Thumb war
Encyclopedia
A thumb war or thumb wrestling is a children's game played by two players in a tournament called a thumb-a-war (or thumb war) using the thumbs to simulate fighting. The object of the game is to pin the opponent's thumb, often to a count of three. The San Francisco Chronicle
called the game "the miniature golf
of martial sports
."
The players face each other and each holds out their left hand or right hand in a "thumbs up", and they link hands in a monkey grip. Gameplay has several tactics such as "playing possum
", aiming for the knuckle rather than the nail for a pin, going for a quick strike, and waiting for one's opponent to tire. Variations include making the thumbs "bow", "kiss", or both before warring, and to war with both hands at once. Or sneak attacks, which involve using your pointer finger to take over the opponent.
The game is typically initiated with both the players uttering the rhyme "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war", and their thumbs passing over each other in time with this rhyme. The rhyme is sometimes extended with "Five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight." Variations of the second half of the rhyme include " Five, six, seven, eight, you are stupid, I am great. " and "Five six seven eight, You are going down mate. " In Spanish, the starting song is "ésta es la pulseada china", with the same thumbs passing over as in English.
Competitive matches on thumb wrestling have been held in Long Island
and Lowestoft
. The 826 Valencia
Foundation holds an annual thumb-wrestling competition, which has been won three times by San Francisco Chronicle book editor Oscar Villalon..
Writer Norman Mailer
was passionate about thumb wrestling. Author and humorist Paul Davidson claims that his grandfather Bernard Davidson invented thumb war in the 1940s. American copywriter Julian Koenig
claimed to have invented thumb wrestling in 1936 as a boy at Camp Greylock
.
The thumb wrestling ring is a popular toy used for thumb wrestling. The players insert their thumbs in opposite sides and proceed with the thumb war.
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called the game "the miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
of martial sports
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
."
The players face each other and each holds out their left hand or right hand in a "thumbs up", and they link hands in a monkey grip. Gameplay has several tactics such as "playing possum
Playing Possum
Playing Possum is singer-songwriter Carly Simon's fifth studio album, released in April 1975. It was her third consecutive album to reach the top ten of the best-selling album charts, peaking at number 10 in June 1975. Singles from the album were not as successful. The first single from the album,...
", aiming for the knuckle rather than the nail for a pin, going for a quick strike, and waiting for one's opponent to tire. Variations include making the thumbs "bow", "kiss", or both before warring, and to war with both hands at once. Or sneak attacks, which involve using your pointer finger to take over the opponent.
The game is typically initiated with both the players uttering the rhyme "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war", and their thumbs passing over each other in time with this rhyme. The rhyme is sometimes extended with "Five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight." Variations of the second half of the rhyme include " Five, six, seven, eight, you are stupid, I am great. " and "Five six seven eight, You are going down mate. " In Spanish, the starting song is "ésta es la pulseada china", with the same thumbs passing over as in English.
Competitive matches on thumb wrestling have been held in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. The 826 Valencia
826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.-Overview:...
Foundation holds an annual thumb-wrestling competition, which has been won three times by San Francisco Chronicle book editor Oscar Villalon..
Writer Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
was passionate about thumb wrestling. Author and humorist Paul Davidson claims that his grandfather Bernard Davidson invented thumb war in the 1940s. American copywriter Julian Koenig
Julian Koenig
Julian Koenig is an award winning copywriter and widely considered one of the greatest in the history of advertising. He was inducted into The One Club in 1966.-Background and family:...
claimed to have invented thumb wrestling in 1936 as a boy at Camp Greylock
Camp Greylock
Camp Greylock is a boys' summer camp located in Becket, Massachusetts. The land was purchased in the fall of 1915, and the opening summer was 1916. The founders were three brothers, George, Gabriel , and Lou Mason...
.
The thumb wrestling ring is a popular toy used for thumb wrestling. The players insert their thumbs in opposite sides and proceed with the thumb war.
See also
- Rock-paper-scissorsRock-paper-scissorsRock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
- Thumb twiddlingThumb twiddlingThumb twiddling is an activity that is done with the hands of an individual whereby the fingers are interlocked and the thumbs circle around a common focal point, usually in the middle of the distance between the two thumbs....
- Thumb Wrestling FederationThumb Wrestling FederationThumb Wrestling Federation is an American children's live-action television series and is a part of TMi on BBC Two, BBC1 and the CBBC channel in the United Kingdom. It was previously shown on Cartoon Network and Kids' WB in the United States. TWF currently airs weekdays at 4:55pm on Cartoon Network...
- Arm wrestlingArm wrestlingArm wrestling is a sport with two participants. Each participant places one arm on a surface with their elbows bent and touching the surface, and they grip each other's hand...