The jumper.--The player who leaps must lay his hands flat on the back at the shoulders and not "knuckle," _i.e._ double under his fingers. Any player transgressing this rule must change places with the back. The back must be cleared without touching him with the foot or any part of the body except the hands. Such a touch is called "spurring," and the transgressor must change places with the back if the latter stands upright before the next player can jump over him. If he does not stand upright in time, he remains back. When a leap is made from a starting line or taw, the jumper may not put his foot more than half over the line. Good jumpers will land on the toes with knees bent and backs upright, not losing the balance.
The leapfrog games here given in alphabetic order include:--
I. WITH ONE BACK: II. WITH TWO OR MORE BACKS:
Leader and Footer Bung the Bucket Leapfrog Johnny Ride a Pony Leapfrog Race Cavalry Drill Par Saddle the Nag Spanish Fly Skin the Goat
The first player makes a back, standing either with his back or his side toward the one who is to leap over. The next player runs, leaps over the back, runs a few steps forward so as to allow space for a run between himself and the first player, and in his turn stoops over and makes a back. This makes two backs. The third player leaps over the first back, runs and leaps over the second, runs a short distance and makes a third back, etc., until all the players are making backs, when the first one down takes his turn at leaping, and so on indefinitely.
VARIATION.--This may be made much more difficult by each player moving only a few feet in advance of the back over which he has leaped, as this will then leave no room for a run between the backs, but means a continuous succession of leaps by the succeeding players.
The players are lined up in two or more single files, as for the simplest form of leapfrog, but the game is a race between the different files.
The first player takes his place on the starting or taw line and makes a "back," with his head away from the file. The next player immediately jumps over and makes a back one pace forward of the first player. The third jumps over the backs of the two and makes a third back, and so on until all are down, when the first player jumps over all in succession, but steps one side when he has vaulted over the last back. The others all follow.