Comprehensible input
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Whole class
Small groups
Partners
Independent
1. Discuss the history and rules of Pok-A-Pok with the class.
2. Practice. Divide the class into small groups and let them practice
passing the ball among their group members without using their
Hands On
hands or feet.
Meaningful
3. Team play: beginner’s level. Divide the class into two teams.
Linked to objectives
Tape a line across the back section of each side of the court. Each
Promotes engagement
team is responsible for protecting their side of the court. A team
scores if they get the ball through all the opposing team members
and across the line. To begin, have one team serve the ball
(similar to volleyball) across the center line toward the opposing
team. After this initial serve, the ball must be kept in play without
the use of hands or feet. Players sliding on the ground to keep
Mesoamerican Ballgame - page 2
Copyright J&P Voelkel 2007. Not to be reproduced for sale or profit.
a ball in play was common. The ball may also be ricocheted off
the walls, ceiling and floor of the court. It may bounce up to
three times before it needs to be manipulated by a ballplayer. If
the ball is allowed to bounce more than three times, escapes the
boundaries of the court or, for some reason, rolls onto the ground
and cannot be put back into play by the players, a “dead ball” is
called. The team which last touched the ball loses control of it
and the opposing team may serve the ball back into play. When a
team scores a point, the opposing team gains the serve.
4. Team play: advanced level. Hang a large hula-hoop on the wall
of the gym several feet off the ground - perpendicular to the floor
so that the opening faces out horizontally (i.e. the opposite of a
basketball rim). Initiate play as in the beginner’s level, but with
the condition that any team that is able to put the ball through
the hoop without using their hands or feet automatically wins.
Have students briefly discuss the challenges posed by the ball
handling rules and how they are similar to or different from other
ball sports. How might a lack of rubber have affected the evolution
of sport elsewhere in the world?
Students should be evaluated on their level of participation,
their work with their team, and their contributions to the class
discussion.
www.ballgame.org This award-winning website includes a video
reenactment of the Mesoamerican Ballgame.
Mesoamerican Ballgame - page 3
Copyright J&P Voelkel 2007. Not to be reproduced for sale or profit.