Wang Duo's memoirs "A Cloud of Smoke and Rain" 218:
Written by Wang Duo
14. Wild Starry Sky: The Game of Vaulting Horses
For anti-abduction, I would like to add a thousand ways and ten thousand, and finally I would like to add: the games in the old days in China were seasonal and regional, and they were not chaotic. Just like the anti-abduction, a typical northern children's sport, it is mainly carried out in the early winter. Of course, the benefits are many, and the reason lies in this:
First, in the early winter, the weather begins to turn cold, and the human body needs to strengthen exercise and increase calories. Especially as children who are growing their bodies, increasing the amount of exercise in this season has many benefits for the recovery of physical function.
Second, in the north of the continent, as soon as winter arrives, children begin to wear cotton clothes. Everyone wears cotton jackets, cotton pants and cotton shoes to resist the abduction, even if they fall, most of them will not be injured. I privately believe that this is the most critical part of the winter anti-abduction movement.
In addition, when children are resisting crutulation, if they do not go through cotton wool as a transition, their legs and legs are hard to touch, and their knees and knees are hard topped, and they are often injured.
Ironically, our children now, especially the teachers in schools, don't understand this. Regardless of the season, regardless of the region, let the children touch hard, hard top, hard resistance, so that it is easy to occur danger. The advantage is that the children now are not skinny, nor are they fierce. If you change the past, you must touch your skin and no hair, and you really have to send you to the hospital to carry the abduction. hehe.
Third, anti-abduction is also a highly confrontational sport that children like to see. Not only can the body be strengthened, but it will also exercise the wit and bravery of the children, improving their ability to think independently, judge independently and fight independently.
Therefore, the anti-abduction sport cannot be changed, cannot be without protection, and cannot be lost. At a low level, this is nothing more than a game; but at a high level, it is also a rare traditional movement of the Chinese nation. If one day, it can be carried forward, make it more modern, and enter the formal competition link, it will be a big innovation.
Officers, a "extreme sport" very similar to anti-abduction, and vaulting. When I say vaulting, it's similar to vaulting in sports, there are one-on-one, there are many-to-many. But when we were children, the vaulting horse we played was not only more varied, more entertaining, and the formation was more fierce.
This sport, at first glance, may seem unremarkable, but when you really go deep into it, the knowledge is great. If you don't believe me, I'll tell you.
Let's start with one-on-one vaulting. This kind of play is nothing more than a person "horizontally" going down the pot and looking directly at the ground, which is called "making a horse". Then, the other man who sped by, just patted his spine, spread his legs, leaped over, and completed a vault.
In addition, according to the depth of the waist pot, it can also be divided into three heights and levels. Holding the ground with both hands is the lowest level; followed by holding the knees with both hands; and finally holding the root of the thigh with both hands, waiting for someone else to jump over.
This vault can also be many-to-many. That is, the children are divided into two groups, one group of people playing horses, and one group of people jumping one by one. Whoever jumps badly, wherever he jumps badly, will be swapped with the child who plays the horse, and then one by one, in order to jump. This is a more civilized method of vaulting, when I was in physical education class, the teacher often asked students to jump horses like this. These are "horizontal" vaulting horses, that is, the "straight line" of the waist of the child A, and the "straight line" of the B child running and jumping, which is in the shape of a T-shape.
There are also "vertical" vaulting horses. The method of jumping is the same as the previous one, except that the two "straight lines" of the child who plays the horse and the jumping child coincide. The jumping child is facing the back of the child who is a horse, and usually he also pats the back and jumps over.
Of course, there are also patting people's backs and taking off. This is generally done by leather children, funny and slippery things, but also a particularly happy thing.
These two ways of vaulting can be summarized as "horizontal horse" and "vertical horse". When we were young, the children played in the yard, often "vertical horses". The "cross horse" is too single and boring, and no one wants to jump.
Looking at the officials, jumping a "vertical horse" is much more difficult than jumping a "horizontal horse", and the technical requirements are much more complicated and lively. Especially when the two groups of children are increasing, the scene of jumping up and flying in the air can be said to be adding fire to the fire, making a fuss, climaxing, a wave higher than a wave...
Jump the "vertical horse", both boys and girls can play. The rules are that boys play boys, girls play girls, and can't play together. Because the physical conditions of male and female children are very different, mixing together will be dangerous.
According to the rules of jumping a "vertical horse", at least three people need to play together: one person is the head of the horse, one person is the horse, and one person is the jumping horse. Before three people play, they also have to "catch and catch" or "be the same", and compete to see who loses and who wins. The first place to decide, vaulting. Second place, when the horse's head. Third place, when the horse.
When jumping on a horse, when the horse's head is headed, it is necessary to spread its legs and lean back against the wall. When a horse is to be a horse, the head is arched between the legs of the person who is the head of the horse, exposing the spine, waist and stomach for the vaulter to ride.
At the beginning of the game, of course, it is the person who jumps on the horse, and once he shoots the horse's belly and jumps on the spine of the person who is a horse, it is equivalent to "riding on the horse". Then, along with the man who was the head of the horse, he reached out to "catch and catch" to see who lost and who won. As long as you win, you can jump again. If he loses, the vaulter has to turn around and become a horse. The man who was originally the horse became the horse's head, and the man who was the horse's head, because he won, began to jump off the horse.
Just like this, three people, feng shui takes turns. Anyone can jump off a horse, anyone can be a horse and be a horse's head. That is to say, people who jump horses must not only have the kung fu of vaulting horses, but also the kung fu and luck of General Bao's winning head. Whereever the general treasure can win, there are more opportunities to jump the horse.
Seriously, the opportunity for three people to jump off a horse is rare in a compound like ours. Because there are many children in the yard, they are generally divided into two groups, and each group has seven or eight children. Sometimes, when there are many children, there are more than a dozen children in every gang.
In this way, which group of children want to ride horses, which group of children want to be horses, is very important. The rules for vaulting have also changed. For example, each gang must select one or more children to participate in the General Treasure Duel. If you win, it means that this gang jumps the horse first. If you lose, of course, you have to become a horse.
Let's start with being a horse. Because these children lost the general treasure, the children who were the head of the horse often had to change another person and try their luck again. Some, may not change, or let him be the head of the horse, continue to fight with the other side of the general treasure.
With the horse's head, the other children had to drill their heads between the legs of the people one by one according to their height and age, and form a long "big horse". Generally speaking, to form such a "big horse", the tall man is to be in front, and the youngest child is the belly of the horse. If it is a dozen children, then this "big horse" will be more than ten meters long, like a bridge, very spectacular.
Next, when the children are jumping horses, they are also exquisite. It is not at all waiting for the people to form a "big horse" and then jump up one by one. If that were the case, it would cut off the waist of the child who was a horse, which would be too dangerous.
Therefore, every time at this time, because of the fear of hurting people, everyone uses the method of one plus one and many accumulations, and in the process of children jumping, one horse is added in turn, and finally the "big horse" is formed. That is to say, the so-called "big horses" are lengthened little by little.
According to the truth, when the losing side of the general treasure is only posed as a horse head and a horse, the winning side can jump. In the beginning, it was all big kids to big kids. High horse head, high horse. It's also the big kids who jump.
After jumping on a child, add another child who is a horse. In this way, jump again, add again; add again, jump again; add until the last youngest child, and also jump to the youngest child.
The watchman said, why do you have to jump in the order of tall and short? Short, why can't you jump first?
By the way, let me tell you: no. Why not? Because of the tall child, after he comes down, the horse is tall, and the child generally can't jump up. Besides, most of the children who can jump in groups are capable children, or leather children, and they are all "martial arts" in one body.
For example, if a big kid is a horse, and someone else jumps up, he will take the opportunity to shake the horse's belly because he can see the running child between his legs. Sometimes it's up and down, it's tossing, sometimes it's rocking from side to side. If the little child who jumped off the horse, if he was not careful, fell off the horse, then the children would not have to jump, even if they lost. Below, the gang jumped. Therefore, there is a certain reason why the big children will always charge in front.
In other words, it's not that after you jump on the horse, everything is fine. It's over, it's just the beginning! The "big horse" of the people is also shaking constantly. You have to hold the waist of the child in front of you tightly so that you don't shake it down and don't get it upside down.
Only when everyone has jumped on the horse, the first one to jump on the horse, but also with the horse head of the general treasure, to see who loses and who wins. If you lose, you have to be ridden again. The horse's head that loses more will also automatically resign and step down, giving it to other children as the horse's head. Oh, this is hilarious, the two groups of people this is more energetic. No one obeys anyone, and no one will let anyone go.
Large-scale vaulting in our yard is often carried out in the front yard. The location of the horse's head was chosen on the wall between Jianhua and Guohui's homes. Because Uncle Zhu Qili and Uncle Wannian Rui both like children, in front of their doors is a small square, the soil is black and thin, there is no bare rock, children can jump and play freely, and they are not easy to be injured.
It felt to me, like Genli in our front yard, when the horse's head was more, because he was a veteran of the general treasure. Some children also said that he would temporarily change the punching method when he was generaling the treasure, so he won more often. Looking at the officials, jumping horses in our courtyard is not only jumping "big horses", but also jumping "long horses". That is, all the children of the gang must first line up in a long line. The last child to be a horse's belly is often a standing and rapids, and sometimes a large lead pot. Because the three of them, all short, are also very flexible.
Oh, you see—"
When the rapids arch in the gutters of men as horses' stomachs. His little belly hammer, his flesh bulging, and his upside-down, dangling, is very funny. Sometimes, a small child, so easy to ride on his stomach, but unexpectedly by his crooked stomach, it will slide down. At this point, our children don't even need to be "caught and caught", hehe, this is winning!
At that time, the big youth in the courtyard jumped "long horses", and they were all like flying in the sky. The best, the first to jump, is often Dexin. He ran fast and jumped high, and suddenly took off into the air, like a triple jump, walking in the air, and crouched in front of the horse's head with a stomach. Behind him were Yu He, Xiao Fu, The Third Brother, Gen Li, Xiao Zhao, Little Monk, Dayou, Xiao Ji, Dongsheng, Jianhua, Xiao Fu, Rapids, I, Guohui, Lian He, and Da Lead Pot. One by one, we jumped forward, like a sledgehammer that flew out of thin air, and slammed into the "long horse" under the crotch, squatting on their children, shaking again and again, and their waists hurt.
Fortunately, the children in the courtyard know how to protect themselves, and when "greeting" people's vaulting horses, each child is desperately arching his head in the stomach grooves of others, his arms are tightly hugging people's thighs, and he also bows up his waist, so that one by one they are connected to form a tenacious and strong "human bridge".
Officials, so many children play together, all by interest, by temperament. This play will play Dafa, play crazy, and will not follow the shelf.
You see, one by one, they are like the eighteen arhats, and each person's jumping method is different. Genli belongs to the squatting people with open legs; the little monk jumps the little flying swallow, and when he jumps up, he will fly across with open arms; Dongsheng is born to play pranks, when he jumps up, he often stands on the hammer of the man's stomach with his feet straight, and when he is finished, he also keeps waving backwards to show his skill; the rapids and the big lead pot are the last to jump, and they are all an arrow step standing on the stomach of the people, and the mountain is long live! Haha, this string of people jumped up, and sometimes they crushed people's "long horses" at once!
Of course, there are also times when we children keep losing and keep being horses. You see -
Just now, didn't Dongsheng jump up and stand on the stomach of the people? He would also choose, and he originally stood on the stomach of the wild beaver. When the wild beavers jumped, the wild beavers aimed at him beforehand and flew to his stomach. Of course, Dongsheng was afraid, but he still bit his teeth, did not say that he was afraid, but found other reasons to prevaricate.
You see Dongsheng is ridiculous. When he was on horseback, when he was in line, he pulled his head out of the gutter. He covered his nose, fanned the wind, and said to everyone, "He must have peed last night, and he was ashamed in his stomach, oh... Kill me! ”
Look at the official, ask him to say this, everyone laughed and turned over! It hurts to laugh!
In addition, he often said that people had just finished farting: "No, I have to breathe and breathe... It stinks..."
Look at the official, it is his ungodly jokes, and it will make everyone laugh a lot.
Among my classmates, Xiao De is the "flying general" of the vaulting horse, and it is good to fly straight and fly sideways. Lisheng has the most skills and the most tricks. Because he was the last to jump, sometimes he jumped on the body of his companion in front of him, in two layers. Sometimes, he was able to fly over five or six people in the air and jump to the necks of his companions at once!
It really made those who gathered around to watch the eyes, a panic, a sigh, a burst of laughter! What people talk about, it is really shocking at first, a good scenery of vaulting horses in the West Town compound! What a laugh that can't be forgotten... （5）