Balloon (game)

Balloon, baloun, balloon-ball or wind-ball was a game similar to the modern game of volleyball in which a leather ball would be batted by the fist or forearm to prevent it from touching the ground. The game was played in ancient Rome where it was known as follis— the Latin word for a leather bag. Such a ball made of leather was quite heavy and so protection might be used such as a leather gauntlet or wooden bracer.[1]

Ball game in progress

Once rubber became available, modern players in Great Britain played the game with lighter balls of inflated rubber, so that younger children could play too.[2] In Roman times, the game was known as a game for boys and old men, as Martial wrote:[3]

Ite procul juvenes; mitis mihi convenit ætas
Folle decet pueros ludere, folle senes.

(Go away, young men. A gentle age suits me.
The balloon is for boys to play with, likewise old men.)