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FAQ's
What is considered “in bounds” when raising a kubb?
The official rule for the U.S. National Kubb Championships is that 50% of the kubb must be in bounds when raised. There are tournaments in the U.S. that are considering using a rule where 100% of the kubb that is in contact with the ground must be in bounds when raised in order to make it easier to determine if the kubb is in bounds and prevents boundary markers from obstructing the play.
When throwing a baton, how much horizontal rotation is allowed?
At Kubb United, we recommend that you always throw with the intent of throwing it vertical in order to make it easier for your team and your opponents to determine if the throw is legal. We refer to this as "Keeping it Vertical". The rule in all tournaments in the U.S. is 45 degrees from center which allows for variation from vertical due to environmental conditions, especially wind and allows beginners to compete in tournaments due to inexperience in throwing vertical batons.
Why do you play with the 2-4-6 opener?
The original rules were that the first team that gets to throw was allowed 6 batons. As teams became more accurate at hitting 8m throws, analysis determined that the advantage to throw first was making the game too unbalance and was putting too much emphasis on the opening king toss.
Can I stand beyond the right or left boundaries when throwing?
No, both of the throwers feet must be inside the sidelines of the pitch at all time during the throw.
Am I allowed to step over the line after I release the baton?
No. According to rules at U.S. tournaments, both feet must start and end behind the throwing line. Your momentum is not allowed to carry you past the line after you throw.
What happens if I step on the line while throwing?
This is a foul and you forfeit that baton and attempt to put any kubbs that have been knocked down to their original position.
What happens if I throw the baton while a player from either team is standing on the pitch?
This is also a foul. The major reason for this is that we want all players to be as safe and possible and have the opportunity to observe the offensive team to help determine if they are following rules.
What happens if I throw a baton with no vertical rotation?
This is referred to as “spearing” and it is legal as long as you have zero horizontal rotation. After saying that, it is very difficult to make this throw legally according to the rules and Kubb United recommends applying some visible vertical rotation to the throw to make it easier to determine if the throw is legally thrown. The exception may be when you have an advantage line and the distance between the line and target kubbs is very short and it is difficult to apply vertical rotation when striking the kubbs.
What happens if a baseline kubb is knocked down before all of the field kubbs?
The baseline kubb is stood back to its original location. Note that if you knock down the last field kubb and then the momentum of your baton or the field kubb carries through and knocks down the baseline kubb, then it is considered knocked down.
What happens if I hit the king during the opening king toss (sometimes referred as lag toss)?
It is ok to make contact with the king, but if you knock it over then the other team wins the lag toss and decided if they want to go first or choose side.
Do all 10 kubbs have to be knocked down and then the king in order to win the game?
In order to win the game your opponents baseline kubbs must be all knocked down and you must clear the pitch of any field kubbs before you can attack the king.