The Game

This game was traditionally played with a rubber-band "rope", made by connecting rubber bands together. Today it is most frequently played with a standard skipping rope, and is especially common among African-American youth in New York City.

The aim of the game is to jump over the rope at several "stages".

How to Play

Jump over these stages:

Stage 1: On the floor
Stage 2: At the knee
Stage 3: At the waist
Stage 4: At the shoulder
Stage 5: At the ear
Stage 6: At the top of the head
Stage 7: One hand span over the head.
Stage 8: Two hand spans over the head
Stage 9: Above your head with your hands outstretched.

Depending on who you play with, you may be allowed to use your finger to pull down the rope when attempting the ear or head jumps. If you're good (or if the two people holding the rope are short), then you're not allowed to use the finger. And if you're really good, you can cartwheel over the rope.