I love to play Knockout with middle schoolers. It’s a great game. Here are the rules:
First of all you need two basketballs and half of a basketball court. When we play there are usually 7-15 people, but you can play with only a few people or as many as you’d like.
Everyone lines up in a single file line with the first person at the free throw line. The first person (we’ll call them player A) takes a shot and the person behind them (player B) shoots right after, trying to make a basket before player A does. Only the first shot needs to be from the free throw line. Once rebounded all other shots can be from anywhere, but it’s usually taken under the net.
If player B makes their shot first then player A is “knocked out” of the game. If player A makes the their shot first they’re safe. They give their ball to the next player in line (player C) and go to the back of the line. Now player C is trying to knockout player B.
The winner is the last player standing.
VARIATIONS
Bumps: A bump is when a player “bumps” the other player’s ball away using their own ball. I despise playing with bumps. Time is wasted with players chasing basketballs all over the place.
Ultimate: When a player is “knocked out” they don’t have to wait until there is a winner before rejoining the game. They simply need to wait until the person who knocked them out is knocked out themselves. At that time they can jump back into line and continue playing. For example, if player A is knocked out by player B, player A can come back into the game as soon as somebody else knocks out player B. This is a great way to play since nobody has to stay out until the game is over.
