Begin by placing two lines of painter’s tape about 60 feet apart on the floor of a large indoor space such as a gym or basketball court. One line is home plate, and the line on the opposite end is first base.

Divide your group into two even teams:

• Infield (offense)

• Outfield (defense)

This game normally uses a dodgeball on top of a tall cone to act as a tee, along with a bat. If you don’t have those materials, you can run this activity as a variation of kickball and it will work just as well.

Step 1: The Batter

When the game begins, the infield chooses one player to be the first batter. Their job is to:

1. Hit the ball off the cone

2. Run toward first base

3. Avoid being tagged by the ball

4. Eventually return safely to home plate

While the batter is required to run, the rest of the infield team has a choice:

• Run to first base and stop

• Attempt a full lap back to home plate in one go

Step 2: How to Score

For every runner who makes it all the way back to home plate, the team earns one point — but only if nobody gets hit between bases during that at-bat.

Here’s the twist: If anyone on the infield team is hit by the ball while running, no runs from that entire play count. And since there is only one out per inning, teams immediately switch roles.

One mistake can erase an entire scoring opportunity.

Step 3: What Usually Happens

Most outs occur for two reasons:

1. A weak hit by the batter
   Since they must run, the outfield often has an easy time tagging them out.

2. Greedy runners
   Players get confident and try to complete a full lap — only to get hit inches before home plate, ending the inning instantly.

This creates chaotic, high-energy moments that make Longball Chaos a perfect indoor youth group game for teens.