How to Skip Rocks or Stones like a Pro

People of all ages can participate in the activity of skipping rocks. It is one of those recreational activities that you can do by yourself, with your friends, with your spouse or significant other, or with your sons or daughters. I have a particular fondness for skipping rocks because there is a sense of timelessness associated with it, and when you are doing it, all your troubles literally seem to go away with the rocks you are skipping. Further, the activity is nostalgic and has the ability to bring you back to the days of your youth.

The first key to becoming better at skipping rocks is to find a body of water that is preferably still and does not have many currents or waves. Thus, a quiet pond or lake will work best. However, you can also skip rocks in a river or at the beach by the ocean. Below are additional steps to improve your rock skipping and to maximize the number of skips.

First, pick a flat, disc-shaped rock that is neither too heavy nor to light. You want a rock that has some substance behind it. A simple gauge is that the rock should weigh more than a coin, but it should not weigh as much as an apple. To grip the rock, place the index finger of your throwing hand around the rock so that it wraps around the back half of the disc-shaped rock. Further, let the rock rest on your middle finger curled underneath the rock. Your ring and pinky fingers should be curled up similar to the grip you would have if you were holding a pencil.

Rest the thumb of your throwing hand lightly on the middle of the rock in order to secure your grip. Keep the flat rock in your grip parallel to the ground. When preparing to throw the rock, keep your knees in a bent position so that you are balanced. When throwing the rock, you will use a side-armed motion. In essence, the disc-shaped rock should roll off the tip of your index finger and should rotate similar to the spin of a Frisbee flying at the water.

The final key is to practice different angles of impact on the water. The ideal angle is 25 degrees in order to produce the most skips. With practice, you may get 5, 6 or even more skips. Or, if you become good enough, you may even challenge the world record of 38 skips.