The purpose of this study was to compare the movement characteristics and intermittent exercise pattern in five ball games: basketball, handball, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse. In the respective events, six to twelve male college players in Division I were chosen as subjects, and their movement distances and velocities were measured using two-dimensional direct linear transformation (DLT). The main results were as follows: 1. Movement distances during the first half were the longest in soccer, followed in order by field hockey, handball, basketball, and lacrosse. However, the movement distance per playing time in each game was longer in field hockey and lacrosse than in the others. 2. The rates of low-velocity movement were higher in basketball and soccer, and those of high-velocity movements were higher in handball and lacrosse, than in the others. 3. Mean movement durations during low-velocity and high-velocity movements were: basketball 2.78 and 0.64 s; handball 3.54 and 0.67 s; soccer 6.67 and 1.33 s; field hockey 3.70 and 0.96 s; and lacrosse 2.67 and 1.05 s. These results clarified the characteristics of intermittent exercise patterns in each event. In basketball, there were many changes in movement velocity and direction, but the subjects hardly reached top speed. In handball, there was alternation between brief high-velocity movements and prolonged low-velocity movements. In soccer, movement duration was longer, and the mean velocity during low-velocity movement was faster than in the other events. In field hockey, in both low- and high-velocity movements, velocity and duration were comparatively fast and long, respectively. In lacrosse, players performed prolonged high-velocity movement in the field, and took sufficient recovery in the bench area.