The ONLY acceptable, official ball to use in my neighborhood in da Bronx to play stickball, punchball, stoopball etc. was the GREAT Spaldeen. We use to pick up two ball at once, hold them at about eye level then let them drop to see which one bounced higher. We’d do this until the candy store owner screamed “Hey you kids..stop makin’ my balls dirty”. Then we’d have to make a quick choice and buy it.
Johnny-ride-a-pony? Anchor man stands with his back against the wall (or in our neighborhood in the Bronx, the garage door) as his teammates bend at the waist and hold on to him and one another in an ever-lengthening human saddle. The members of the opposing team take turns running up to the chain of backs and leaping onto them as far forward as possible in order to make room for the others to jump on. The jumpers win if the “pony” collapses and the “pony” wins if all the jumpers get on and the pony holds. I was always the first jumper since I had great elevation and distance. I was the only girl to hit to two sewers in punch ball. Still a tom-boy, I tend to be assertive (I prefer that to “aggressive”) at the net in tennis and still have great speed if not agility at the age of 57.
We were lucky – living at the end of a street in the ’40s-’50s. Punchball was our favorite, and we used the magnificent building called Chateau Frontenac as an automatic HR if you hit it on the fly. Otherwise ball was in play. I remember when I just wasn’t big enough to hit it, but then I was!! What a thrill the first times I hit the building. The location was East 19th Street and Tennis Court – a two block street in the heart of Brooklyn. Anybody grow up near there?
I grew up in Bayside, Queens,My Mom still lives in the same house.It was ringoleevio.I don’t remember thr rule. We also playe stickball with a broomhandle and a spaldeen.We also played punchball.skelly,boxball,stoopball and Chinesehandball The girls and sometimes th boys played Hop scotch,potsie?, jacks. Then there was Johnny on the Pony also known as Buc-Buc. I think all of this is almost gone
I lived in East Flatbush during the late fifties to early sixties then after moving out to L.I. came back to hangout with my friends through the early seventies. PS 209, on Ave D and East 48th St., was one place where we played stickball. 209 was shaped like a U and we played strikbox, width wise. We played “automatics” where your hits were determined by where the ball hit the opposite wall. Had lots of fun there. Spaldeens ($.25) were primarily used. We used Pensy Pinkies ($.30) for punch ball and king/queen. “Eggballs” were used as a last resort. They came in various colors. Asses up/ace king queen was played routinely. I also fished balls out of the corner sewers as did many of my contemporaries.
That’s the beauty of punchball and slapball. They were always impromptu and unstructured, in large contrast to today’s organized sports. That’s what made it fun. We did it on the spur of the moment, when the mood struck us, and often made up rules as we went along. (Yeah, sure, there were “official” rules, but they were always very bendable depending on the situation.) I have no doubt that kids will love this stuff once they’re introduced to it. What’s not to love? In fact, several of my friends’ kids have already tried skully and punchball and are hooked.
I went to my daughter’s 3rd grade class last week to demonstrate the games. The kids really loved playing skully, catch and an impromptu version of punchball/slapball. I think many of these games could have great appeal to kids again. Hopefully we will get a chance to bring it into classrooms in the coming year.
Mick & Pez, You guys have done a service for mankind (at least for Brooklynkind) with this website. I left Brooklyn (Bath Beach/Bensonhurst) almost 55 years ago and I still remember the joys of stickball, punchball, handball, Chinese handball, boxball, Chinese boxball, skully, land, ring-a-levio, three feet off to Germany, odds & evens, knucks, etc. I tried to pass some of these on to my son, but things are just not the same in the suburbs of Cleveland.