By Don Tagala, ABS CBN North America News Bureau
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Secaucus, New Jersey - Filipino inventor Chris Deguzman called his reinvented game, the newest sport of the millennium.

First sold in 2008, the “Arm Ball” is a catch- and- throw game similar to the popular Pinoy sport Jai-Alai. The  Jai-Alai uses the cesta,  a long wicker basket tied to one arm, to catch and throw the ball.

Deguzman designed and fabricated “Arm Ball Scoops” made out of lighter plastic materials compared to Jai-Alai’s bulky cesta. The scoop is manufactured in the Philippines.

To play the Arm Ball, the player must hurl the ball directly to the front wall and the opponent player should catch the rebound ball and return it back to the wall.

A Jai Alai player himself since he was child, Deguzman said Jai Alai can be dangerous so he invented a safer alternative.

Deguzman pointed out, “It’s safer than Jai-Alai because Jai-Alai uses a solid hard ball when thrown in high speed could hurt players.  Jai-Alai’s cesta is quite heavy that even adult players have a hard time swinging it.  Even more so for smaller kids, they won’t be able to swing a cesta.  That’s the main reason why I developed that gadget – for kids.”

His Arm Ball Scoop uses a rubber ball instead, similar to the balls used in handball and racquetball.

An occupational therapist by profession, Deguzman said he invested 10 years of research and study to create the perfect scoop using his knowledge in Kinesiology and Physics.

He said that playing Arm Ball using his high-tech scoop is not only fun but it has many health benefits as well.

Deguzman added, “It develops eye-hand coordination, balance or control, especially your shoulder control, give you endurance and upper extremities strength.”

He also said that he found out that kids who play this game develops better shoulder control, that seems to develop better hand-writing.

In 1996, Deguzman was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system damages the nerve cells. He was in coma for a few days.  His legs and shoulder were paralyzed for 18 months.

Wheelchair bound while recovering from this disease, he designed the prototype of the Arm Ball Scoop.

Recovering from this rare disorder was life changing, he said, “I have a deeper appreciation for life now, I’m lucky enough to recover and be able to walk again, just to breathe the air, you know just to wake up in the morning.”

Today, the Arm Ball Scoop can be seen played in many courts around New Jersey and New York. A search on YouTube shows how many people have embraced this game re-invented by a Kababayan.

Deguzman already filed a patent on the game and owns the copyright for the name “Arm Ball Scoop.”

Deguzman is hoping to see more Arm Ball Scoop players on playgrounds and courts nationwide.

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