Get every student active
and engaged, even the ones
who sit out
everything else.
Aligned with SHAPE America 2024 National Standards. Progressive K-8 curriculum, Adapted Physical Education curriculum, and Activity Pack curriculum included. Works for every grade, every ability level, every class size.
PO & Net 30 accepted · 1-year warranty · Less than 1% return rate
Every PE teacher knows this moment.
The whistle blows. The athletic kids sprint to the equipment they already dominate. A cluster of students hangs back near the wall, not opting in, hoping the period passes without being picked last for anything. You've got a gym full of equipment, but half your roster checks out before the first activity even starts.
You already know what happens next. The kids who never engage in the first five minutes are the kids who dread your class, who fake an injury, who ask to sit out "for real this time." And you're left grading participation for a room that's only half participating.
9 Square in the Air was built for exactly this moment.
Why every student plays. Even the ones who never do.
No single skill dominates
Hit the ball out of your square before it drops. That's the whole game. There's no vertical jump, no sprint speed, no throwing arm that guarantees a win, so the athletic advantage that usually decides who checks out disappears.
Nobody sits out for long
Rounds last seconds, not minutes. When a student is out, they rotate into a fast-moving line instead of the bench. Every student stays in the rotation the whole period, which means every student stays gradeable.
Three heights, one class period
Adjust between three height settings and run the same equipment for your kindergarten class in the morning and your 8th graders after lunch. One set of equipment, every grade level, no separate stations to manage.
They won't stop talking about it.
It's the first activity I have been able to do with my students where they are all engaged and show ownership and sportsmanship. It also works with a variety of grade levels. I am able to teach and allow students to set it up and break it down, which they really love.
My most challenging class had their best class playing 9 Square in the Air. Lots of "Best Day Evers" said in class when we started playing.
I can teach and play with it with kids starting in Pre-K on up. Max participation. Various games, not just one way to play.
9 Square in the Air is inclusive and student led. Everyone can jump in, no matter their age or skill level. The variations keep it fresh, engaging, and fun. It creates a space where everyone belongs.
It teaches students the art of losing with grace.
Kids who may not be successful at traditional PE games are often very successful at this. It forces kids to use a little strategy and be the master of their own square.
We play kindergarten all the way through 5th grade. Kids love it!
I love that it is my two favorite games, 4 square and volleyball, rolled into one. So many different game variations. Super easy to set up and take down.
25,000 youth organizations. 4 million players. All 50 states.
Chances are, students in your school have already played 9 Square in the Air somewhere, at summer camp, at their church, or at another school in your district. When you bring it to your gym, you are not introducing an unknown quantity. You are giving students something they already know and ask about.
Built by someone who understood what real engagement looks like.
Steve Otey was working with junior high students in St. Louis when he noticed the same problem PE teachers see every day. The athletic kids played. Everyone else waited, opted out, or stood against the wall.
He built 9 Square in the Air to fix that. A game where no single skill dominates, where the rotation keeps everyone moving, and where the kid who never participates finds themselves in the center square before they realize what happened. Fifteen years later, it is in schools and PE programs across 25 countries.
Let's answer them head-on.
Yes. The 9 Square in the Air curriculum is built around SHAPE America 2024 National Standards with a progressive K-8 scope and sequence, plus a dedicated Adapted Physical Education curriculum. Motor skills, fitness, character development, and good citizenship objectives are built in. You are not just buying a game. You are buying a unit with documented learning outcomes.
Yes. The height adjusts to three settings so you can run the same equipment for kindergartners in the morning and 8th graders in the afternoon. That height-adjustable design is one of the most important features for schools running multiple grade levels through the same gym period. Formal curriculum runs K-8, but high school students love the game just as much. Several teachers have told us it became a go-to for high school PE, free periods, and lunch recreation, no curriculum required to get a line forming fast. The Activity Pack extends programming further with additional game formats targeting different movement skills and grade-level objectives.
That is exactly what this was designed for. The rotation means no one sits out for long. There is no single skill that dominates. Teachers consistently tell us that the students who opt out of everything else are the ones who end up in the center square. The game levels the playing field because it rewards spatial awareness and quick thinking, not raw athleticism.
The Activity Pack includes its own curriculum and adds game formats, skill-building stations, and cooperative movement activities that work alongside your 9 Square in the Air Deluxe Set. Note that the Activity Pack does not include the game set itself. You need a Deluxe Game Set to use alongside it. Teachers who have both say the combination gives them more programming options than any other single piece of equipment in their gym.
About five minutes with two people. Students can help and many teachers make it part of class, a quick setup routine before the game even starts. Several told us students ask to be on the setup crew.
Less than 1% of our customers ever return it. Teachers report using the same set for 6, 8, even 10 years of regular use. It is built from sport-grade PVC pipe and ABS connectors. One teacher had a permanent structure built after seeing how popular the portable set became at her school.
25,000 youth organizations and 4 million students cannot be wrong.
I teach PreK through 5th grade. All my students beg to play 9 Square in the Air.
It is used and enjoyed on a daily basis with all of our students. Because of its popularity, I had a permanent structure built.
All of our district PE secondary programs have a set. Kids love it.
Every time they come into class, that is the ONLY thing they want to do.
I recently purchased the Activity Pack and love how versatile it is.
This product has been a great investment for our school.
Start with one. Build from there.
9 Square in the Air Deluxe Set
$899The standard for PE programs across all 50 states. Three adjustable height settings let you run the same equipment for every grade, from kindergarten through 8th grade. Works indoors and outdoors. Sets up in about 5 minutes.
- 3 adjustable height settings for K-8 and beyond
- Indoor and outdoor use, waterproof design
- Packs into 3 carry bags, sets up in 5 minutes, no tools required
- K-8 curriculum aligned with SHAPE America 2024, plus Adapted PE curriculum
- 40+ game variations including large group formats
- Tournament format guide included
- 1-year warranty · PO and Net 30 available
9 Square in the Air Activity Pack
$799Includes its own curriculum with game formats, skill-building stations, and cooperative movement activities that pair with your 9 Square in the Air Deluxe Set. More programming options, same equipment.
- 185 individual components for maximum versatility
- 10+ new activities not possible with the base game alone
- Includes its own Activity Pack curriculum aligned to learning objectives
- Skill-building stations for motor skills, teamwork, and character development
- Cooperative and competitive game formats for any class size
- Dozens more teacher-invented activities. The possibilities keep growing
- Requires a 9 Square in the Air Deluxe Game Set to use
The math that gets a PO approved.
$899 sounds like a big line item on a PE budget. Until you spread it across how long a set actually lasts, schools report the same set in daily use for 6, 8, even 10 years. One purchase order covers a decade of class periods, field days, and recess.
Need principal or department sign-off first? We wrote the request for you.
Copy this, drop in your principal's or department head's name, and send it. PO and Net 30 terms are already built in, so there's nothing extra to negotiate.
Start with one set. Let schools share it. Watch what happens.
Many districts start by purchasing one or two sets through the district office. Schools check them out on a rotating schedule. Within a year, most schools have put in a request for their own. It is a low-risk way to introduce 9 Square in the Air to your program, demonstrate the engagement it creates, and build the case for broader adoption one school at a time. PO and Net 30 terms are available for district orders.
Call (877) 672-3938
A real person picks up.
THAN
1%
RETURN
RATE
Less than 1% of customers ever return it.
That number comes from over 25,000 organizations and 15 years of daily school use. Teachers run it through regular PE classes, field days, school events, and after-school programs. Sets have lasted 6, 8, and 10 years of regular use. We back every set with a 1-year warranty. If something breaks, call us and a real person picks up.
Get every student active and engaged,
even the ones who sit out everything else.
SHAPE America aligned. K-8 curriculum included. PO and Net 30 accepted.
PO & Net 30 accepted for schools and district orders.
Questions? Call (877) 672-3938. A real person picks up.
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I was working with junior high students in St. Louis when I first noticed it: the same kids dominated every game, and the same kids checked out. It happened in youth group, and I knew it was happening in gym class too, week after week, for the exact same reasons.
You already know that PE isn't really about the equipment. It's about whether a student decides, in the first five minutes, that this is a class where they can succeed. I built 9 Square in the Air so that answer is yes for more of your roster, not just the athletic third of it.
If budget is what's holding you back, use the PO template above, it's built to get approved. If you have questions about grade levels, class size, or setup, call us. And if you're still not sure, order it, run it for a unit, and let your students settle it.
Steve OteyFounder, 9 Square in the Air. Youth pastor first.
9squareintheair.com · (877) 672-3938 · 14248 F Manchester Rd, Suite 125, Manchester, MO 63011
