Duck or chuck

The whistle blows and a banker, a fireman and an advertising executive dash to the middle of a basketball court in Sheung Wan. They each grab a spongy yellow ball and brace themselves for one of two options: throw or dodge. Welcome to the world of adult dodgeball, Hong Kong style.

Around 10pm on most weeknights, the Hong Kong Dodgeball League, a group of twenty- and thirtysomethings, shed their skinny ties and pencil skirts to participate in nostalgia-loaded exercise.

As the recession begins to bite and stress levels mount, dodgeball has become a cheap and popular way for young urbanites to stay fit.

Many will recognise the activity from the Ben Stiller comedy, Dodgeball: a True Underdog Story. The 2004 movie depicted the wannabe Olympic sport as a violent, ego-charged activity where adults released their inner childhood bullies.

Others, particularly North Americans, will remember dodgeball as the bane of primary school physical education class. The game is based on a savage logic: your goal is to eliminate your opponents one by one, by throwing balls at them.

In recent years schools have banned dodgeball from playgrounds for being too warlike and exclusionary. Jake Anderson, a primary school physical education teacher at the Hong Kong Academy, recalls how angry he felt playing dodgeball as a child in Canada.

'I don't teach dodgeball because it brings out the worst in everyone,' he says. 'I can remember playing as a kid and getting irate ... I've seen the same thing happen in my students.'