This is a concern which has been raised since the early days of Rock-It-Ball ie that there is the opportunity for players to cheat by not acknowledging when they have been hit.

Currently this is combatted by

(a) having one umpire with two referees as assistants. In a tournament situation these would all be tournament officials. In a lesson situation this is not possible as a teacher would generally be in sole charge of a class. In this case we suggest involving students who are not on court to help referee the game.

(b) Having strict rules regarding penalties for not acknowledging a hit

It is recognised that there will be occasions, especially if a player is wearing loose clothing,when (s)he might not realise (s)he has been hit. On those occasions the umpire will have to use his/her discretion.

In practice it has been found that the honesty of players has exceeded expectations and Rock-It-Ball has provided a welcome change to the cheating and cynicism of established sports. However as the sport continues to grow in popularity it needs to be recognised that the scope for cheating is there and that rules and penalties will need to be adjusted. This is one of the responsibilities of the National Governing Body.

It is also worth noting that football, which has been in a formalised existence for over 125 years, still needs the rules amending on a regular basis as players find ever more inventive ways of cheating. Rock-It-Ball is a young sport and it is clear that the rules will need to be fine-tuned.

What Leagues and Tournaments are there?

Some independent clubs are now getting established and these will form the basis of a national league under the auspices of RIBUK. There was also a Carnegie All-Comers’ Championships in January 2007 and it is hoped that a similar event might be run again. RIBUK is also running a Northern Region Schools Tournament. Further information about the tournaments, clubs and grant funding is available from RIBUK (www.ribuk.co.uk)

How do we look after the Rock-It?

The Rock-It is very robust and can take a lot of punishment. It is best stored horizontal or vertical. Try to avoid keeping the Rock-It in a position which deforms the scoop. If you find that thescoop has deformed through incorrect storage it can be bent back into position.

One cheap and easy way of storing Rock-Its is to use bungee cords. As the Rock-Its are so light bungee cords are quite adequate to hold them. The following pictures show Rock-Its stored on bungee cords in a garage roof.

What support is available?

Updated game sheets are available on the web site (www.rock-it-ball.com) as are a number of other resources. Membership of the web site is free and hints, tips and feedback from other teachers will be disseminated to members via eNewsletter. The aim is to develop a self-supporting community so if you have anything you think would help others, please let us know so that we can pass it on.

It is also intended to develop a community portal to the web site which will be accessible to members only, however this is intended as a future development.

A multi-media teachers’ resource pack has been developed in collaboration with Carnegie at Leeds Metropolitan University. This is based around the Sport Education curriculum model and has everything needed for the implementation of Sport Ed. It also has video clips to instruct on the skills, posters, photos, drills and print outs. This is available from www.rock-it-ball.com (Please note this is not a free resource)

You can also always contact us by phone or e-mail.

There is now an International Rock-It-Ball Federation (www.iribf.com) and a National Governing Body - the Rock-It-Ball UK Association (www.ribuk.co.uk). A coach education scheme and an umpire education scheme is available from these bodies as is an INSET program for teachers and sports awards for pupils.

Which version should we buy?

There are currently three versions of the Rock-It available: the Rock-It (as part of the starter pack), the Rock-It-Pro and the Rock-it-Junior.

The Rock-It as part of the starter pack is exactly what it says it is. It is intended to be a low cost introduction to the sport and is made to the same dimensions as the Rock-It-Pro however it is designed for use as a garden game, a beach game or to be played in a park and as such is designed to be used with softer balls than are used for the sport. It is therefore supplied with a soft foam ball. Recommended for domestic use only.

The Rock-It-Pro is an item of hi-tech sports equipment which is designed to be exceptionally robust to handle the fast paced combat sport of Rock-It-Ball combat Xtreme. Its specialised materials mix also ensures it is robust enough to meet the needs of schools. The Rock-It-Pro is recommended for school use and for anyone who is wanting to play Rock-It-Ball at a sport level.

The Rock-It-Junior is designed for small children (eg Ages 4-7). The length of the control bar also makes it ideal for wheelchair users. Although a softer ball might be used for younger children the Rock-It-Junior is made using the same specialised material s mix as is used for the Rock-It-Pro so that it can be used in a sporting context and can handle the hurly burly of school life.

We are a charity. How do we get our discount?
You can either register with the site and then contact us and we will make your account a charity account so that you automatically qualify for your charity discount. Alternatively you can download the order form and send your order in by post. Please also enclose an official letterhead.

We are a school. How do we get a discount?
You can set up an on-line account and then contact us so that we can make your account an ‘educational account’. That will automatically apply your educational discount. Alternatively you can download the order form and send in your order by post. Please also enclose an official purchase order.

I run a sports shop and I would like to stock the Rock-it-Ball. How do I do this?
Please introduce yourself to us – send us a mail or give us a call. We would love to have a chat with you

How do we look after the Rock-It?
The Rock-It is very robust and can take a lot of punishment. It is best stored horizontal or vertical. Try to avoid keeping the Rock-It in a position which deforms the scoop. If you find that the scoop has deformed through incorrect storage it can be bent back into position.

We are concerned that the Rock-It will not survive student use. eg in our school badminton racquets do not last long
This is different equipment in a different material. The materials mix is exceptionally tough. We have had excellent feedback regarding the robustness and durability of the equipment.

How many do we need?
That's up to you. Ideally you need a class set however some schools find they cannot afford a full class set because of budget constraints so they are ordering ten for this year, then ten next year and so on. On the other hand, one school ordered 120 - it's a split site school and they wanted two class sets per site!