What is it?

Sport Stacking is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. Its great fun to learn and highly addictive to people of all ages! Sport Stacking is not just about stacking cups. It’s about stacking against the clock to beat your own or others best time!

Sport Stacking originated in the early 1980’s in southern California and received national attention in 1990 on a segment of the “Tonight Show”, with Johnny Carson. That was where it first captured the imagination of Bob Fox, who was then an elementary classroom teacher in Colorado.

Speed Stacks founder Bob Fox says, “When I first became passionate about sport stacking in 1995, a lot of people would hear about it and scratch their heads. Stacking a sport? The only way to explain it was to show them firsthand – sport stacking is truly something you have to see to believe! I absolutely love the challenge of turning skeptics into believers, and the list of stacking enthusiasts grows every day.”

These two videos show kids stacking at about the same real time speed. One clip is in real time and the other is in slow motion. Observe how many separate moves make up the Cycle Stack and see if you can identify all of them in real time.

How to Stack

Sport Stacking is an exciting individual and team sport where participants up-stack and down-stack 12 specially designed plastic cups in pre-determined sequence. This can be a 3-3-3, the 3-6-3 or the Cycle which is a sequence combination of the 3-3-3, the 3-6-3 and the 1-10-1.

Use Both your Hands!
The most important thing to do when sport stacking is to use BOTH hands. That doesn’t mean picking up a cup with one hand and passing it to the other to set cups in place.

Each cup should be handled by only one hand.

Use both hands to stack but never on the same cup.
You probably already use both hands for lots of your daily activities such as on the computer typing, playing an instrument or playing your favorite video game.

When you use both hands, you’re using both sides of your brain and promoting right brain development which assists you in developing your awareness, focus, creativity and rhythm. Sport stacking helps these skills too! So purchase yourself a set of Speed Stacks and improve your ability today!

Where to get more stacking tips?
When you purchase a set of Speed Stacks they come with a Stacker Training DVD. It is multi-lingual, can assist your technique by showing you how to stack, and profiles the World’s Fastest Stacker plus highlights from World Championship and more!

Anatomy of a cup

The world’s fastest stackers use SPEED STACKS ® gear. They know the best cup equals the best performance. Here’s what sets SPEED STACKS® cups apart:

Special Shoulder
The special shoulder with ribs gives just the right separation between cups. When seated on top of the other they simply don’t stick. One cup can be picked up off another leaving that cup behind; one cup can be dropped out of a set of cups from the bottom simply by releasing the finger holding it.

Reinforced Lip
The reinforced lip of the cup is just the right size, not too pronounced, with a smooth, clean finish.

Inside of Cup is Smooth for Less Friction
The inside surface of a SPEED STACKS® is smooth for less friction

3 Holes
The 3 holes in the top are very important to fast stacking. These holes allow air to escape quickly when downstacking.

Memory
SPEED STACKS® have “memory”. If a single cup is accidentally squeezed at the lip it will bounce back into its round shape.

Textured Outside
The outside surface of each SPEED STACKS® cup has been textured for a terrific feel and grip.

Sport Stacking Lingo

As in any sport, Sport Stackers have their own set of terms and vocabulary to help define and explain how the sport functions. Here are some of the most commonly used terms:

Ambidexterity
Using your left and right hands with the same ease and skill; very handy when it comes to dribbling and shooting a basketball, using the computer, playing the piano, sport stacking and much more. Michelangelo, Ben Franklin, Einstein, and more, were ambidextrous.

Bilateral proficiency
Equal performance on both sides of the body – to be able to use both hands equally well. It requires practice. Become ambidextrous and along with physiological brain growth, a more balanced integration of your two brain hemispheres will be achieved. Studies have shown that ambidextrous people are more emotionally independent, more determined, more adaptable to new situations and more apt to handle problems without giving up.

Cup
A specially designed plastic cup specifically made for sport stacking and approved by the WSSA and used in a sport stacking competition or event.

Cycle stack
This is a sequence of stacks combining a 3-6-3 stack, a 6-6 and a 1-10-1 stack, in that order. Stackers conclude the Cycle with cups in a 3-6-3 “down stacked” position.

Division
A Stacker’s division for individual or team relay competition is based on his/her grade level.

Down stacking
Term used for “unstacking” or putting cups down. (Hands may not be on two stacks simultaneously either in the Up Stacking or Down Stacking phase.) Down Stacking must follow the same direction as the Up Stacking phase (i.e. if you “up stack” from left to right, you must also “down stack” from left to right).

False start
There are three types of false starts that can occur in the Team Relay Competition:
1.    A lead stacker’s hand(s) leave the touch pads of the StackMat™ Competition Timer before the command of “Go” by the official.
2.    A subsequent stacker’s foot crosses the starting line before the hand tag.
3.    A missed hand tag.

False stop
A false stop occurs if during the Individual Timed Competition, a Stacker accidentally or intentionally stops the StackMat Competition Timer before the sequence is complete. (All cups must be down stacked and upright before the timer is stopped.) OR In the Team Relay Competition, the StackMat™ Competition Timer is stopped prior to the fourth and final Stacker completing his or her sequence.

Focus
The ability to concentrate.

Forfeit
A loss of a race and/or a match in a Team Relay Competition for interference and/or unsportsmanlike conduct. (This includes “unintentional” interference.)

Fumble
The term used when cups fall during the process of Up Stacking or Down Stacking. (More about the three types of fumbles.) Fumbles must be corrected properly. When a stacker fumbles a cup, only the stacker can retrieve it.

Hand-eye coordination
Hand-eye coordination – Having your brain tell your hands what to do and having them actually do it, like catching a ball or stacking cups.

Individual timed stack
Term used to time or measure a person’s performance in an individual event.

Penalty points
This term is for points taken away for mistakes made in the Team Relay Competition, such as false starts and improperly corrected fumbles.

Ready position
The Ready Position: knees bent, swivel at wrist.

Record
The fastest time associated with a Stacker within a division utilizing the WSSA official timing device (StackMat).

Sport
A game or some kind of active play done for exercise or pleasure. Speed Stacks exercises our brains along with our bodies – allowing both to grow.

Sportsmanship
The practice of honorable conduct in sport events.

Stack
An individual group of cups either up stacked or down stacked such as a 3 stack, 6 stack or 10 stack. OR A specific stacking sequence, or pattern, involving a combination of individual stacks (e.g. 3-3-3 stack, 3-6-3 stack, Cycle stack).

Stacking sequence
The term used to describe the order in which cups are upstacked and downstacked. 3-3-3: Cups are “up stacked” and “down stacked” from left to right or right to left (individual preference) in three stacks made up of three cups in each stack (3-3-3). 3-6-3: Cups are “up stacked” and “down stacked” from left to right or right to left (individual preference) in three stacks made up of three cups on the left, six cups in the center, and three cups on the right (3-6-3).

StackMat™ Competition Timer
The official WSSA sport stacking timer and stacking surface. A StackMat is activated when both hands are flat on the touch pads which will illuminate the red and green lights indicating that the timing device is ready. The clock starts when a Stacker lifts one or both hands to stack and stops when the Stacker places both hands on the touch pads.

Stacking surface
The stacking surface is defined as the top surface of the StackMat (including the mat, touch pad area and timing device).

Team relay races
Four (or five) member teams assembled to participate in one-after-the-other stacking for a combined total time.

Teamwork
The ability to work toward and accomplish a common goal as a group.

Up stacking
Term used for stacking the cups “up.” (Hands may not be on two stacks simultaneously either in the Up Stacking or Down Stacking phase.)