Knife Games we Played as Kids

[brancron]

Several of the games discussed above are a version of mumblety-peg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumblety-peg

When I was a kid my dad taught me the "stretch" variant, pretty much how W Way-Barney describes it. We usually used his Buck 110.

Funny enough, I had never heard of the this version of the game mentioned in the Wikipedia article (sounds fun!):

In one common version of the game, two opponents stand opposite one another with their feet shoulder-width apart. The first player then takes the knife and throws it to "stick" in the ground as near his own foot as possible. The second player then repeats the process. Whichever player "sticks" the knife closest to his own foot wins the game.

If a player "sticks" the knife in his own foot, he wins the game by default, although few players find this option appealing because of the possibility of bodily harm. The game combines not only precision in the knife-throwing, but also a good deal of bravado and proper assessment of one's own skills.

 

[The Grendels]

I used to throw fixed blades at trees and fence posts all the time as a kid. My friends and I had a game where you spread your legs in a wide stance, while standing, and the other person threw a knife at the mid point between them. Then you moved one of your foot to the mid point where the knife landed. You took turns doing this, with your feet moving closer together, until someone decided they didn't want to chance having a knife sticking through the top of their foot. Good times. There weren't a lot of structured activities for kids where I grew up.

 

[K.O.D.]

I remember playing that game with a western bowie back in the early 70's. I threw it and it accidently stuck between the toes of my buddy. The only thing he was worried about was his nice black motorcycle riding boot now had a not so nice slit in the toe of his boots. Oh! those were the fun days of being outside all the time and doing things like riding bikes jumping homemade ramps, sword fighting with a nice tomato stake and a metal trashcan lid for a shield. I sure miss those days.

I miss those days, of very little parental supervision. My mom worked half days until I was in 4th grade, and then my sister was old enough for school so she worked until for. My dad was 9-5, usually got home around 6:30.

My house was on the bottom of a big hill, which made for lots of fun with ramps and bikes. We used whatever was laying around our houses. My dad had this large random piece of wood, I think it may have once been a desktop. We would take that and bricks and build a rather precarious ramp. That went on for three years until my neighbor across the street wiped out and ended up in the hospital. Full speed from the top of the hill and sideways off the ramp. Ouch.

If we had six people, we would play this safety third type game we called gladiators vs chariots. Three kids would be on bikes at the top of the hill, armed with wiffle ball bats. At the bottom of the hill, each gladiator had a different weapon-- broomstick to throw through the front wheel spikes, a jump rope to use as a bola and wrap them so they couldn't steer, and another whiffle ball bat. 3 on 3.

Until my brain surgery when I was 12, I was not afraid of anything except my father. I remember on Halloween 4,the grade I was a pirate. Two teens tried to steal my fiend and I's candy They got my friends, but I beat the hell out of the one who attacked me with my wooden sword. We were allowed to go trick-or-treating until 11 o'clock.

God I miss the 80's, and even the 90's. I remember when my dad came home with a Nintendo for Christmas. Very uncharacteristic of him. Unless he was playing, or it was raining, we were allowed 30 minutes each day. My dad was a big pin ball and Atari fan, and loved the NES. Unfortunately, after I got sick with my brain tumor, his parents got sick and he never played video games again. I still have fond memories of playing double dribble and ice hockey with him.

While I had an SAK as a kid, I never really got into knives until I was 14. I got some cheap throwing knives from the ninja shop at North Pier mall in Chicago. I still have one of them. Used to throw the little ones at our dart board. The two big ones we would throw at trees. We were allowed to throw at any tree except the oak tree, which is now 300 years old according to an arborist.It is absolutely massive, and there are two more in the neighbors yard.

 

[davek14]

Before cell phones and games consoles we used to play a knife game that went by the name of "Stretch". I often wonder if it was just us who enjoyed these games or if it was a world wide phenomenon.

The two contestants stood about four feet apart facing each other, knifes in hand and started with feet together as if stood to attention.
A coin was tossed to see who was first go.
The object of the game was to make the other fellow lose balance and fall over.
The first to go threw the knife at the ground, a short or long distance from the others foot, (we always stepped off with the left foot first) after that any foot could be moved. It was then required to step onto the spot where the knife landed. Next the opponent threw his knife in a similar fashion and made you "stretch" and put your foot on the spot where his knife landed.
It was quite a complex game as you couldn't just throw the knife to the far side of the garden as you had to retrieve the throw without moving feet off the "marks" or falling over.
If the thrown knife didnt stick in the ground (lawn) point first it didnt count and you had to miss your next turn.

I still cant think of another game that improved hand eye coordination as much as that one, and reflexes if the knife was heading straight at your best school shoes.

We played a similar, but not the same, game. It was one of two games we called mumblety peg.

Two people would stand behind a line both facing the same way. For your turn, you would throw a knife to stick in the ground. If it didn't stick, that was your turn and a fail. If it did, you had to retrieve the knife keeping one foot in it's original place. If you couldn't, that was your turn and a fail. First guy to succeed in a round when the other failed won.

So you had to be able to stick at a good distance, but not so far as you couldn't retrieve it.