Europe

Source of information: https://www.mastersofgames.com/rules/kubb-rules.htm

Equipment, Preparation and Terminology

The equipment consists of 10 small skittles (kubbs), one larger skittles (the king) and 6 throwing sticks. Sometimes 4 small corner stakes are also included to mark out the court. The best playing surfaces are grass or gravel.

To begin, the playing court should be marked out. There is no standard size but here are 3 sizes that are often used:

• 10 x 8m (33 x 26 feet)
• 10 x 5 m (33 x 26 feet)
• 8 x 5 m (26 x 16 feet)

The most common size and the size used in the Kubb World Championships is 8 x 5m but this may make the game too difficult for beginners and children. Masters Traditional Games recommends using the following size to begin with - if you find it too easy, then increase the size. Younger children should perhaps start at 5 x 2 m.

6 x 3 m (20 x 10 feet)

The lines at either end of the court are called the "Baselines". The imaginary line parallel with the baselines through the middle of the court will be referred to as the "Middle Line".

Place the king in the centre of the playing field, with 5 kubbs placed at regular intervals along each baseline - one at either end, one in the middle and the remaining two equi-distant between the first three.
Kubb is played by one team against another. A good number in each team is 1 or 2 players. However, for informal games, it really doesn't matter - up to 6 players can be in a team and it's even OK to have more people in one team than the other!
Kubbs standing in their starting position on the baseline are called "Baseline Kubbs". As part of the game, Kubbs are thrown into the middle of the playing field and are erected where they end up. These Kubbs are then called "Field Kubbs".

To Begin
Sticks must always be thrown vertically and underarm. "Helicopter" throws are not allowed!
To decide which team starts, one person from each team throws a stick as close to the king as possible, but without hitting it. The team with the stick closest to the king starts.
For the first turn only, 4 sticks (not 6) are thrown from behind the baseline at the opponent's baseline Kubbs.

Second and Subsequent Turns
Each turn (except the first) consists of potentially 4 phases.
When throwing at Kubbs, sticks must be thrown from behind the "throwing line" which just means from behind the Field Kubb closest to the opponent's side.
Put more technically, the Throwing Line is a line parallel with the baseline that passes through the nearest Kubb to the Middle Line on the player's side. Obviously, if there are no field Kubbs (because the opponents managed to topple every field Kubb during their turn), then the nearest Kubb to the King is on the baseline and so the throwing line IS the baseline.

Phase 1 - Throwing the Kubbs
Players collect any Kubbs that were knocked over during the opponent's turn. These Kubbs are then thrown from the baseline into the opponents half of the court.
If a Kubb comes to rest outside the opponent's half of the court, players have one more chance to get it right - it must be retrieved and thrown again. If a Kubb fails to land in the required area for a second time, then the opponents can place the miscreant Kubb anywhere they like on their side of the court, although it must be at least one stick length away from the King.
In doing this, players are usually aiming to make the Kubbs land just beyond the middle line because the nearer the Kubbs are, the easier they are to topple in the next phase of the turn.

Phase 2 - Field Kubbs
The next phase is to throw sticks at the opponents field Kubbs - i.e. the Kubbs that are not on the baseline. Players must throw from behind the Throwing Line (see above).
If a baseline Kubb is toppled before all the field Kubbs have been toppled, then the baseline Kubb is immediately returned to an upright position.
It is imperative that all Field Kubbs are toppled because otherwise, the opponents will be able to throw from a much closer point (behind the nearest Field Kubb instead of the Baseline) during their next turn. For that reason, a good strategy is to aim at the nearest Kubbs first - so that if any Field Kubbs are not toppled, at least the opponents will be as far away as possible.

Phase 3 - Baseline Kubbs
If there are any sticks left over once all the field Kubbs in the opponents half have been toppled, the players then aim at the Kubbs on the baseline. Players must continue to throw from behind the Throwing Line (see above).

Phase 4 - The King
If there are any sticks left over once all the Kubbs (field and baseline) on the opponents side have been toppled, then players may aim at the King. When throwing at the King, players must throw from behind the baseline.
When the team has thrown its 6 sticks, the turn passes back to the first team, and the entire procedure is repeated.

Winning
If the King is knocked over by a thrown Kubb or by a stick before all the Kubbs on the opponent's side have been toppled, then the team that knocked it over loses and their opponents have won.
Otherwise, the game is won by the team that first topples all the sticks on the opponents half of the court and then topples the King from behind the baseline.
If the king is knocked over before all the kubbs have been knocked over, the opposing (non-throwing) team wins.

Variants
The following rules are sometimes used but we feel that either they are not true to the spirit of the game, make the game too easy or make it overly complicated so do not recommend using them in general. However, the first two rules may be useful for young children or to reduce the length of games.
Some rules say that once a Kubb has been knocked over twice, it is removed from the field of play. This will have the effect of shortening the game considerably and so may be appropriate for younger children.
Another idea sometimes used is the "tower of Kubbs" rule when throwing toppled Kubbs back into the opponents half of the court. After a Kubb has been thrown and returned to the upright position in the opponent's half of the court, any subsequent Kubb thrown into the opponents half of the court that knocks it over is then placed ON TOP of the toppled Kubb. i.e. Both Kubbs are then placed in an upright, position, one on top of the other to form a tower. If a tower of 2 Kubbs is toppled by a third Kubb, then the three Kubbs are then placed in a tower - and so on. This rule also serves to make the game finish more quickly because often less sticks are needed to dispose of all the field Kubbs before moving on to the baseline Kubbs.
Some rules say that only one attempt at the King is allowed per turn. If any sticks are remaining after that, the turn ends, regardless.

Another rule sometimes used says that players are only allowed to throw at the King if they have 2 or more sticks remaining. This will makes games take longer.

Kumoterka- sleigh used for racing
Kumoterki- plular form of Kumoterka
Kumotr- male driver
Kumoska- female driver
Gazda- owner of rural farm, host
Gaździna- owner’s wife
Gońba- horse pursuit

Kumoterki races are run over different distances, generally from 400 to 800 meters (sometimes up to 1400 meters). The track is usually marked out on a horseshoe plan. It is important that a lot of bends appear. This is the best way to check that you have mastered the art of driving. The crowning achievement of the competition is preceded by a great “Kumoterska Gońba” parade held at the end of the Highlander Carnival in Bukowina Tatrzańska.

During the races wearing a colorful skirt and a leather jerkin, the kumoska sits in kumoterka. A gazda is driving. It would seem that mastering such a horse-drawn is not difficult. However, those who have not seen the races on their own eyes cannot imagine the speed at which these tiny sleighs are racing. The race is very dangerous, especially in the corners of the route being traveled. Participants must show great courage and the ability to drive (gazdowie) and balance (gaździny) to maintain the balance of the sleigh. The endurance of horses is also of great importance. Accidents are not uncommon, although they are usually monitored.

Both the organizers and participants attach great importance to the appearance. The jury not only evaluates the travel time measured with the photocell. What is also very important is the outfit of Kumotr and kumoska, the appearance of horses, harnesses and of course the kumoterka.

Parades and” kumoterskie gońby” are not only races with highlander sleighs. It is also a bold skiring and ski-skiring competition. Both women and men take part in these competitions. They race at a distance of not less than 400 m. In the skiring, the person following the skis must also drive, while in the ski-skiring the horse is driven by the rider and the skier behind them is trying to stay on his feet. Winning the competition is not easy at all and obtaining the title of champion in driving is associated with something more important for the highlanders than the award: with great respect and recognition of other competitors.

Kures is played on grass, with music, outdoor, during summer festivals.It is a standing up wrestling style with clothes.
The wrestlers wear a T-Shirt and a short. Legs can grip legs. The arm position is fixed with hands gripping in a tight belt. No weight categories. Tricks are mainly with hips and legs. Victory is given when a wrestler is thrown clearly on his back (flat back).

From spring through to autumn, on the golden sand of Arles' arena and in each Camargue village, an impassioned and knowledgeable crowd is gathered. Razeteurs (Camargue bullfighters) come head-to-head with Camargue bulls in this chivalrous game that requires such values as loyalty and valour from both Man and beast. Skill and agility, along with a mutual re-spect, are key to the Camargue bullfight. Unlike with corridas (Spanish bullfights) which show the matador's name in big letters, post-ers publicising the course Camarguaise puts the bull's name before that of the razeteur. The name of the manade (farm) from which the bull comes is also given. The true star of the show is really the bull! From fight to fight, his qualities bring him glory and make him a sought-after animal, guaranteeing some very action-packed afternoons! As for the razeteurs, they are just support acts, their fame being based on the reputation of the bull that they are facing. No blood is spilled in the Camargue bullfight; the Camargue bull does not come to kill, unlike his Spanish cousin. When this bull kills, which unfortunately can happen, his name is scratched from all lists.

Source: https://www.manade-caillan.fr/nos-courses-camarguaises

This is one of the four forms of this type of fighting practiced in the world. It differs from the other three (corrida, Portuguese corrida and Camargue) by two special traits: firstly, it is practiced almost only with cows, not bulls. The second feature, which it shares with the Camarguaise breed, is that the animals are not killed during or after the race.

The bullfighters compete against the cows of the Spanish Brava and Toro de Lidia, which are called "Coursières", bred by Ganaderos in the Landes region – mainly between Dax and Aire-sur-l'Adour. Each farm has its own cuadrill or teams of bullfighters. It also has its own colors.

The bullfighters, locally known "Coursayres" in Gasconia, are divided into two categories:

- Les écarteurs are the basic characters in la Course Landaise and they are waiting for the cows in the arena. When the animals run out, contestants dodge at the last moment, thus avoiding collision. The dodge can be made "out", "inwards" (i.e. on the rope side/outside the rope keeper) or with a rope on the ground.

- Les sauteurs (jumpers) are waiting for a cow and jump over it. Animal’s path of running must be straight. These are, with rare exceptions, acrobats.

In the past, some outstanding athletes combined both these forms (i.e. dodging with jumps).

There are several types of dodges, but purists appreciate the dodging technique in which the horns of the animal pass around the bullfighter's kidney. The only training center for Course Landaise trainees is placed in Pomarez.

Cows, also called "courières", are female bulls fighting in the bullfight. Each of them has its own name. Before going to the arena, they are locked in boxes. They have rope attached around their horns to ensure safety during the fight in the arena. After the beginning of the competition, the cows come out in the pre-arranged order under the care of the person who leads them (Gascon courdayre) and two trainers. They place the animal in front of the bullfighter at the edge of the track, from where they start their run. Fifteen breeders (or ganaderos) raise 1,500 cows providing them freedom, more than half of which were born in the Landes region. Thanks to this, they are half a wild animal, which is very offensive. The most important breeders buy a hundred young cows in Spain every year, on farms in the Salamanca region, in order to complete their herd.

The cow goes out for the first time to the arena at the age of three or four and continues its career until it reaches the age of about thirteen. It can live longer than twenty years. It weighs from 300 to 400 kg (the weight of the bull is from 450 to 600 kg).

This is a sport that involves moving the ball to the place marked as the goal. Two teams have the same goal (place the ball in a specific place), and their composition had no defined limits (originally teams consisted of all important men from two or more villages / married and not married). The game was started with the ball throw of the last bride of the year), and the ball can move in all directions. We have no other information about any additional rules. In short, it would be a medieval version of hockey.
He who held the ball could only be attacked by one person at a time and it was forbidden to hit under the belt. It was the rural game par excellence, which requires no particular terrain.
We play on the village square, a field, a clearing or on the banks of a river. Natural obstacles such as hedges, ponds and streams or small walls are small supplements that add flavor to the game.
Many people could play: adults, children 6, priests (for example, Archbishop Rouen Eudes Rigaud (around 1205-1276) was indignant in 1248 by the behavior of his diocesan priests playing in ... It also seems that the players were only men. It is certain that the game is difficult, but violence does not seem to be tolerated.

We find several variations of the game of Soule. It was a ball or balloon, either of wood or leather, in the latter case it was furnished with hay, bran, moss or even hair of various animals.

The soule was struck by the hand, the fist or the foot, if it was wooden as mentioned above we used wooden sticks, which gives us already four variants of this game: by hand, with the foot, with the two and to the stick. Each region had its preferences because it was played everywhere in France.

The stick is made of birch branches. The handle is rounded, the part used to hit the ball is flattened.
Balls could be made of wood, sometimes made of leather, filled in the latter case with hay, bran or foam or inflated with air. A ball filled with hay has the advantage of being less dangerous for participants. A wooden ball is easier to use in the game, but it is more dangerous.

The main feature of this game is the struggle, often violent between two groups, and the spontaneous and public pleasure of the confrontation. The spice of the meeting could also be the settlement of certain grievances between two villages or small towns.

Soule was the tournament of the poor, with its heroes, its wounded and .... its dead !.
Soule was violent, some texts attest, ecclesiastics called it "this fatal sport", the author Adam de la Halle quotes a certain Robin, who complains to his wife "to have belly tired of the soule of l "Other times" But the violent blows could be dead especially in the Crosse à la crosse, where we report the clash of two teams.

Historically, there were two modes of Lancashire catch wrestling: the standing freestyle (“wrossle for a thrut”, wrestling for a throw) and the up and down freestyle. In the former style the goal was to give a back fall (sometimes just like in other English folk wrestling styles it was substituted with 3 falls on any part of the body except hands, knees and feet) from the standing position (flying fall) with or without attacker falling down himself, and in the latter the wrestling match continued on the ground until the fair back fall (rolling fall or pinfall) was achieved.

The original up and down Lancashire catch wrestling was basically Dutch/Flemish Stoeijen. In that style to pin adversary wasn’t enough and the wrestler who achieved a dominant uppermost position had to keep his man immovable (captured) under him for the previously agreed amount of time or making him admit his defeat verbally or by raising his hand.

The two original modes of Lancashire catch wrestling perfectly correspond to the “Half Wrestling” (Halber Ringkampf) and “Full Wrestling” (Ganzer Ringkampf) conditions of German folk freestyle wrestling Ringen. In Netherlands and Flanders those two modes of wrestling were known as Neergooi (throwing someone down) and Ondergooi (throwing someone down and keeping him underneath) respectively.

In Lancashire catch wrestling the wrestlers, after shaking hands in a sign of fair-play, started their match on the “green sward” at a distance from each other carefully looking for an opening and then suddenly attack, rushing into their adversary. Often they would snatch one another by the hands intertwining their fingers and using all their strength will try to force their opponent down to his knees. Another common start was to catch-hold adversary by the back of his neck. By proceeding this way they would close and break until the proper close quarter clinch hold (hug) was achieved. This wrestling style was a hand-to-hand combat. Wrestlers were allowed to take any hold of their opponent’s body above and under the waist and switch holds as often as they pleased in order to achieve the advantageous hold which led to a throw. The use of legs and feet for throwing (hooking and tripping respectively) was allowed but it wasn’t favored. Instead the “lift and throw” technique dominated that style. This freestyle wrestling featured such techniques (holds and throws) as various Headlocks, Fireman's Lift and Crossbuttocks (both versions, arm around the neck and arm around the body) as well as different kinds of Nelsons (both ways, from the standing position and on the ground). Throws which were given from the leg attacks were mostly the Double Leg and the High Crotch (single leg attack) lifts. In par-terre a various techniques were applied from both the front and behind of the opponent.

The objective of the wrestling match after the Lancashire fashion was to give opponent a fair back fall, the back fall when both shoulders touched the ground simultaneously. If the victory wasn’t gained from the standing position the struggle continued on the ground until one of the two achieved a fair back fall. All kinds of back falls counted, namely quick falls (flying falls and rolling falls) and pinning falls. The Lancashire wrestlers’ attire was limited to shorts (originally drawers) and socks (originally spiked pumps, hob-nailed light shoes which were worn in order to prevent slippery).

According to the above mentioned Snipe Inn Lancashire Catch-as-catch-can Rules, just like in the old Lancashire up and down fighting neither party could use resin or be rubbed with pernicious (ingridious) drugs or grease of any description. All foul acts or willful brutality, any unmanly techniques and tactics of the past (atrocities which were common during the up and down fighting contests), namely hanging (putting on the hang) or throttling, kicking, as well as head-butting, biting, gouging and scratching and etc. were strictly prohibited. Putting someone in a hold was allowed not for delivering the punishment to make the opponent quit the contest (as it was in up and down fighting) but for the sole purpose of achieving a fair back fall (flying fall, pinfall, rolling fall). The Referee had to stop the match if he saw a wrestler applying any dangerous holds on another wrestler for the purpose of willfully hurting, maiming him or to make him quit.

NOTE: this painting portrays a final contest of the Nudger Sports’ Lancashire Catch Wrestling Tourney, 1844. James Buckley of Middleton, Lancs defeated Adam Ridings of Bury, Lancs.

In the Novara dialect, "a maiurchèa" is a form of local pecorino cheese (from 10 to 12 kilograms with a thickness of 10 - 12 cm. And with a diameter of around 35 cm.) That is launched with the mazzacorto (lazzàda 3 - 3.50 m) wrapped around the circumference.

The Launch of the Maiorchino is a game of skill between teams which consists in launching a form of Maiorchino (a local pecorino cheese weighing 10 kg and aged for eight months). The winner is whoever completes the established course with the least number of throws. The launch is carried out with the Lazzada, that is a shoemaker's twine of about 3 meters.
It is a game that derives from the peasant and pastoral world of the province of Messina at the beginning of the 1600s, when the cheesemakers rolled the wheels in the street to control the maturing of cheeses.

Competitors compete in the tournament using cheese wheels weighing from 10 to 18 kg. The tournament takes place on the traditional route from via Duomo to via Bellini and Piano Don Michele. The unique tournament consists in rolling a wheel of mature formaggio maiorchino along a path that winds for over two kilometers along the narrow streets of the town. 16 teams of three competitors regularly play, starting from "cantuea da chiazza" and reaching a goal: "a sarva". It is launched with a "lazzada" of about 1.00-1.20 meters, which allows the launch greater strength, speed and precision. The winner is whoever arrives first with fewer shots to hit "a sarva".
The game has precise rules to respect, among these: each team must indicate its own captain who can confer with the referees to possibly assert their reasons; each team must equip themselves with a "lazzada" to be twisted around maiorchino cheese for the launch; the team that is drawn first begins the game (touch); each contender must throw maiorchino cheese from the marked point, without any run-up, using the support foot ("pedi fermu"); in the event that maiorchino cheese breaks during the match, he will be replaced with another form of maiorchino cheese of equal weight and the previous throw will be considered valid; at the end of each match maiorchino cheese must be returned to the Olimpia club (the association that organizes the tournament and maiorchino cheese festival).
The event ends with the ritual "Sagra del Majorchino", with tasting of ricotta, tuma, maiorchino cheese and, last but not least, with a mega maccheronata with pork sauce whitened by abundant Majorcan, a typical local pecorino cheese.

The Maiorchino
It is a raw hard cheese; it is produced with raw whole sheep's milk sometimes mixed with goat, the traditional equipment is the "quarara", the "jug", the "Garbua" (wooden fascera), the "mastrello" (wooden board), the "fascedde "; peculiarity of the processing is represented by the drilling of the dough, with a thin iron rod called "menaccino", which favors syneresis; after two days the cheeses are dry salted for 20/30 days. The seasoning takes place in stone buildings, sometimes underground, cool and humid, equipped with wooden shelves. It can last up to twenty-four months. The shape is cylindrical with flat or slightly concave faces, the rind is amber yellow tending to brown as it ages, the paste is white tending to straw yellow, the consistency is compact. The weight can vary from 10 to 18 kg. In the mouth, the herbaceous, floral and fruity aromas characterize this cheese with a strong and spicy taste, especially if aged.

Game Rules
Art. 1 The game consists in throwing il maiorchino along the path that goes “from cantuèa da Chiazza to sarva du chièu don Michèri” (almost 1 km);
Art. 2 Each team must report, before the start of the match, their captain, who can confer with the match judges to assert their reasons "in case ... there were any";
Art. 3 The team that is drawn first begins the game (toccu);
Art. 4 Each player must throw il maiorchino from the marked point, without any run-up, using the support foot (pèdi fermu);
Art. 5 The team that first reaches the point of arrival (a sarva) with the same number of throws (corpi) wins. In the event of a possible appendix, continue, as usual, along the road that leads to the Corte Sottana mills.
Art. 6 In the event that il maiorchino breaks during the match, the point where the largest piece will stop will be marked and it will be replaced with another form of il maiorchino of equal weight;
Art. 7 For anything not provided for in this “regulation”, the atavistic and ancient rules of the “Game of the Maiorchino in Novara” remain in force;