How To… #3: How to make your own game?

Dear Students,

You loved our DIY Corner. Now you have the chance to choose which DIY activity we do next! 

Presenting our new series – ‘How To…’ where you decide what we help you build at home next!  So go ahead and ask us a question that starts with ‘How to…’. It can be anything that you want to try and build at home – a laptop stand perhaps? Or a stationary organiser? Ask us and your request could feature on The Learning Tree Blog along with a Do It Yourself (DIY) video. We already have thousands of questions pouring in so hurry! Send in your entries now!

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In this third episode, we are answering a question asked by class 6 student, Aayush Kumar Singh from Chapra. He wants to know how to make your own game?

We got just the DIY for him! Did you know that hand eye coordination is one of the most important skills needed for survival of humans? It affects almost every aspect of one’s life right from the ability to cook better to type faster! While on average we develop these motor skills naturally to some extent while growing up, there’s always room for improvement. Due to the ability of nerve cells to reorganize themselves – a fascinating phenomenon called neuroplasticity – more practise of certain hand-eye movements can improve the neural connections in your brain, ultimately improving your hand-eye coordination. 

According to researchers from the Department of Exercise and Sports Science of the University of Wisconsin, playing speed stacking aka cup-stacking can significantly improve your hand-eye coordination, quickness, concentration and overall  ambidexterity (the ability to use both hands equally well). Here’s what you’ll need to play this game

Materials required: 

1. 12 Paper cups/plastic cups
2. Timer

To make things more interesting, you can also take turns with your friends/family members. After all, the more the merrier! You can even set up your own tournament and find your in-house speed stacking champion! After you get a hang of the basic format, you can also move onto advanced formats like 3-6-3 or cycle as described above.

How is the game played ?

source: giphy

This seemingly simple but fun game has been a part of the AAU (Amatuer Athletic Union) Junior Olympic Gamessince 1981. Get ready for some serious hand-eye coordination flex!

Played in both Individual and team formats, the game involves stacking 9 or 12 specially designed cups in pre-determined sequences as fast as possible. 

Apart from the cup, players are also provided with an equipment called a stackmat, which is a sort of mat on which the cups are stacked. The stackmat has a timer built into  to record the time taken by the players to complete the task.

Stacking of cups happens in a specific sequence, usually pyramids of 3,6, or 10 cups. Players compete against each other by recording the time taken to stack and unstack the cups in a specific sequence. A game that tests both agility and concentration, the winner is usually the one who maintains a fine balance of both qualities.

The governing body setting the rule for this game is called the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA), and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Variations of Speed Stacking: 

• 3-3-3 (9 cups): This sequence consists of three pyramids of three cups each. Players must ensure to up-stack and then down-stack the cups into their original positions in the same order as the up-stack.
• 3-6-3 (12 cups): Similar to the 3-3-3 sequence except for a six stack pyramid which replaces the three stack pyramid in the middle. Players should ensure to up-stack and down-stack the pyramids in the same order like the 3-3-3 sequence.
• Cycle(12 cups): This is a sequence of stacks in the following order:

1. 1. 3-6-3 stack  
   2.  6-6 stack (two pyramids of six cups stacked up and down into one containing all twelve cups altogether)  and 
   3. 1-10-1 stack (a pyramid of ten cups in the middle), 
   4. Finishing in a down stacked 3-6-3.

Share your stacking times  with us in the comment section below and find out where you stand in the BYJU’S student community of speed stackers (home edition)!