How did the Maya play Pok Ta Pok?
Pok-A-Tok is like a cross between soccer and basketball—except much, much more difficult to play. The object of the game was for the two opposing side to try and hit the hard rubber ball into a stone hoop placed at both ends of the playing field. You could only pass and shoot the ball using your thighs and hips.
What was Pok Ta Pok in ancient Mayan civilization?
Pok-Ta–Pok is an ancient Mayan ball game, that was played thousands of years ago as part of a sacred, sacrificial ceremony, pitting good against evil. The general belief is that the ball, five pounds of solid rubber, could only be hit with forearms and thighs.
What are the rules of Pok Ta Pok?
The ball is hit into the field of play and players can pass the ball to each other using only their elbows, knees and hips. Hands, heads and feet are not allowed. A point is scored when the opposing team fails to return the ball before it bounces a second time, or when the ball reaches the opposing end zone.
How big was a Pok-A-Tok ball?
The game would be played in an “I” shaped court, approximately 25 feet wide, by 75 feet long with a flat court and walls that sloped outward. The ball was six inches in diameter and made of solid rubber.
How heavy is a Pok A Tok ball?
In the most common theory of the game, the players struck the ball with their hips, although some versions allowed the use of forearms, rackets, bats, butts, or handstones. The ball was made of solid rubber and weighed as much as 4 kg (9 lbs), and sizes differed greatly over time or according to the version played.
Why was the Mayan ball game called pok ta pok?
The walls of its constructions reveals the story of the Mayan ball game, which they called Pok-ta-pok, due to the noise produced by the ball when it was hit by the players or hit the floor.
How to play the pok ta pok game?
How to play: 1 Using the school gym or the playground, divide the area in half by a line perpendicular to its long axis. 2 Get into two teams of 5. 3 Agree on the point system that is a point can be scored when the ball reaches the opposing end zone.
Where was the Pok a Tok ball game played?
Pok-A-Tok was a ball game played by the ancient Maya well over 1000 years ago in what’s now Cancun and Riviera Maya. And there’s evidence that the Toltecs and Aztecs played variations of the game, too, as there are stadiums (for lack of a better term) dotted throughout Mexico. Do you consider yourself a huge sports nut?
How did the Maya play the ball game?
As the players jostled to keep the ball from touching the ground, some historians say that the team captains were allowed to use a stick to hit the ball through the stone ring as they ran along the sideline and thee walls edge, above the court. Both a ritual and a sport the teams literally put their lives on the line to win.