Outdoor Games
How to play KanJam
Throw a disc toward a goal while your partner redirects it. Reach exactly 21 through ordinary scoring, or land a direct unassisted entry for an instant win.
What you need
Two Kan Jam goals, disc and a clear throwing lane
Set up the game
- Put goals facing one another, 50 feet apart. Partners stand at opposite goals; one member of each team is at either end.
- Choose first/last throwing side. For a complete playable house format, declare that an ordinary throw which would exceed 21 instead subtracts that throw’s value from the team’s existing score. This overshoot convention is not supplied on the current public page.
Playing KanJam
- Throw from behind your goal toward your partner. The partner may redirect once, without catching, carrying or double-hitting. A ground-first throw scores nothing.
- A partner-deflected goal hit scores one; an unassisted side hit scores two; a deflected disc ending inside scores three. Use only the outcome’s applicable value.
- The current manufacturer page awards instant win for an unassisted disc staying inside through the front slot or top. A slot entry bouncing back out is a two-point side result instead.
- Partners exchange throwing/deflecting roles, completing their team’s turn, then opponents take theirs. Outside instant wins, teams receive equal turns before an ordinary 21-point finish is final.
- If both finish on 21 with equal turns, play equal-turn overtime rounds; higher round points wins, repeating a tie. Instant win ends immediately without a reply.
Ordinary scoring and instant win are different
At 18, a legal partner-deflected dunk adds three to reach 21, subject to the other team’s equal turn. At any ordinary score, a disc thrown directly through the front slot and staying inside ends the game immediately. A deflector-assisted slot entry is a three-point dunk, not an instant win.
Check the sheet supplied with your set
Older sheets and household rules may treat direct top entries and overshoots differently. This guide follows the current website for direct entries and explicitly labels its added overshoot choice. Keep that choice consistent for the entire match instead of changing it because a team approached 21.
Beginner decisions
- Give your deflector a reachable, controlled flight near the goal. A spectacular low throw may be impossible to redirect even when the initial aim was good.
- Before throwing, name the ordinary score needed. At 20, a gentle one-point deflection may be preferable to attempting an unnecessary dunk under the declared overshoot convention.
Common rule mix-ups
- Awarding three points merely for touching the rim before the disc falls outside.
- Allowing the opponent a last toss after an instant win.
Questions about this game
Can opponents defend the goal?
No. Manufacturer interference awards three points, or a win if the throwing team is at 19 or 20.
May younger players stand closer?
The setup page allows an adjusted distance for age and skill. Declare the shorter distance for both teams before play.
Sources and edition notes
Current Kan Jam manufacturer website scoring, plus a clearly declared house overshoot rule because the public page omits that procedure. Standard four-player set.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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