Good Old-Fashioned Playtime

How To: Skip a Rock

• Look for a stone with one smooth, flat side and a notch or a corner against which you can place the tip of your index finger, says Russ Byars, the current Guinness World Record holder for most stone skips (51).
• Hold your arm parallel to the water’s edge and aim.
• Keeping the stone smooth-side down, hurl it at the water with a “sidearm” pitch, swinging the arm parallel to the ground. As you release the stone, let it roll out of your hand and off the tip of the index finger planted on the notch. “If you get a hard angle coming off the water (like a high bounce), you need to either throw it farther out or back up a little,” Byars says. If the stone bounces to the right (and you’re right-handed), try releasing it a bit later in your swing. If it’s a windy day or the water is choppy, experiment with heavier stones.