How to Play Elastics

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Elastics is an active playground game played with a large loop of elastic stretched between two players acting as posts while a third performs a set sequence of jumps. The jumper must land accurately in, on, and over the elastic bands at each stage, then raise the height and repeat the sequence.

It demands balance, coordination and a good memory for the jump patterns, which is exactly why children come back to it. It needs no special equipment, no adult supervision once the rules are learned, and it scales naturally as players improve simply by raising the elastic higher up their legs.

A little history

Elastics became widely popular in playgrounds across Europe, Australia, and North America during the 1960s and 1970s, and its spread is generally attributed to children who adapted the concept from Chinese jump rope, a game documented in China significantly earlier. Its precise origins are unclear, and regional versions of the jump sequences and level names vary considerably, suggesting it evolved independently in multiple places rather than spreading from a single source.

Setting up

1. Choose two players to act as holders and one player to jump first.
2. The two holders stand facing each other, roughly 60-80 cm apart, and place the elastic loop around both their ankles so it forms two parallel strands close to the ground.
3. Holders stand with feet together so the strands are parallel and taut.
4. Agree in advance on the full sequence of jump moves and the order of heights to be used. If any players are new, walk through the moves before starting.

How to play

1. The jumper starts beside the elastic, not inside it, and performs the agreed sequence of moves at the first height, which is ankles.
2. A standard basic sequence is: jump in (land with feet between the two strands), jump out (land with both feet outside the elastic on one side), jump on (land with one or both feet pressing down on a strand), jump over (straddle jump to land outside on the opposite side), and finish. Agree your local sequence before play starts as regional patterns vary.
3. The jumper must complete every move in the sequence without touching the elastic unintentionally, losing balance, or performing moves out of order.
4. If the jumper completes the full sequence cleanly, the holders raise the elastic to the next height. Heights in the standard progression are: ankles, knees, thighs, hips, waist, and underarms.
5. The jumper then repeats the full sequence at the new height. Each clean pass earns the right to attempt the next level.
6. If the jumper makes a mistake at any point, their turn ends immediately. That jumper takes one of the holder positions, the holder who has been standing longest takes their place as jumper, and play continues.
7. A mistake includes: catching a foot in the elastic, landing on a strand when the move requires landing beside it, losing balance and stepping off the correct position, or skipping a move in the sequence.
8. When a jumper returns to the elastic after a mistake, they resume from the level and move at which they failed, not from the beginning, unless the group has agreed otherwise.

Winning and scoring

Elastics is traditionally played without a points score. A player wins a round by completing the full sequence cleanly at every height in the agreed progression. In informal play the game simply continues with players rotating and competing to reach the highest level. Where a winner must be declared, the player who reaches and completes the highest level, or who completes the full progression first, is the winner.

The fine points

The most common dispute is whether a foot that grazes the elastic counts as a mistake. The standard ruling is yes: any unintended contact with the elastic during a move ends the turn. If a holder moves and causes the elastic to shift into the jumper's path, that attempt does not count and the jumper repeats it. Holders must keep their feet together and stationary throughout each attempt.

At higher levels such as waist and underarms, the jump sequence is physically demanding and some groups allow a reduced sequence or a single specified move rather than the full set. Agree this rule before play begins rather than mid-turn. If the elastic snaps or slips off a holder during a jump, the attempt is replayed regardless of how the jumper was doing.

How to win more often

• Practise the sequence on the ground with no elastic first so your feet know the pattern before height makes it harder.
• Keep your jumps compact and controlled at low levels rather than flashy. Sloppy technique at ankle height becomes a mistake at knee height.
• Watch the strands, not the holders. At higher levels peripheral vision of both strands simultaneously helps you judge your landing zone.
• At waist height and above, use your arms for balance on landings. Many mistakes at advanced levels come from wobbling after an otherwise clean jump.
• If you are a holder, keep your feet pressed firmly together and your weight even. Drifting feet change the gap between strands and make clean jumps harder for everyone.

Variations

Diamond

One holder places feet apart instead of together, creating a diamond shape in the elastic rather than two parallel strands. The jumper must navigate in, out and around the diamond shape, which requires tighter directional control and a different sequence of moves to the standard game.

Crossed Elastics

Holders twist the elastic into an X shape before the jump sequence begins. The jumper must perform the sequence on and around the cross, which dramatically reduces the safe landing zones and is typically reserved for players who have already mastered the standard progression at knee height or above.

Double Elastic

Two separate elastic loops are used simultaneously, creating four strands in total. Holders each manage one loop at the same ankle and knee position. The jumper performs the same sequence but must be precise enough to land correctly within a much narrower set of zones. This is a recognised advanced variant common in parts of Europe.

Solo Practice

With only two players available, one player jumps while the other holds one end and a fixed post such as a bench leg or fence railing holds the other. The sequence and height progression remain the same. This version is useful for building technique but does not allow player rotation in the same way as the full three-player game.

Elastics: frequently asked questions