How to Play French Skipping
French Skipping is a jumping game played with a large continuous loop of elastic stretched between two players acting as turners. The jumper works through a set sequence of foot positions, completing each pattern without touching the elastic at the wrong moment. It needs no special equipment beyond the elastic, no adult supervision to run smoothly, and can fill a break time with genuine competitive tension.
It is most commonly played on playgrounds and in back gardens. Part of its appeal is that skill builds fast: beginners can join immediately, but mastering the higher levels takes real coordination and practice. Because the elastic is silent and stationary, it can be played almost anywhere with a flat surface, indoors or out.
A little history
The game is widely documented in British and Australian playgrounds from at least the 1960s and became especially popular across the UK and Europe through the 1970s and 1980s. Its origins are unclear, and the name does not reliably point to a French source: similar games using elastic loops appear independently in several countries under different names. What is consistently recorded is that it spread rapidly among school-age children as an informal game requiring no adult organisation and very little cost.
Setting up
- Choose two players to act as turners. They stand facing each other far enough apart that the elastic is taut.
- The turners place the elastic loop around their ankles so it forms two parallel strands at ankle height, roughly shoulder-width apart.
- The remaining player or players form a queue. The first in the queue is the jumper.
- Agree before play starts which sequence of moves you will use and how many heights you will play up to. A standard game runs through ankle, knee, thigh, and waist heights.
How to play
- The jumper stands beside the elastic, outside both strands, at one end of the rectangle formed by the two turners.
- The jumper performs the agreed sequence of moves. A standard basic sequence is: IN (both feet inside the elastic), OUT (both feet outside the elastic), ON (both feet on top of the elastic strands), and IN again, performed in order without pausing.
- More complex sequences layer additional moves such as SIDE (straddle one strand), TWIST (cross the strands underfoot), and ON (land with one or both strands trapped underfoot). The exact sequence should be agreed before the round begins.
- A move is successful if the jumper's feet land in the correct position. The jumper must not touch an elastic strand at any moment other than a deliberate ON or TWIST move.
- If the jumper completes the full sequence without error, the turners raise the elastic to the next height: from ankle to calf, calf to knee, knee to thigh, thigh to waist, and so on as far as the group agrees.
- If the jumper touches the elastic accidentally, trips, or lands in the wrong position, they are OUT. They replace one of the turners, that turner joins the queue, and the next player in the queue attempts the level where the previous jumper failed.
- A jumper who completes all agreed height levels without going out is the winner of that round. A new round then begins.
Winning and scoring
There is no fixed points system in the traditional game. A jumper wins a round by completing the agreed sequence at every height level without making an error. In informal play, children often simply track personal best heights. For a more structured game, award one point per height level completed and play a set number of rounds each; the player with the most points across all rounds wins.
The fine points
The most common dispute is whether a foot grazed the elastic on an IN or OUT move. The standard ruling is that any unintended contact counts as a mistake and the jumper is out. When players disagree, the turners are usually treated as the authority because they can feel the elastic move. If both turners disagree with each other, the jumper gets the benefit of the doubt and replays that single move only.
A second frequent argument is over which sequence the jumper must perform, particularly when groups have learned slightly different regional versions. Settle the exact sequence before the first jump of each game and do not change it mid-round. If a jumper loses their footing because the turners moved or let the elastic go slack, it is a re-do, not an out. Turners are required to hold the elastic still and at a consistent height throughout each attempt.
How to win more often
- Learn the sequence by walking through it slowly before your first jump. Knowing exactly which foot goes where means you can focus on clean landings rather than remembering the pattern.
- Jump from your hips, not just your knees. Short, controlled hops give you more time to adjust your foot position than big leaps.
- At higher levels, look at the elastic rather than at the other players. The strands are narrow and the margin for error shrinks quickly above knee height.
- When you are a turner, keep the elastic genuinely taut and hold your feet perfectly still. Slack or swaying elastic makes accurate jumping impossible and leads to disputed calls.
- Practise the ON move separately. Landing squarely on both strands without bouncing off is the skill that most often separates players who progress to thigh and waist heights from those who stall at knee level.
Variations
One-Foot Sequences
All moves in the standard sequence are performed on one foot only, hopping through each position. This is significantly harder and is usually introduced only once players can complete the full two-foot sequence at knee height without error.
Speed Round
The jumper must complete the entire sequence within a count of ten called aloud by the turners. Missing the count is treated the same as a mis-step: the jumper is out and swaps with a turner. This variation rewards players who have the sequence memorised cleanly and penalises hesitation between moves.
Follow the Leader
The first jumper performs any sequence of moves they choose, up to a set number of moves, and the next jumper must replicate it exactly. If the second jumper completes it, they add one further move and the sequence passes on. A player who fails to copy the sequence correctly is out for that round. This variation rewards memory as well as coordination.
Double Elastic
Two separate elastic loops are placed around the turners at slightly different heights, creating four parallel strands instead of two. The jumper must hit positions across all four strands. This is an advanced variant best suited to players already comfortable at thigh height on a single elastic.
French Skipping: frequently asked questions
How long does the elastic need to be?
A loop of roughly 2 to 3 metres in circumference suits most groups. When the two turners stand comfortably apart with the elastic around their ankles, the strands should be taut but not so tight that the turners are straining to hold position.
Can you play French Skipping with only two players?
Not in the standard format, since you need two turners and at least one jumper. With two players you can tie one end of the elastic to a fixed post or fence and have one person act as the second turner, but three players is the practical minimum for a proper game.
What happens if both turners disagree on whether a jump was clean?
The standard ruling is to give the jumper the benefit of the doubt and allow a single replay of that move only. To avoid arguments, agree before the game starts that the turners together have final say, since they can feel contact through the elastic.
Is there a standard sequence of moves or does it vary?
There is no single official sequence. The basic IN, OUT, ON sequence is the most widely played starting point, but groups add and vary moves freely. Agree the exact sequence before the first jump of each game so there is no dispute mid-round.
At what age can children start playing French Skipping?
Most children can join in from around age 6, particularly on the basic sequence at ankle height. Younger children who are steady on their feet can participate at lower levels even if they cannot yet complete the full sequence.
Does it matter what surface you play on?
A flat, non-slippery surface is important for safety, particularly at higher elastic levels where the jumper is placing feet precisely on or near a taut band. Grass, tarmac, and indoor hall floors all work well. Avoid loose gravel or uneven ground.
What counts as an OUT when the jumper lands ON the elastic?
An ON move is successful when the jumper lands deliberately with the strand or strands trapped cleanly underfoot and holds that position. If the elastic pings out from under the foot immediately on landing, it counts as a miss and the jumper is out.
Can more than one person jump at a time?
In the traditional game, only one jumper goes at a time. However, some groups play a paired jumping variation where two jumpers attempt the sequence side by side simultaneously; both must complete each move correctly or both are counted out. This is a fun option for larger groups with more players than turns.