Kadima

What You Need

• Two Kadima paddles. Standard ones are wood, about 12 inches across the face, with a short handle.
• One rubber ball. The standard is a squash-size ball. Beginners often use a lighter, bouncier ball of the same size.
• Open space with no obstacles. A beach is the classic spot. A lawn or a driveway works.

Setup

1. Stand facing your partner. Start about 10 feet apart. Move to 15 or 20 feet once the rally holds.
2. Pick who serves first. The server tosses the ball up and hits it toward the other player, at chest height, at an easy pace.
3. There is no net and no court in the basic game. Sand and wind decide the rest.

How the Basic Game Works

Kadima is a cooperative game. Both of you have the same goal. Keep the ball in the air.

1. Hit the ball back to your partner. Aim for their paddle, not past it.
2. Your partner hits it back to you.
3. Count each hit out loud. The count is the score.
4. When the ball touches the ground, the rally ends. Note the count. Start a new rally.
5. Your target is your best count. Beat it.

Scoring

There are no points in the standard game. The score is the length of your longest rally. A fair first-day target is 20. A good session hits 100.

Winning

Nobody wins in the cooperative game. You both win when the count climbs. If you want a winner, use one of the competitive variants below.

Two-Player Notes

The game is built for two. One paddle each, one ball between you. That is the whole setup. The gap between you matters more than anything else. Too close and you cannot swing. Too far and the wind takes the ball. Adjust the distance until you can both hit flat shots with no lob. Talk during the rally. "Short," "wind," and "left" save a lot of drops.

Strategy Tips

• Hit flat and firm. A soft lob floats in the wind. A hard flat shot arrives where you aimed it.
• Watch the ball onto the paddle. Many drops come from looking at your partner instead of the ball.
• Angle the paddle face slightly up. A dead-flat face sends the ball into the sand.
• Move your feet before the ball arrives. Reaching with the arm makes a bad return.

Variations

• Rally target. Set a number, say 50. Reach it and both of you win. Miss and start over. Raise the number each session.
• Timed rally. Count total hits in 2 minutes. The clock keeps running through drops. Beat your total next time.
• Sand court. Draw a rectangle in the sand with your foot, about 12 feet long, and split it with a center line. Serve to your opponent. Return the ball before it bounces. A ball that hits the sand in your half is a point for your opponent. A ball that lands outside the lines is a point for the player who did not hit it. No spiking. Play to 11 or 15, win by 2. Alternate the serve every 5 points, or every 2 points as in table tennis.
• Elimination. With three or more players, anyone who drops a ball or hits an unreturnable shot is out for that round. Last player standing scores a point. First to 5 wins.
• Weak hand. Paddle in your other hand for the whole rally. Humbling.