Kids would throw the ball at the wall and the everyone would attempt to catch it as it bounced back. If a person touched the ball but didn't catch it then they had to run to the wall as fast as they could before someone else could get the ball and throw it to the wall.

If the ball hit before the kid got there then they had to stand and face the wall with their ass in the air while the kid who threw the ball to the wall got to throw the ball at them.

A fun trick was to throw the ball very softly at the wall and then when a someone went for it you would pretend to go for it too but then stop. The person would often look at you and the ball would hit them. Great fun.

Paul adds another variation:

On my playground (Michigan), the game involved one thrower trying to hit the other kids with a red rubber ball. The other kids would be lined up in front of a wall and within a couple of feet. The thrower was ten or more yards away. Anyone hit with the ball before the ball hit the ground was out. If the ball was caught before it hit the ground, everyone was safe and the catcher and thrower switched places.

A ball rebounding from the wall could still be caught or hit people so they would be out. The winner was the thrower who hit the last person out. There was no need to try to catch the ball.