The toy that I am referring to is the home-made skipping rope which we made from rubber bands. Unfortunately, I cannot remember exact how to make it. But fret not … I have a ‘kampong games consultant’, whose name by now regular readers should know … Chuck; the inventor of the deadly Scot327 fully non-automatic assault rifle.
Here’s how you make the rubber band skipping rope. I hope you can figure out from the pictures below. Frankly, I am not sure.
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As far as I can remember, there were 3 methods of using the skipping rope. Method 1 is the normal single person skipping. Method 2 requires 3 players. Two persons will hold the 2 ends of the rope and swing whilst the ‘skipper’ will jump over the rope. Method 3 requires two persons. One person holds both ends of the rope in one hand and swings it in circular motions (like a lasso) close/parallel to the ground and the ‘skipper’ skips over it.There you have it. A cheap and easy-to-make skipping rope to give you hours of fun and exercise.
14 comments:
Hi from Ipoh.
I always thought this was a girl's game. The same for the five stones and congkak.
We used to raid our Mother's supply of rubber bands all the time. And get a knock on our head when she can't find any.
As far as I know, only the girls played zero point (we also called it yeh yeh, not sure why). We played it in a group of 3 or more players. Two players holding the ends and the third having to jump over the rope which the other two hold higher and higher with each level. When the "jumper" fails to pass the level, she switches places with one of the two holding the rope.
More inventiveness from the kampong days - wonderful! It looks like you would need a lot of rubber bands - and the bigger and stronger the better. There is only one good way here in the UK to get hold of that number of rubber bands (without buying them of course) which is to follow the postmen or women around as they deliver letters - these are always budled up using large rubber bands and often end up on the ground along the delivery route!
Now it's Laokokok's turn to ask, why on earth 'chor lor' (rough, uncouth) kampong boys like Chuck and Chun See playing 'sissy' games like Zero Point. Truth is I don't know. I have never heard of Zero Point until now. But I do recall playing with the skipping rope.
The rubber bands that we used to make skipping ropes comes in many colours... red, blue, green, yellow, orange etc etc.. and even in white. But we never played 'Zero Point" with it.. maybe 'zero point' came at a later time.. We used to buy the rubber bands from the provision shop. 70 - 100 rubber bands cost us a mere 5 cents. We used to gamble with the rubber bands as stake. One way I remembered goes like this. A rubber band is place at a distance from a line. The owner of that rubber band is the 'Chng Kay' or banker as in morden casino gambling. The players then used their own rubber band and toss it towards that rubber band. If it lands on top and over lap the one on the ground, there is a payout of 3 or 5 or more depending on the distance and the agreed terms. For some of us who won a lot during this game, we will sell to the other players or we make skipping ropes with our winnings. And also used them in my non fully automatic scot 237 wooden rifle.
Truly Chuck, your are the kampong games expert. I was trying so hard to recall the rules of the rubber band game you described.
However, I will have to disagree with you in calling it 'gamble' becos gambling is based on chance not skill. In my college days, my fellow badminton team members and I used to fight so hard over a bottle of coke. Our badminton coach, Mr Seah Lye Huat would scold us saying, "For one miserable bottle of Coke you guys fight so hard. If only I can see similar fighting spirit when it comes to playing against our real opponents from other schools!".
Another way which we 'gamble' with our rubber bands goes like this:
1. Take 2 sticks and stick in on the ground about 8 - 10 inches apart. The rubber band of yesteryears can be stretch that long.
2. A rubber band is then stretch to both ends.
3. We put our own rubber bands on top of that stretch rubber band as out stakes.
4. At a distance of about 10 - 12 feet, we try to shoot the rubber bands down with our specially made shooter.
5. The rubber bands shot down is our winnings.
6. However, if our shooter showhow got entangled with the stick or rubber band, then it is 'disqualified' and cannot claim any rubber band.
I am trying to recall how to make the shooters and will show it if I managed to do so.
Tom said...
Chuck you jog memory,
when I was a young lad,We use to join two or three rubber band together and put one end on to your index finger and the other end on to your thumb, and then fold up small bits of card board,for ammunition put one bit on the middle of the rubber band and strech it and let it go, to see how far the bit of card board would go.
Tom, while you see how far the paper ammunition will go, we used to shoot each others with it. Innocent young girls were our favourite targets at that time.
I used rubber bands to shoot flies when I was a kid. I tell you, my aim was quite accurate and deadly. Some of them were decapitated.
Of course, I also know of a less violent way with which we used to play with rubber bands - we hook one on our fingers and turn it into the shape of a star, letters V, Y, L and so on.
Zero point was one of those games which were iconic during my childhood days. Although the girls were the chief purveyors of this pastime, some boys were just as adept in hopping, skipping and twirling those rubber bands around their feet while singing and dancing. ;)
......and also using folded paper into a V-shaped pellets and shoot it using rubber bands like a catapult in the classrooms. Rectangular-shaped hard exterior schoolbags were used as protection from incoming paper pellets. ..ouch..
In Penang, it's the 7 stones. All these really bring back good memories of yesteryear where, simple homemade apparatus can bring so much fun and tease the mental and physical skill.
Do you remenber which year it was when the skipping rope was made popular?
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