Kung
Kung is to kubb like Horse is to basketball. Instead of spelling H-O-R-S-E you spell K-U-N-G. Up to three batons and up to five kubbs can be used each turn. You have to call your shot ahead of time and do it exactly the way you described. Lag to see who goes first. Players stand on opposite baselines. Players have to reproduce a shot the opponent did. If they miss, they get a letter. When you get all four letters—K-U-N-G—you lose. If a player describes a shot they can’t execute, the hammer (turn) changes to the next player to take the lead. Do long shots, trick shots, rescue kubb throws, combinations—whatever you want, as long as it’s a legal throw.
Baseline Doubles Game
The Baseline Doubles Game is a great way to work the 7 meter shot. The reward in this game is to also get a base kubb in the process. Line up five kubbs at 7 meters directly in front of the five base kubbs on your side of the pitch (see photo above). Your opponent will throw five batons to try and get field kubb to base kubb combinations (“baseline doubles”) for one point for each. You opponent repeats this for an agreed number of rounds—say 10. Then the same arrangement is set up on the opponent’s side of the pitch and you try to get as many baseline doubles down as you can for 10 (or the agreed upon number) rounds. Whoever has the most points after the 10 rounds wins. Experiment with making this an 8 meter throw by stepping back a meter from your baseline.
Jake’s Eights!
This game comes to me from Mark Oman of Chaska Kubb, whose son, Jake, designed it. It’s an 8 meter battle game of sorts they use to help ignore distractions and prepare mentally for throws at a tournament. Two players stand on the same baseline holding three batons each. Someone says “go” and the two players begin throwing batons at the five base kubbs on the other baseline. The throws can be at the same time or not. It’s a speed game designed to simulate and practice with pressure and distractions and is a great prep for tournament play. Players must decide whether to:
- Hurry their throw and try to get three out of five baselines for the win
or - Slow it down and hope the opponent gets less than three so there’s no need to rush their own shot
Whoever gets the most base kubbs down wins. Play best out of three or more games.
Look for more skill builders in my book, “Kubb Remastered,” scheduled for release worldwide on July 4, 2019.
