Kancha, also known as Goti, is a traditional Indian game that is usually played by children but is still cherished by adults since it reminds them of their childhood. Playing these is a lot of fun. Despite the fact that the present generation prefers to play inside games or spend time on their phones or computers, this game is still considered an outdoor game. Kancha was once known as a Gully sport, and it was a favorite of many young boys in town and adjacent areas. It has its own set of rules and is played with ‘Kancha’ marbles. The participants must use their own marble ball to hit the designated target ‘kancha.’ The winner receives all of the other players’ Kanchas.
Techniques of Aiming
The stone is held tightly in the forefinger when you begin aiming at it. Then, with the pressure of the other hand’s fingers, it was extended back like a bow and arrow. The goti is then shot after releasing the finger. The marble should be pushed with the thumb firmly touching the ground.
How to Play Kanche
- There is nothing complicated about this game, and the rules are simple: keep the marbles inside a drawn circle and try to hit as many marbles as possible in one turn from a distance.
- You keep the number of marbles you hit, and you can keep hitting until you miss your shot.
- However, it can occasionally become a competition to see who can obtain the most marbles, and having the most marbles was a major deal in my upbringing.
- Right now, I don’t think it was all that fantastic, but back when I was a kid, it was a huge honour.
Rules to play Kanche
- This game can be played by a group of people.
- All marbles must be contained within a drawn circle.
- Draw a line parallel to the marbles’ circle.
- Players should select among themselves what sequence each player will play in.
- Players should move back from the striking line and come in to hit as many marbles as possible throughout their turn.
- Finally, the player cannot elevate his thumb or cross the line while firing the marble.
- He owns the number of marbles hit by that player.
Different Aiming Techniques
A Southern Approach
Dixie is where it’s at. I’ve seen grown men, white and black, playing marbles, and one or two of the expert players held their taw on their second finger, holding the second finger back with their thumb; then, abruptly removing the thumb and straightening out the finger, they sent the marble straight to the target, like a bullet. This way of shooting must take a lot of practise, and I’m not sure it’s any more accurate than Tom’s method. Some of the game’s most skilled players pinch the marble between their thumb and forefinger, moisten it with their tongue to make it slip quickly.
Scrumpy Knuckled or Cunny Thumb?
Any boy could tell you how Little Lord Fauntleroy would shoot if he played marbles. He’d lay his taw or shooter against his thumbnail and first finger, bolding his hand vertically. He’d shoot “scrumpy knuckled” or “cunny thumb style.” The marble would roll away when the thumb flopped out weakly (Fig. 5).
Tom Sawyer would place his back fist on the ground or on his mole-skin “knuckle duster,” and place his taw between the first and second joints of the second finger and the first joint of the thumb, with the three smaller fingers closed and the first finger half open. The marble would rocket four or five feet through the air, alighting on one of the ducks in the middle of the ring and sending it flying outside, while the taw spun in the space vacated by the duck. With his taw, Tom or Huck Finn would show as much skill as an expert billiard player with the ivory balls.
Shooting in the Arabian Style.
The dark-skinned Arabs have an unusual shooting style. They lay their taw between the middle and forefinger of their left hand, which is flat on the ground with the fingers closed. The right hand’s forefinger is then forcefully pressed on the middle finger’s end joint, pushing the middle finger abruptly aside and allowing the forefinger to slip out with enough force to propel the shooter very accurately.
