There must be a reason why this sport is captivating the youths in U.S./Europe like no other sports have. First and foremost, it is FUN! Participants challenge themselves for the fastest or best times. They can also compete on a relay race against other teams in a head-to-head challenge. A search on the Internet will reveal tons of other unbelievable benefits.

Simply put, Sport-Stacking:

• Promotes athleticism - this is a sport!

• Polishes fine motor skills - playing most musical instruments will train a person's fine motor skills but hardly any sport can claim that.  With the need to feel the cups with your fingertips when you up-stack and down-stack at F1 speed, Sport-Stacking certainly tests and builds your fine motor skills.

• Improves hand-eye coordination/accuracy - please read Cup Stacking Study

• Promotes ambidexterity/bilateral proficiency - the property of being equally skillful with each hand.  Stackers are required to stack with both hands.

• Trains quickness/reflexes - besides the need to stack as fast as possible, stackers also need to react to falling cups, or to situations when they don't life the number of cups they intend to while up-stacking.

• Trains concentration and sharpness of the brain - Sport-Stacking is about speed and precision. The stacker has to be fully focused on brain and hands coordination, especially when there is a loud crowd of spectators cheering you on!

• Trains space management - Sport-Stacking prompts the stacker to think about space management when stacking in a constrained space.

• Promotes team building - Sport-Stacking is most ideal for team building. When competing in a team, members encourage and cheer each other on.  Also a great ice-breaking activity in seminars and workshops.

• Encourages sportsmanship - encourage students to cheer competition, shake hands before/after each challenge and complete the stack even if the race is lost.

• Builds confidence in public performance - competing in front of the class/school helps to promote student confidence of performing in front of an audience.

• Trains handling of competition pressure - students need confidence and concentration to handle the intense excitement of cup-stacking competition.

• Provides sense of achievement - Sport-Stacking is easy to pick up, and with practice, vast personal improvement can easily be achieved over a short period of time.

• Creates awareness on fingernail hygiene -Everyone is watching, so better keep those fingernails short and clean!

• Encourages creativity and imagination - students can be creative by planning their own stacks and relay races.

• Great wet/haze weather program - Its an in-door activity, play it anytime, rain or shine!  Of course, it can be played outdoor too!

• Enjoy hours of FUN FUN FUN! - When stacking alone or with friends, Sport-Stacking provide hours of intense excitement and thrill, trying to beat personal time as well as beating the others to complete the cycle!

• Sport-Stacking is a unique and non-traditional sport of the 20th century.  It can serve as an impressive showcase for VIP visitors, new parents etc.

• Sport-Stacking is challenging yet safe; implementation is affordable and scaleable!

• Excellent WET/HAZE weather programs: in-door activity, play it anytime, rain or shine!  Of course, it can be played outdoor too!

• Most importantly, the students love the FUN and excitement!

• Instructions on how the sport is played

• Explanation of the terms and rules used in the sport

• Demo and training clinics for teachers

• A Block Plan that comprises of lesson plans to teach the different patterns of plays - 3-3-3 stack. 3-6-3 stack, and ultimately the Cycle Stack

Influence of Cup Stacking on Hand-Eye Coordination and Reaction Time of Second-Grade Students

(Click here to download original article in pdf format)


Brian E. Udermann, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, LaCrosse, WI,

Steven R. Murray, Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO,

John Mayer, US Spine and Sport Foundation, LaJolla, CA, and

Kenneth Sagendorf, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
 

Cup stacking has been adopted recently by many physical education programs. Proponents claim that cup stacking enhances hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity, quickness, and concentration. However, no empirical evidence has been published to support these claims.

We examined the influence of cup stacking on hand-eye coordination and reaction time of second-grade students (n = 42; 24 boys, 18 girls). Two physical education classes were randomly assigned as either the treatment or control group and were pre- and post tested for hand-eye coordination and reaction time.

The treatment group participated in a five-week cup stacking program. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistical differences at the 0.05 level. Significant improvements were noted for both hand-eye coordination and reaction time between the pre- and post test scores for the treatment group, but not for the control group.

Therefore, these results suggest that cup stacking was indeed effective at enhancing hand-eye coordination and reaction time.

As sport stacking gains popularity world-wide, it is also been given proper recognition by experts in the field of physical education.  The following are some publications that give recognition to sport stacking:

• Dynamic Physical Education for Secondary School Students, fifth edition - by Paul W. Darst & Robert P. Pangrazi

• Unlock Research: Research for Physical Educators, Vol. 3 - by Lawrence F. Locke

• No Gym? No Problem! Physical Activities for Tight Spaces - by Charmain Sutherland