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, their legs getting further and further apart. If a player falls over or gives up, he loses.
When one player feels he can’t take it any longer he may decide to ‘split the kipper’. Here he aims the knife between his opponents feet and if he throws it there successfully may now close his own legs to the starting position. Obviously, the number of times you are allowed to ‘split the kipper’ should be decided before starting otherwise games can continue a long time.
strange games no:160
10 comments:
I can remember if you 'split the kipper' your opponent had to turn and face the other way to take his next throw.
omg!!!!!!
i played this in the 80's
there would be soooo much controversay if we let kids play it these days! just goes to show the 50's-80's were the best years! adults and children alike had more manners and respect, the lack of tv provided more time for families to be together with no distractions hence the close knit families we had then, these days things are too modernised. this is coming from a 30 yr old who wishes she could back in time to these previous yrs! folk would help you out without complaining this is what we call community spirit!!!!!
I played this in the 50's but was at a party last night & I mentioned this game (split the Kipper) everyone fell on the floor laughing , they didn't believe me so I said look on the internet and there you all were. Like you wish I could turn back the clock we never had it so good! We could go on bike rides with our freinds alone & the pictures too today this game could never be plyed, there would be no survivors. Thanks for the trip down memory lane
We played it in the 60s, GREAT FUN and i don't remember anyone getting hurt.
My friends and I used to play this all the time in the early 70s. Great fun! I mentioned this game at work the other day and nobody had ever heard of it. In fact they were quite incredulous that anyone would think playing with knives could ever have been popular. I had some difficulty persuading them that the game had ever existed. It made me feel quite old!
I played this game in the 70's. It was always worse in the summer because you wore sandshoes or sandals! I am from the North East, was this game played elsewhere in the UK?
Yes indeed, I played this game in the 70's, and like the rest of you, if I talk about it, no one believes me! Agree with everyone else on here that the best years to be a kid was between the 60's to 80's...innocent years, no internet, and no reality tv,....talk about bad role models for today's yourh!
I remember this too. We called it Splits - maybe because I was in Ireland. It was in the 60s. Thought maybe I'd imagined it until I read this!
Just been in the garden walking around then picked up a stick and tried to make it stick in the ground... just like Splits.. Said to the wife about the game she knew nothing about it but memories came flooding back so I looked it up on the Internet and here it is.. I loved this game, played with my brother and mates.. we used sharp sticks, knives and even darts.. not too many injuries, got the dart in foot lol! I'm 45.
I played it in the 50s in the schoolyard, can you imagine kids with knives doing it now. We called it split or stretch. Split the Kipper is a new name for it I guess.
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