Watch Your Back, Pickleball. There's Another Sports Trend Waiting To Eat Your Lunch

A lawn game with Scandinavian roots has taken over the pint-sized city of South Pasadena. If devotees have it their way, the game "kubb" will be on many more people's minds, just like that other little power sport that has transformed tennis courts the world over.

"Nothing will ever catch on like pickleball," said John Pettersson, a South Pasadena resident and commissioner of the Los Angeles Kubb Club .

But "like Pickleball, [kubb] is for all ages. The barrier to entry is very low and you don't need to be a top flight athlete to be good at it," he added.

How kubb is played

Kubb, pronounced koob , has been described as a blend of bowling and horseshoes, "where you stand around with your friends chatting and having fun and throwing things across the yard," Pettersson said.

The gameplay is pretty simple: Two teams, with up to 6 players on each side, try to knock down as many wooden blocks in their opponent's camp as possible by tossing wooden batons (underhand tosses only) within an area — or "pitch" in kubb parlance — of roughly 26 feet by 16 feet.

"Do you like throwing things at other things? Everybody does, right? Well, it's a good outlet for that," Pettersson joked.

The history of kubb

Kubb is sometimes known as "Viking chess" — linked to the rumor that Vikings had played the game using the skulls and bones of their conquered enemies during the Middle Ages.

Legends aside, the game is commonly believed to have originated from Sweden in the early 1900s.

A century later, it found its way to South Pasadena by way of New York.

"So the guy we call the forefather of Kubb in Southern California is also a resident of South Pasadena," said Julie Halverson, a kubb player who lives in Highland Park. "Joe Zenas saw the game being played in a park in New York and brought it here."

That was about nine years ago — shortly before the Los Angeles Kubb Club was founded. Today, more than 20 teams — with names like Ace of Baseline, Poplar Mechanics, and Kubbix Rubes — play against each other at various parks in the area.

West Coast Kubb Championships

On April 28, the L.A. Kubb Club will host the 8th Annual West Coast Kubb Championships in South Pasadena, where players travel from kubb powerhouse states like Minnesota and Wisconsin to compete.

The Badger State is also home to the U.S. National Kubb Championship, which takes place every July in the city of Eau Claire. Last year, South Pasadena's very own Beverly Drillbillies took home third place.

Competition aside, Halverson and Pettersson said the vibe at any kubb game is always cordial, kid friendly and welcoming of newcomers, even if you have never swung a baton at a wooden block in your life.

"People who play it often come back for more," Pettersson said.

How to watch

2024 West Coast Kubb Championships
When: Sunday, April 28, starting at 9 a.m.
Where: Orange Grove Park, 815 Mission St., South Pasadena
More info here