A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size and light weight require little effort to propel them.
They became popular in the beach-themed films of the 1960s starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. These movies include Beach Party , Muscle Beach Party , Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini . [1]
Beach balls range from hand-sized to over 3 feet (0.91 m) across or larger. They generally have a set of soft plastic panels, with two circular end panels, one with an oral inflation valve, intended to be inflated by lung power or pump. A common design is vertical solid colored stripes alternating with white stripes. There are also other designs, including beach balls in a single solid colour, promotional beach balls with advertisements or company slogans, as globes [2] or as Emojis. [3]
Some manufacturers specify the size of their beach balls (which is often confused with the diameter) as the tip-to-tip length of a deflated ball (approximately half the circumference), or even the length of the panels before they have their ends cut and joined into a beach ball. Thus the actual diameter may be about (≈ 0.6366…) of the nominal size.
Other sizes of beach balls exist, ranging from smaller to larger ones. There are beach balls that have a diameter of 5 feet (1.5 m) or even 9 feet (2.7 m). [4]
The world's largest beach ball was made in London, England on May 30, 2017. It was carried by a barge on River Thames. It had a diameter of 65.6 feet (20.0 m) with the word "Baywatch" written all over it. It was produced by Paramount Pictures to promote the 2017 movie Baywatch . The record was registered by Guinness and the certificates were given to the members of the film's cast. [5] [6]
Beach ball sports include water polo and volleyball. While they are much less expensive than the balls used in professional sports, they are also much less durable, as most of them are made of soft plastic. Giant beach balls may be tossed between crowd members at concerts, festivals, and sporting events. Many graduates use beach balls as a prank during ceremonies, hitting them around the crowd. They are bounced around crowds at cricket, baseball and football games, but are frequently confiscated and popped by security. Some security personnel at these events might inspect the ball's interior after tearing it, [7] most likely searching for illegal items (e.g. narcotics) that might be transported inside the beach ball. Guards may also do this so that the ball cannot enter the field and obstruct or distract players. This happened in August 1999, in a baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels, where the distraction caused by a beach ball on the field resulted in the Angels' defeat. [8]
Their light weight and stability make beach balls ideal for trained seals to balance on their noses, which has become an iconic scene. [9] [10] Beach balls are also a popular prop used in swimsuit photography and to promote or represent beach-themed events or locations. Popular games using the beachball include, volly ball, beach ball, and ball. [1]
Some more basic uses of beach balls include a game's tool, a toy, or just a decoration in certain events. Another basic use of them is simply for sitting, sizes ranging from 24 inches to 48 inches are commonly used. Some examples regarding to the use of sitting are for seats in certain parties (i.e. birthday parties, pool parties, house parties, etc.), However, they are not as reinforced as exercise balls. Excessive sitting and bouncing can slowly damage the beach ball, which may cause it to eventually leak or even pop so it is also recommended to keep an eye on the weight limit of the ball by examining the size of the ball. For example, 24" beach balls are suitable for kids and young teens which has an approximate weight limit of 110 lbs. Meanwhile, the sizes above it, like 36" or 48", are suitable for teens and adults which has an approximate weight limit of 176 lbs.
A football is a ball inflated with air that is used to play one of the various sports known as football. In these games, with some exceptions, goals or points are scored only when the ball enters one of two designated goal-scoring areas; football games involve the two teams each trying to move the ball in opposite directions along the field of play.
Zorbing is the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, typically made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope but can also be done on a level surface, permitting more rider control. In the absence of hills, some operators have constructed inflatable, wooden, or metal ramps. Due to the buoyant nature of the orbs, Zorbing can also be carried out on water, provided the orb is inflated properly and sealed once the rider is inside. "Water walking" using such orbs has become popular in theme parks across the UK.
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull are often flexible, while for boats longer than 3 metres (9.8 ft), the floor typically consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed between the tubes, but not joined rigidly together. Often the transom is rigid, providing a location and structure for mounting an outboard motor.
A billiard ball is a small, hard ball used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played. Various particular ball properties such as hardness, friction coefficient, and resilience are important to accuracy.
Tchoukball is an indoor team sport, played by teams of 7 players. It was developed in Switzerland in the 1970s, and is most popular in Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan, but has become an international sport with national federations in over 60 countries. It is governed by the International Tchoukball Federation (FITB), which was founded in 1971.
Russian pyramid, also known as Russian billiards, is a form of billiards played on a large billiard table with narrow pockets. It is played across Russia and several former Soviet/Eastern Bloc countries. In the West, the game is known as pyramid billiards, or simply pyramid.
An exercise ball is a ball constructed of soft elastic, typically in 5 diameters of 10 cm increments, from 35 to 85 cm, and filled with air. The air pressure is changed by removing a valve stem and either filling with air or letting the ball deflate. It is most often used in physical therapy, athletic training and exercise. It can also be used for weight training.
A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play other colors are also used. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt, which modifies their aerodynamic properties, and each has a white curvilinear oval covering it.
There are multiple claims to the world's biggest ball of twine record, all within the United States. As of 2014, the ball of twine with the largest circumference is located in Cawker City, Kansas, measured at 8.06 feet (2.46 m) in diameter and 10.83 feet (3.30 m) in height.
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter of the barrel.
A lacrosse ball is the solid rubber ball that is used, with a lacrosse stick, to play the sport of lacrosse. It is typically white for men's lacrosse, or yellow for women's Lacrosse; but the balls are produced in a wide variety of colours.
Inflatable castles are temporary inflatable structures and buildings and similar items that are rented for backyard and block party functions, school and church festivals and village fetes and used for recreational purposes, particularly for children, but have been found recently being used for teens and adult parties. The growth in the use of such devices has led to a rental industry that includes inflatable slides, inflatable water slides, obstacle courses, and giant games, carnival games, and more. Inflatables are ideal for portable amusements because they are easy to transport and store.
A football is the ball used in the sport of association football. The name of the ball varies according to whether the sport is called "football", "soccer", or "association football". The ball's spherical shape, as well as its size, weight, mass, and material composition, are specified by Law 2 of the Laws of the Game maintained by the International Football Association Board. Additional, more stringent standards are specified by FIFA and other big governing bodies for the balls used in the competitions they sanction.
A basketball is a spherical ball used in basketball games. Basketballs usually range in size from very small promotional items that are only a few inches in diameter to extra large balls nearly 2 feet (60 cm) in diameter used in training exercises. For example, a youth basketball could be 27 inches (69 cm) in circumference, while a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's ball would be a maximum of 30 inches (76 cm) and an NCAA women's ball would be a maximum of 29 inches (74 cm). The standard for a basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference and for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), a maximum circumference of 28.5 inches (72 cm). High school and junior leagues normally use NCAA, NBA or WNBA sized balls.
Juggling balls, or simply balls, are a popular prop used by jugglers, either on their own—usually in sets of three or more—or in combination with other props such as clubs or rings. A juggling ball refers to any juggling object that is roughly spherical in nature.
Ancient Mesoamericans were the first people to invent rubber balls, sometime before 1600 BCE, and used them in a variety of roles. The Mesoamerican ballgame, for example, employed various sizes of solid rubber balls and balls were burned as offerings in temples, buried in votive deposits, and laid in sacred bogs and cenotes.
A water ball or water walking ball is a large inflatable sphere that allows a person inside it to walk across the surface of a body of water. The giant ball is usually two metres in diameter and has a zippered entrance to allow for easy entry and exit. The water ball is similar to the zorb but it has only one layer and is designed for water travel rather than down-hill rolling. In the United Kingdom, the balls have been used at swimming pools, marinas and lakes in an effort to keep children fit.
Waterballs are water toys that are played on the water surface with players interacting with the water toy and the water in any number of play patterns. Generally players throw waterballs at varying speeds across the water and air at varying angles to get the desired skip pattern. Play is generally between players and play patterns can involve a variety of apparatus and equipment, such as special pools with goals and watercourts.
In Canada and the United States, a football is a ball, roughly in the form of a prolate spheroid, used in the context of playing gridiron football. Footballs are often made of cowhide leather, as such a material is required in professional and collegiate football. Footballs used in recreation, and in organized youth leagues, may be made of rubber, plastic or composite leather.
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