Training Grounds

The Basics

The ball bounces off three walls — top, left, and right. Your paddle sits at the bottom. Move it to keep the ball in play. Miss the ball and you lose a life. Lose all your balls and the game is over.

Progressive Scoring

Scoring is progressive: your first hit is worth 1 point, the second hit is worth 2, the third is worth 3, and so on. The longer your rally, the faster your score climbs. A single long rally can outscore many short ones.

Here is how the math works for a single rally:

• 5 hits = 1+2+3+4+5 = 15 points
• 10 hits = 1+2+3+...+10 = 55 points
• 20 hits = 1+2+3+...+20 = 210 points
• 50 hits = 1+2+3+...+50 = 1,275 points

The formula is: score = n(n+1)/2, where n is the number of hits in the rally. This means a rally of 20 hits scores 14 times more than a rally of 5. Endurance is everything.

When you lose the ball, the hit counter resets to 1 for the next rally. Your total score across all rallies is what matters.

Speed Ramp

The ball speeds up every 5 hits, making each rally increasingly challenging. Here is how it progresses:

• Hits 1–5: Base speed (set by your speed selector choice)
• Hits 6–10: First speed increase. Noticeably faster.
• Hits 11–15: Second speed increase. Reaction time becomes critical.
• Hits 16–20: Third speed increase. Expert territory.
• Hits 21+: Continues to ramp. Each 5-hit milestone adds another speed boost.

The speed ramp is why starting speed matters. At speed 1, you have more time to build long rallies. At speed 7, even the first few hits are fast, and the ramp quickly reaches extreme velocities. Choose a starting speed that lets you consistently reach 15+ hit rallies.

3-2-1 Countdown

Before each serve, a 3-2-1 countdown gives you a moment to get ready. Use this time to center your paddle and prepare for the ball's trajectory.

• Touch & drag to move the paddle left and right (touch devices)
• Arrow keys to move the paddle (keyboard)
• Speed selector (1 / 3 / 5 / 7) to set the starting ball speed
• Balls selector (1 / 3 / 6) to choose how many balls (lives) you start with

• Keep your paddle centered. After each return, drift back toward the middle. This gives you the best chance of reaching the ball no matter which wall it bounces off.
• Watch the angles, not the ball. Anticipate where the ball will arrive based on its angle off the walls rather than chasing it reactively. This becomes critical as speed ramps up.
• Start at a lower speed. Use speed 1 or 3 to build long rallies and learn the bounce patterns. Once you are comfortable, bump up the speed for a greater challenge and higher scores.
• Progressive scoring rewards endurance. Because each successive hit is worth more, one rally of 20 hits scores far more than four rallies of 5. Focus on consistency over aggression.