Stone skipping – sometimes called stone skimming – is the art of throwing a flat stone across water in such a way (usually sidearm) that it bounces off the surface. "Skipping" counts the number of bounces; "skimming" measures the distance traveled.
The earliest evidence of stone skipping is prehistoric in nature, inferred rather than recorded. Archaeologists note that flat river stones naturally attract human hands: ideal for toolmaking, marking, and inevitably – throwing. It is almost certain that ancient peoples – whether around the Mediterranean, in East Asia or along the waterways of the Americas – skipped stones for diversion. The earliest explicit cultural reference appears in Classical Greece, where Pliny the Elder wrote about people throwing flat pebbles “so that they bound across the water”, suggesting not only familiarity but an early understanding of technique.
By the medieval period, stone skipping appears in folklore, metaphor, and children’s rhymes across Europe. In Japan, the practice – known as mizukiri, or “cutting the water” – is referenced in 12th- and 13th-century poetry, capturing the elegance and almost meditative quality of a well-thrown stone.
In England, stone skipping is known as “ducks and drakes”, in France, as “ricochet”, in Ireland, as “stone skiffing”, in Denmark as “smutting”, and every language, from Hindi to Russian to Chinese, has a unique word or term for skipping stones.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, skipping became a standard element of childhood across the Western world. But it wasn’t until the late 20th century that stone skipping evolved from casual pastime into organised sport.
Formal competition began in Scotland, where the abundance of perfectly formed slate pebbles around Easdale Island fostered a local culture of expert skipping. The World Stone Skimming Championships were founded there in 1983, paused, and revived in 1997. Since then, the event has grown into a cherished annual gathering, attracting competitors from around the world. The rules are simple: stones must be naturally occurring, thin, and weigh no more than 70 grams; throws are judged on distance but only if they skip at least twice. Easdale’s slate – thin, flat, and naturally aerodynamic – is considered among the world’s finest.
In the United States, organised skipping took a more competitive turn, with associations formalising rules and record-keeping. Modern elite skippers favour high spin rates that stabilise a stone’s flight through gyroscopic effect. The physics of skipping has even drawn academic attention. In 2002, French physicist Lydéric Bocquet modelled the optimal angle of impact – around 20 degrees – confirming what great skippers already sensed intuitively.
More recently, the purity of the sport was tested. In 2025, the World Stone Skimming Championships were shaken by a cheating scandal when several competitors were found to be using “doctored” stones – artificially ground or smoothed to improve performance. Since rules require naturally formed Easdale slate, the offenders were disqualified after admitting the tampering. Organisers have since proposed using pre-selected stones to prevent future manipulation.
The Guinness World Record for the most skips is 88, set on 6 September 2013 at Red Bridge, Pennsylvania, by Kurt Steiner. Steiner previously held the world record from 2002 to 2007. See the record throw here – and watch this video to see how Kurt throws.
Postscript
While the myth of George Washington throwing a silver dollar across the Rappahannock River is not actually true, the story of his supposed feat has been so influential that throwing events are now held in his honour, particularly on his birthday.
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_skipping
loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/physics/item/how-does-a-stone-skip-across-water
guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-skips-of-a-skimming-stone
wikihow.com/Skip-Rocks
Images
1. A Bounce, sculpture by Nono Urbano, 1885 and a stone skipping across the water in Patagonia. Photo credit: Killy Ridols
2. Mizukiri, or “cutting the water”
3. Diagram of a stone skipping. Credit: Fred the Oyster
4. A few good skippers. Photo credit: Caroline Tompkins
5. Kurt Steiner on at Lake Paran in North Bennington, VT. Photo credit: Christopher Wright for the Bennington Blotter
6. Video: "Kurt Steiner - Insane Stone Skipping - World Record - 88 Skips [with Count Overlay]", Stone Skipper, 2015
7. Video: "How This Guy Became The Best Rock Skipper On The Planet" Wired "Obsessed", 2023
8. President Obama shows his daughters Malia and Sasha how to skip stones in Maine, 2010. Photo credit: Pete Souza, White House photographer
9. Portrait of George Washington (1732–99) by Gilbert Stuart
