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Bob and Slap / Slapping the Duck
2007-11-30 11:21:00
There are some bizarre playground games for two that involve pain. Well known ones such as Feet Stamping, Slapsies and Knuckles and lesser known such as Extreme Rock Paper Scissors. But, there is one that understandably and thankfully never played today: Bob and Slap.Bob and Slap (or Slapping the Duck ) is like the human equivalent of the summer fayre game of Hit the Rat ( a 'rat' is dropped through a drainpipe and the player has to hit it with a baseball bat when it emerges) Here, one person must hold his hands, palms facing inwards, a set distance apart (2 feet or so). The other must now bob his head down between the hands and avoid being slapped in the head. To trial this game I have just played a session with Mrs Blister and it is brilliant fun. Whether it's through fear of reprisals or slowness of reactions the bobber often wins and the slapee is left slapping thin air.I suppose if this marvellous game were to take off today then the wearing of a safety helmet would be the on...

Badfight / Badmington Fighting
2007-11-23 23:49:00
Recently Strange Games received an E-mail from Michael Semenenko, senior lecturer of faculty of sports St.Petersburg State University. In it he describes a most brilliant new combination game that he has created.Most strange games enthusiasts are aware of combining two games to make an unusual new one, Chess Boxing being the one that comes immediately to mind. But badmington fighting or Badfight as Michael has named it combines Badmington and a martial art and is very special indeed. Badfight is played on a 6x12m area with a badmington net set at 2m high in the centre. Players attach flat sponge pads, measuring approximately 15cm square, onto the backs of their hands and also onto their feet (see pictures). The serving player must kick the shuttlecock over the net. The returning player has two moves to return it, first with the foot and then with the hand. To catch and flick up a shuttle using just your foot pad must take quite a lot of agility...and then to smash it back over the n...
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Drawing Room Baseball
2007-11-15 00:14:00
An extremely silly indoor game but immense fun nonetheless, Drawing Room Baseball brings the great American sport into the living room provides hours of endless fun and broken ornaments.Best for small teams of three or four players (but I guess it depends on how big your house is), simply re-arrange some room furnishings to provide the bases. Then replace the baseball bat with a kitchen spatula (either wood or metal) and instead of a baseball use a ping pong ball. This gives the pitcher the opportunity to wind up his throwing arm and pitch the ball as hard as he wants without fear of injury. The damage to the room is not from bat and ball action but rather the dashes to reach bases and the scrambles for the ball of the fielding team.Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006

Camel Jumping
2007-11-06 23:21:00
Usually on Strange Games the equipment needed to play the games is minimal and often for the some of the best games all you need to be able to do is pretend to be dead.For Camel Jumping you need...well, you need some camels. As this incredible footage from Yemen shows, to play, stand three camels side by side, take a good run up and then jump over them. Simple. Notice that the jumpers aren't exactly the tallest men you've ever met and they clear the camels with ease. Unfortunately the presenter of the piece doesn't have a go.All those years watching extremely dull field events at the olympic games when we could have been watching camel jumping. And surely the sport could be extended to the Giraffe Polevault.strange games no: 176Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006

What Do You Want / More Spectacular Deaths
2007-10-30 12:06:00
The childhood pastime of Spectacular Deaths has all but died out these days (sorry) but its coverage on Strange Games no:139 prompted an e-mail from Molly McDoodle about a variation played in Scotland called What Do You Want?Players stand in front of a chanter who shouts out,"What do you want, what do you want, Gun, Arrow or Atom Bomb?" After which all players must act out their death as if they were killed with a gun or a bow and arrow or most spectacularly of all an atomic bomb.The 'winner' of the game is decided not just by who can die in the most sensational or realistic way but who can 'remain dead' the best when the chanter walks among them and prods the bodies with his or her feet. It's a sort of combination game of Spectacular Deaths and a violent version of that old party favourite Statues. Marvellous!strange games no:175Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006

Stange Games New: Finger Jousting Rules
2007-10-29 13:42:00
The king of hand games Finger Jousting has been covered by Strange Games a few times before but it is only now, after 2 years solid work, that the full, unabridged rules for Finger Jousting tournaments have been finalised.Written by self styled Lord of the Joust Julian Gluck the rules run to 30 pages. The main structural change to competitive Finger Jousting is the move to 3 rounds of 2 minutes each with a minute break in between and an overtime round of 1 minute in the case of a tie.My favourite rules, however, are:-~Taking care of your fingernails is a sign of respect for your opponent and shows an interest in maintaining a healthy body.~A finger jouster is prohibited from wearing clothing that is profane or lewd; exposes the bosom, belly or groin; contains sharp or excessively hard parts.~The length of a competitors finger shall not be longer than 6 inches~Bending ones own ?lance' (finger) down or dropping it so that it no longer sticks out, known as sheathing, is illegal.~Illeg...
More About: Rules

Caterpillar Racing
2007-10-28 00:43:00
There has been a flurry of odd racing games on Strange Games recently (Spit Racing and Banana Racing being particular highlights) and Caterpillar Racing is yet another children's racing game about to be resurrected from the past.For as many players as want to play. From a standing start, lie face down flat on the ground as quickly as possible with your arms stretched above your head. Where your fingertips touch the ground will be your next starting position so now you have to leap to your feet and place them where your fingertips used to be. And so on. Players continue performing this set of moves as quickly as they can to get to the finishing line first.strange games no:174Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006

High Heel Racing / Stiletto Running
2007-10-25 00:15:00
Recent posts about strange forms of racing prompted reader Boris Spedding to mention the sport of High Heel Racing .High Heel Racing, or Stiletto Running , is exactly as it says on the tin...running as fast as possible whilst wearing stiletto shoes. In the last two years the sport has taken off in Europe with large organised events taking place in Russia, Germany, Holland and Poland. The minimal rules state that the shoes worn must have a heel of 7cm or longer with a tip of diameter no more than 1.5cm (i.e. you will be disqualified if you turn up in your 1970's platform heels)At this years Berlin race competitor Denise Hanitsch won the 100m race in a stunning time of 14.7 seconds.But Europe can not claim Heel Racing as its own. There is an annual High Heel Race held by local drag queens in Washington DC. And it has been held for the last 19 years.Surely it is time for the marvellous sport to extend to other track events. The High Heel Hurdles would surely be an event worth staging.vi...

Tackling Childhood Obesity: Modern v Old Fashioned
2007-10-24 00:19:00
Modern:Childhood Obesity is literally a big problem but fortunately Kaiser Permanente have found a solution.... a video game! "Kaiser Permanente recently launched a video game that teaches kids to eat healthier foods, be more active and manage how much time they spend in front of the computer and television.Developed by the producer of the "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Monsters, Inc." and "Rugrats" video games, "The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective" is the first game of its kind available for free on the Web in both English and Spanish." read the full article hereOld Fashioned :A great old street game 'Anything Under the Sun' (a variant of games like 'Shop Windows', 'I sent my Son John', etc) is known under many names such as 'John Bull', 'Odds & Ends' or simply by the category name used to play it, “Boys Names”, “Countries”….To play: One player stands on the far side of the street – this player is the caller. All other players remain where th...
More About: Modern , Childhood obesity

Association Bobbage (International King of Sports)
2007-10-23 00:36:00
In the unlikely event that you switched on to Channel 5 (UK) at Sunday teatime in 2002 you would have been transfixed by a television programme called International King of Sports . This superb programme, (the Superstars for the 21st century) alongside the game Walking Trippy, is one of the main inspirations for this blog.International King of Sports contained the sorts of sports that you may have made up or fantasised playing as a child; games like backwards running races, underwater shot put and longest skids. King of Sports featured real sportsmen performing the stupidest sports. If you get chance to watch it (usually open mouthed) look out for one of its greatest games- Association Bobbage.Association Bobbage is delightfully simple to play. Strap on your best diving flippers and your speedos and jump vertically into a swimming pool. However, your face must remain dry. You must jump into the swimming pool and try to ensure that no part of your body above your neck touches (or goes...

Strange Racing: Banana Racing
2007-10-20 20:08:00
Another almost forgotten but brilliant childrens' racing game from Duncan Flann (Strange Games' Crewe Correspondent). Once played, never forgotten, Banana Racing is fun and physically demanding to play and hilarious to observe, especially if played by adults.Mr Flann writes:Banana Racing is simplicity itself. Slide one foot as far forward as you are able, as if slipping on a discarded banana skin. Then drag the trailing foot back up to meet the first. Both of your feet must remain touching the ground at all times. And once you have mastered the required feet movements you need to practice increasing the speed - obviously the faster the better.A marvellous game for indoors or out, but remember the official shoe of the Banana Racer is not training shoes or sneakers but the well weathered, leather-soled brogue.duncan flann's spitting race /spitfiresvideo of banana slippingstrange games no:170Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006
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Gorodki / Russian Street Skittles
2007-10-17 00:10:00
Strange Games is extremely grateful to reader Larches Yeltsin for highlighting the brilliant street game of Gorodki.Gorodki (Russian for 'little towns') is a truly unique Russian street skittles game that has been played for centuries but only got a standardised set of rules in the 1920s.The target skittles are five cylindrical wooden blocks (about 6" in length) which are set up in a series of 15 distinctive formations. These formations (the towns) are placed inside a chalked square area (the city) 13 meters away from the throwers. The said throwers wield impressive 1m long heavy wooden batons which they hurl aggressively at the skittles in a sideways throw - the aim being to knock all sticks in the town outside of their containing square. Once all skittles have been removed then the next formation is set up. The team that takes the fewest throws to destroy all 15 'towns' wins.Gorodki is famed for being a popular game of Lenin, Tolstoy and Gorky and it also makes an appearance i...
More About: Street , Skittles , Skit

Blindfold Water Pistol Fighting
2007-10-15 12:21:00
My recent post on Street Wars reminded me of a blindfolded party game that is immense fun yet rarely played these days. Blindfold Water Pistol Fighting is a great game for 2 or even 3 players at a time. Simply place two loaded water pistols in the centre of the room and then stand two players at the side of the room, blindfold them and set them off. Their first task will be to find their weapon, then they have to fire it in the direction of their opponent. First player to shoot the other wins. Non playing party goers add to the fun and confusion by shouting out directions to the players.best ever water pistol game: high noon vitamin Cstrange games no:168Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006
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Hopping Bulldog
2007-10-15 00:03:00
Hopping Bulldog is a great lost street game with similarities to Dance, Fight or Windmill and of course British Bulldog and is surely due a revival amongst street games enthusiasts.One player stands in the middle of the street, balanced on one leg with his arms crossed. All other players stand facing him on the kerb. The centre player now chooses one, and only one, to cross first. This player must now try to get to the other side of the street but must travel in a likewise fashion by hopping with his arms crossed. It is the job of the center player to crash into him with the aim of knocking him over/getting him to put a foot down before he gets to the other side of the street. If he is successful in this spoiling activity then the travelling player is captured and joins with the centre. Another victim is then picked. If, however the travelling player successfully gets to the far side undisturbed (or if the centre player falls/puts foot down) then all the other players must hop acros...

World Conker Championships: Conker Facts & Terminology
2007-10-12 11:58:00
With the 2007 World Conker Championships being held on the Green at Ashton, Northamptonshire on 14th October it seems appropriate that Strange Games makes a post. Everyone is familiar with the game itself so this post concentrates on some of the more unusual rules, terminology and facts that are associated with the king of seed sports.~Conkers is also known as ?Cheggies?, ?Hongkongs?, ?Cobs? and best of all ?Obbley-onkers?~Flat conkers are known as ?cheesers? or ?cheese cutters?~Old conkers are known as ?seasoners?, ?yearsies? or ?second yearsers?~First to call out ?strings?, ?clinks?, ?tangles? or ?snags? when you get tangled strings gets another go.~Hardening methods: bake for an hour, leave in dark drawer for a year, soak in soda solution or vinegar but best of all : pass the conker through the digestive system of a pig!Having first strike is an advantage and can be gained with the use of the following rhymes,?Bagsie first cracks?,?Idly idly ack ? my first smack?,?Hobily hobily h...
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Spit Racing / Spitfires ~a very strange racing game
2007-10-11 23:30:00
It is not our job at Strange Game s to comment upon and judge games, rather we are a conduit for unusual activities. And if you are looking for an extremely unusual game that combines athleticism, stupidity with possible hygiene issues then you need look no further than Spit Racing . Suggested by reader Duncan Flann, who remembers playing it as a youth in the 1970s, Spit Racing (or Spitfires) appears to have died a death with that decade. The simple, and disgusting, idea is that players race against each other by spitting saliva as far forward as possible then rush to the point it hits the ground. Then they must spit again. And so on until they reach the finishing line first and are declared the winner. Obviously a combination of solid running and spitting ability is required to be good at the game. Duncan writes: "I remember that the fastest time achieved for the 100m was about 90 seconds. Although there was quite a strong following wind that day."strange games no:165Chin chin!...Mo...
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Street Wars~ the king of urban games
2007-10-09 23:39:00
If you have ever held a water pistol and fantasised about being a Jackal-like assassin, slipping through crowds un-noticed before clinically dispatching your victim, then Street Wars is the game for you.Street Wars is the brand name for an urban hunting game that is staged in various large cities around the world at different times. The game is designed to last 3 weeks and is for 100-150 players. Once players have signed up they are given an envelope containing their victims details (name, work and home address, photo) and they have to wipe him out as quickly as possible. Obviously, every player as well as being a hitman is a target himself.Players can hunt down and eliminate their victim anyway they like as long as it involves the use of a water based weapon: water pistols, water bombs, even a glass of water. If you wet him, you kill him. And on his death the victim must give the killer his own envelope, the person inside being the new target for the victorious player. If, however,...
More About: Games , The King , Urban

Urban Pacman
2007-10-08 14:40:00
Urban Pacman is another great recommendation for the bored city dweller from Strange Games reader Tommy Teal. Mr Teal writes: Many computer games are representations of the real world. NYU?s Interactive Telecommunications graduate program however decided to see what happens when you convert a computer world into a real life one and so Pac Manhattan was born.Utilising a six by four block of Manhattan for the course, one player is dressed as the pacman and four others are dressed as the ghosts Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde from the classic 80's arcade game. Five other controlling players are needed. These ?generals? sit together in room and control one player each using a mobile phone. They can't actually see the players that they are controlling but whenever a pacman or a ghost gets to a street intersection they must then report their position and the ghosts are told the pacman?s state but NOT his position.As in the computer game the pacman's state can change by eating one of the ...
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Snowball Fighting / Yukigassen
2007-10-03 15:16:00
Unsurprisingly the simple pleasure of throwing a snowball at someone has been turned into a game with standardized rules and field definitions. Snowball Fighting , or Yuki gassen as it is called, originated in Japan in 1988. Since then it has snowballed, so to speak, and has been taken up by the Nordic countries, especially Finland where an annual two day Yukigassen festival is held in Kemijarvi.Snowball fighting is played by two teams of seven players on a ten by forty meter pitch which has a series of snow walls for hiding behind. Play consists of three sets of 3 minutes each and during each set the team has a supply of 90 snowballs only. The snowballs are created before each game using a snowball making machine ensuring uniformity of size and density and stopping the childhood technique of adding a little ice to the finished ball.Each team's home area contains a flag and they must defend this whilst trying to capture their opponent?s and avoid being hit by a ball. If a player is h...

Tommy Teal's Human Curling
2007-10-03 00:17:00
Recent Strange Game no:158 Inuit Airplane Game prompted reader Tommy Teal to write:"A great extension to the Inuit Airplane Game would be for teams to play it on ice. The aim being to throw one player, in full airplane position, stomach-down onto the ice with enough speed so that they reach a target. Just like in real curling other team members could rush in front of the 'stone' frantically brushing at the ice. The team that gets their 'stone' nearest to a target wins."After a little research it appears that the game already exists, albeit not in such an extreme form as Tommy describes. Human Curl ing is usually played by teams diving onto large rubber innertubes that are attached to a base board. Nearest the target wins.video of human curlingstrange games no:161Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006

Split the Kipper - strange games with knives #1
2007-10-01 22:10:00
Split the Kipper, incredibly, was a popular game played by children in the 1970?s.All that is required to play is soft ground, stout shoes, a knife and large amounts of stupidity. That?s right, a game for children involving knives.Players stand facing each other a distance of 1 or 2 meters apart with their legs together. The leading player, the one with the knife, then aims and throws his weapon so that it lands outside his opponents feet. That is to the right of his right foot or left of his left foot. The knife must stick into the ground blade first and must be within 30cm of said foot. If it is further away or if it doesn't stick in the ground at all then it is a ?no-throw? and doesn?t count. If it is within 30cm then that player has to move his nearest foot to where the knife landed. He now pulls the knife out of the ground and it is his turn to throw back in the same way.The game continues with each player taking turns to throw whilst all the time trying to remain standing, th...
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Dwile Flonking / Dwyle Flunking
2007-09-24 12:34:00
Resurrected in the late 1960?s Dwile Flonking (or Dwyle Flunking) is an outdoor pub game of dubious origin but startling originality. Centred around the villages of Bungay and Beccles in Suffolk this is a bizarre game made even more unusual by its incredible array of yokel terminology.The game requires two teams formed of twelve players each. One team forms a circle (called the Girter). A member of the opposing team takes his turn to stand in the middle of the Girter and be the Flonker. The Flonker carries a 2-3 foot long stick (or Driveller) on the end of which is a beer sodden sponge (or dwile). As the Girter members dance around him the Flonker must flonk his dwile using his Driveller to try and hit a member of the Girter. He has two attempts and scores as follows:Hit on the head (a Wanton) 3 pointsHit on the body (a Marther) 2 pointsHit on the leg (a Ripple) 1 pointMiss totally (a Swadger) 0 points, plus the poor Flonker must now, as a forfeit, quickly drink a pint of ale. A pro...

Inuit Airplane Game
2007-09-21 10:42:00
The last post about Human Battering Ram brings to mind the traditional Inuit game of Airplane s.A game for teams of four that appears at first glance to be easy but requires phenomenal upper body strength. One member lies on the floor, feet together and arms outstretched - the 'airplane'. The other three team members now lift the 'airplane' up - one person holds the ankles with one each holding the players wrist/forearm. The airplane must keep his body totally rigid - sagging is not allowed - as long as possible whilst his team 'fly' him around the room. The team that flies their plane the furthest wins.For the ambitious games player you could always try getting a Human Airplane formation team together - a sort of Inuit Red Arrows!video: wheelbarrow racing the nearest Western equivalent gamestrange games no:158Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006
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Human Battering Ram
2007-09-20 11:33:00
Yesterday's post on Piggy Back Fighting led to a missive from Resh Dorka (Strange Games' expert on playground stupidity) detailing a pleasingly violent variation he played as a child.Human Battering Ram is best played with a large number of players. Everyone gets into groups of three people and then every group bar one forms a Piggy Back Horse as detailed in the previous post (two players form the horse, one rides them). The sole remaining team of three now forms a human battering ram: basically two players hoist the third onto their shoulders so that he is horizontal to the ground with his feet facing forwards - some players prefer to hold the 'ram' under their arms. Play commences with the battering ram rushing at horses and riders, their aim being to knock a rider off his mount. That team will then be out of the game. Play continues until a victorious horse and rider remains. human battering rams video (without the horses!)strange games no:157Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - ...
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More Piggy Back Fighting
2007-09-19 11:21:00
The last post on Kibasen prompted the following mail from Herbert Rowsell (Strange Games Expert on Playground Games):"Monty, I remember a piggy back game very similar to Kibasen being played on the school playing fields. It was a more complicated version of piggy back fighting in the sense that it was really horse back fighting. A couple of boys would form a horse by one bending down behind the other and placing his arms around the standing boy's waist - a little like the position needed to be a pantomime horse. A third boy, the rider, would now climb upon his back. Other groups of three boys would form their horse and riders and then battles would commence. Horses would charge into each other and the riders would attempt to pull others off their mounts - thus securing victory. A relatively harmless game as long as it was played on grass although I do remember it being banned when an irresponsible boy brought in some pool cues to use as lances and tried to have a jousting competiti...
More About: Fighting , Back , Piggy , Iggy

Kibasen / Cavalry Battle
2007-09-18 12:15:00
The traditional schoolyard game of piggyback fighting, with its associated back, arm and head injuries, is probably near the top of the league of banned games in Britain's schools (just behind British Bulldog and Red Rover) The Japanese version Kibasen (Cavalry Battle ) however is so popular in Japan that it even forms part of school sports day.Kibasen is for teams of four players. Three people stand in a triangular formation, facing the same way, and hold hands. This enables the fourth member to perch on the back of the front player with his feet supported by the others hands (see picture). All riders wear a hat or headband. Now battle commences. The aim is for each group to charge towards the other and for the rider to grab and remove an opponent rider's hat thus eliminating that team from the game. Falls and injuries are commonplace. Games can be simply between two teams of four, or as often happens the whole school forms two armies and a full scale Kibasen battle is held. video...
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Strange Games for the Bedbound: A Toy Lift
2007-09-17 15:09:00
Strange Games receives many e-mails like the following: "Montegue, my child has (fill in contagious disease of your choice) and has to remain resting in bed for two weeks. Are there any unusual activities that will entertain him during this time? regards, Roland Puleston Jones."Obviously you want to avoid new-fangled entertainments such as television, portable games machines and MP3 players (in my day you were lucky to get a copy of the Dandy and a bottle of Lucozade) so I suggest you make a Toy Lift .Here are the original instructions for a Toy Lift from the book Something To Do' (1966)You need a very long piece of strong string, some cotton and three curtain rings. Put the long piece of string through the bar of the bed behind your head and secure loosely. Thread the other end of the string around the rail at the end of the bed and slip the three curtain rings onto it. Holding on to the end, untie the string at the head of the bed and tie both ends together, making a belt of strin...
More About: Strange , Tran

Strange Swing Ball Variations
2007-09-16 23:18:00
My last post about Office Face Ball , a game that uses the string and ball part of a swingball, has led to Strange Games being deluged by an e-mail (thank you Maurice Tweddle) regarding other odd variations on Swing ball.Blind Swing Ball: Like all blindfolded versions of normal sports and games (blindfold driving, blindfolded football) blindfolded swingball is inspired, stupid and often painful. Simply position yourself at opposing sides of the swingball, put on your blindfolds and try and hit the ball. All normal swingball rules apply.Space Hopper Swing Ball: Like Blind Swingball this is a game that is entirely described by its title. Both players must bounce on a space hopper, holding on with one hand whilst they try to hit the tennis ball with the other. Inspired.video of space hopper swing ball in action strange games no: 152 & 153Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006
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Office Face Ball #2
2007-09-16 00:24:00
Randy Linebacker (Strange Games American Correspondent) writes:Your recent post on the brilliant office game of Face Ball (strange game no 147) reminded me of a game I've played myself in offices when the boredom becomes too much. We used to call it Face Ball but really it is more of a cross between Face Ball and Wallhookey/Ring the Bull (strange game no:107).Simply get a tennis ball and attach some string to it, or even better get one from a Swingball set and fix it to the office ceiling. The height should be adjusted so that when the string is at about 60 degrees to the vertical the ball will be at face height of the competitors. Two players now stand either side the dangling ball and set it off in a circular motion. They then take it in turns to flap at the ball with their hand, when the ball is closest to them, so that if they make contact it swings and strikes their opponent in the face. Simple. The most scores out of ten attempts wins, or the first player to retire injured lo...
More About: Office

Sitting Ducks
2007-09-14 11:22:00
There is nothing like the expectation of pain to make a game more interesting. Sitting Ducks is the playground equivalent of the fairground game where you must shoot moving ducks to win a prize.The ?ducks? are created by players finding a narrow playground wall and walking back and forth along it. The shooter stands 15 meters or so away from the wall with his supply of footballs. He has a limited number of shots of the footballs to knock as many ?ducks? off the wall as possible. It adds a frisson of excitement to the game if the drop from the wall for the ducks is of a reasonable height.strange games no:150Chin chin!...Montegue Blister - 2006