Sport Stacking Lingo

As in any sport, Sport Stackers have their own set of terms and vocabulary to help define and explain how the sport functions. Here are some of the most commonly used terms:

Ambidexterity - Using your left and right hands with the same ease and skill; very handy when it comes to dribbling and shooting a basketball, using the computer, playing the piano, sport stacking and much more.Michelangelo, Ben Franklin, Einstein, and more, were ambidextrous. 

 

Bilateral proficiency - Equal performance on both sides of the body - to be able to use both hands equally well. It requires practice. Become ambidextrous and along with physiological brain growth, a more balanced integration of your two brain hemispheres will be achieved. Studies have shown that ambidextrous people are more emotionally independent, more determined, more adaptable to new situations and more apt to handle problems without giving up

 

Cup - A specially designed plastic cup specifically made for sport stacking and approved by the WSSA and used in a sport stacking competition or event. 

 

Cycle stack - This is a sequence of stacks combining a 3-6-3 stack, a 6-6 and a 1-10-1 stack, in that order. Stackers conclude the Cycle with cups in a 3-6-3 "down stacked" position. 

 

Division - A Stacker's division for individual or team relay competition is based on his/her grade level. 

 

Down stacking - Term used for "unstacking" or putting cups down. (Hands may not be on two stacks simultaneously either in the Up Stacking or Down Stacking phase.) Down Stacking must follow the same direction as the Up Stacking phase (i.e. if you "up stack" from left to right, you must also "down stack" from left to right). 

 

False start - There are three types of false starts that can occur in the Team Relay Competition: 

 

1. A lead stacker's hand(s) leave the touch pads of the StackMat™ Competition Timer before the command of "Go" by the official.
2. A subsequent stacker's foot crosses the starting line before the hand tag.
3. A missed hand tag.  
   

 

False stop - A false stop occurs if during the Individual Timed Competition, a Stacker accidentally or intentionally stops the StackMat Competition Timer before the sequence is complete. (All cups must be down stacked and upright before the timer is stopped.) OR In the Team Relay Competition, the StackMat™ Competition Timer is stopped prior to the fourth and final Stacker completing his or her sequence.

 

Focus - The ability to concentrate. 

 

Forfeit - A loss of a race and/or a match in a Team Relay Competition for interference and/or unsportsmanlike conduct. (This includes "unintentional" interference.) 

 

Fumble - The term used when cups fall during the process of Up Stacking or Down Stacking. (More about the three types of fumbles.) Fumbles must be corrected properly. When a stacker fumbles a cup, only the stacker can retrieve it. 

 

Hand-eye coordination - Hand-eye coordination - Having your brain tell your hands what to do and having them actually do it, like catching a ball or stacking cups. 

 

Individual timed stack - Term used to time or measure a person's performance in an individual event. 

 

Penalty points - This term is for points taken away for mistakes made in the Team Relay Competition, such as false starts and improperly corrected fumbles. 

 

Ready position - The Ready Position: knees bent, swivel at wrist. 

 

Record - The fastest time associated with a Stacker within a division utilizing the WSSA official timing device (StackMat). 

 

Sport - A game or some kind of active play done for exercise or pleasure. Speed Stacks exercises our brains along with our bodies - allowing both to grow. 

 

Sportsmanship - The practice of honorable conduct in sport events. 

 

Stack - An individual group of cups either up stacked or down stacked such as a 3 stack, 6 stack or 10 stack. OR A specific stacking sequence, or pattern, involving a combination of individual stacks (e.g. 3-3-3 stack, 3-6-3 stack, Cycle stack). 

 

Stacking sequence - The term used to describe the order in which cups are upstacked and downstacked. 3-3-3: Cups are "up stacked" and "down stacked" from left to right or right to left (individual preference) in three stacks made up of three cups in each stack (3-3-3). 3-6-3: Cups are "up stacked" and "down stacked" from left to right or right to left (individual preference) in three stacks made up of three cups on the left, six cups in the center, and three cups on the right (3-6-3). 

 

StackMat™ Competition Timer - The official WSSA sport stacking timer and stacking surface. A StackMat is activated when both hands are flat on the touch pads which will illuminate the red and green lights indicating that the timing device is ready. The clock starts when a Stacker lifts one or both hands to stack and stops when the Stacker places both hands on the touch pads. 

 

Stacking surface - The stacking surface is defined as the top surface of the StackMat (including the mat, touch pad area and timing device). 

 

Team relay races - Four (or five) member teams assembled to participate in one-after-the-other stacking for a combined total time. 

 

Teamwork - The ability to work toward and accomplish a common goal as a group. 

 

Up stacking - Term used for stacking the cups "up." (Hands may not be on two stacks simultaneously either in the Up Stacking or Down Stacking phase.)