LUKSONG BAKA (traditional game)

 Luksong baka : Jump over the Cow) is a traditional Filipino game that originated from Bulacan. It involves a minimum of 3 players and a maximum of 10 players and involves them jumping over the person called the baka, the main goal of the players is to successfully jump over the baka without touching or falling over the baka.

No equipment is required in playing Luksong Baka, except for these three skills:

• Mobility, or the player’s ability to move easily and freely. The more agile the player is, the higher he can push himself up.
• Stability – it’s the player’s ability to keep his body parts steady, especially on his waist.
• Strength – once the player is stable, he can jump as high as possible without hitting the baka

These skills are a player’s “POWER”, enabling him to successfully jump over even at the highest level of the game.

Luksong Baka Mechanics

1. In choosing the first “baka”, all players must place a hand over another (palms down), and at the count of three, they release their hands simultaneously, either showing palms up or down. The player who displays a different position of the hand from the rest should be the first baka or “it”.
2. The baka then assumes his position at a designated “jump over” spot. On the first level, he takes a crouching position and the rest of the players jump over him – one after another. When all the players have jumped over, the baka raises his position a bit higher for the next level. He repeats this process until he reaches the standing position or until a jumper errs.
3. The jumpers must spread their legs wide apart to avoid hitting the baka when they jump.
4. The jumper who hits the baka will take the place of the baka, and the baka now becomes a jumper.
5. When the level goes higher, the jumper may use his hands for balance by putting them together over the baka.

So, if you feel like testing your “mobility, stability, and strength”, gather your friends together and play Luksong Baka. It’s a good form of exercise, too.