its played with a 9 lb rubber ball and you can only strike the ball with your hip....oh, btw, in some cultures, if you lost, your entire team became a human sacrifice.
When we went to Talum or Chitchenza we saw one of the courts. It's impressive to think they actually played this game, sometimes for days, and if you lost you had your heart cut out while still alive. Mike Slive's ancient ancestors I'm sure.