Taipei City Government

Head out to the green expanses of Da'an Park in the early morning, at about 7 or 8 o'clock, and you'll hear the clear, crisp crack of balls being struck, followed by the distinctive sound of cheers going up and hands being clapped. Find the source and you'll see clusters of people bending over with golf-like clubs in golf-like putting poses. But they'll be whacking red and white balls with numbers on them, knocking them through small gate-like pegs. They're wielding mal let s , not gol f clubs, and they're playing gatebal l , a game similar to croquet that i s a combination of golf and bi l l iards and i s fas t spreading in popularity with Taiwan's seniors.

According to the secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Gateball Association , Lin Jin-fu , gateball originated in France, then crossed over to England where it was developed and expanded. It then migrated to Japan, where it was streamlined to include five players per side and needed just three goals, scored by shooting a ball through a stylized“ㄇ”-shaped peg, to end a game. The game caught on with school kids and seniors, and became quite popular in Japan after WWII, achieving a high of seven million players. The game was brought to Taiwan from Japan about 30 years ago and, just two years later, not only already had formal gateball organizations formed but also teams participating in international events. Today more than 200,000 people play, and there are official gateball associations in just about every area of the nation.

Secretary-general Lin adds:“Gateball is a gentle activity suitable for children and seniors. We see many families forming teams with grandparents and kids included to join competitions.”Though gateball resembles golf in some ways, great strength and big swings are not needed. It is more a putting game, played on lawns, with balls tapped through gates. All you need is a park with an open space of 15 by 20 meters to play, and all the limited array of equipment needed can be borrowed from the gateball facility on-site. You don't need to bring anything by yourself, and you can start playing gateball right away, no special training required.

A game of gateball takes about 30 minutes. You can chat and stroll around while play goes on, and while striking the ball or picking up balls you have to either bend over or bend your knees, or both—whatever is most comfortable—making this an enjoyable, gentle way to exercise the joints that is perfect for seniors. In formal competition usually a white team plays against a red team, with five players per side. Teams can choose to play one-on-one or two-on-two, requiring players to take turns hitting. Though the game appears easy, players must strike their ball within a 10-second time limit, making quick thinking and good judgement necessary to compete well. With multiple balls in play, tactical decisions are needed on how to set up your team's balls for a chance at goal, protect them from being knocked aside, and to block the other team. This is thus a great form of exercise for both mind and body, for you have to think twice before you really take action.

Taipei City currently sports more than 30 formally organized gateball teams and 10-plus practice facilities. Beyond Da'an Park in the center of the city, there are places to play at Hedan Park in Datong District, Youth Park , Wanhua Park No. 402 , Xingyi Park in Beitou, Bailing Bridge Sports Park , Wenxin Park in Neihu and Kangle S t . Neighborhood Park , and at other locations. If you' re interes ted in this fascinating sport, just wear some light and comfortable athletic gear and shoes and come out to any of these spots for a look. According to the Taipei Municipal Athletics Federation , to popularize the sport you just need to phone them in advance, let them know you want to learn, and they will supply an instructor and all equipment free of charge. So, if you're looking for a good way to loosen your stiff joints and looking for a sport that isn't physically demanding that you can share with old and new friends, it's time to give gateball— which has been called “golf for the common man”— a shot.