Adapted Hip Ulama: Soft-Ball Hits and Ballgame Myths
An adapted version of hip ulama, a living sport from Sinaloa, Mexico, descended from the Mesoamerican ballgame, in which a solid rubber ball is struck with the hip. It is combined with a true-or-false game to bust myths about the ancient ballgame.
How to play
- Context: the ballgame was played across Mesoamerica for centuries with a rubber ball; today it survives as ulama in Sinaloa, in hip, forearm and paddle versions. The court is called a taste and is split by a center line (3 min).
- Hip hits in pairs: a partner tosses the beach ball at hip height and you return it with a sideways hip strike, rotating the trunk; ten per side (7 min).
- Rally in threes: keep the ball in the air or with one bounce using only hip and thigh; count the streak (6 min).
- 3v3 match on small courts: the ball crosses the center line off the hip; point if the opponents can't return it before two bounces (8 min).
- True or false on the move: the teacher reads cards (e.g., 'the loser was sacrificed in every game') and the group runs to the true or false cone before discussing the answer (6 min).
Rules
- Hit only with hip and thigh; hands never touch the ball.
- No diving to the ground to hit: the school version is played standing.
- Use a beach ball or very light foam ball, never a hard ball.
- In true or false, run without pushing and take turns speaking.
Variations
Easier
One forearm touch allowed before the hip strike.
Standard
Hip and thigh only, two bounces max.
Harder
Only one bounce allowed and a longer court.
Adaptations
- Wheelchair user: plays the forearm version, striking the ball with the forearm.
- Visual impairment: beach ball with a bell inside and partner rolling tosses at hip height.
- Hip discomfort: strike with the forearm or act as tosser and judge.
Learning goals
- Strike a ball with the hip coordinating trunk rotation and footing.
- Know ulama as a living sport, not just something from the past.
- Tell well-supported historical facts from myths about the ballgame.
Equipment for a class of 25
- beach balls: 8
- cones: 16
- statement cards: 8
Teacher tip
A real ulama ball is solid rubber and very heavy; make it clear it is never imitated with a hard ball. Write the cards with nuance: rituals and sacrifice existed in some contexts, but not in every game or in the same way.
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