welcome to Mikono
Ultimate Bocce Off Season Training
Every Professional Sports League has an Offseason Training component for its athletes. Ultimate Bocce is no different.
Given our location in Canada, our Bocce season is shorter due to the snow that seems to cover our gracious terrain 5 - 6 months a year. With this in mind, several years ago we were looking for a new indoor game for the winter months that would keep our skills sharp and continually feed our creative yet competitive minds.
Humble Beginnings
In my basement we have a ping pong table. We began playing ping pong as anyone would but it was not long before the urge to change the rules was too much to resist. In regular ping pong, you start the rally with a serve that hits your side of the table before going over the net. Well what if we continued that trend by making the ball ALWAYS have to hit your own side before going over the net?
This simple rule adjustment changed everything right away as the rallies were longer, scoring was more challenging and the variations in shot making was dramatically increased. Suddenly this game got way more interesting.
And since we already changed how the game play worked by having the ball hit your own side before going over, it only made sense to change how the serve was done as well. So instead of having the ball only hit your side once on the serve, we made it so the ball had to hit your side twice before going over the net.
This was such a great idea because it allowed us to change the entire serving part of the game. Making the ball hit twice on your side on the serve proved to be very challenging and cost the player a point if they messed up. So instead of having each player serving for 5 combined points in a row like regular ping pong now we could simply have the losing player of the previous rally serve next. This new serving regimen put so much more emphasis on the serve which was a welcomed addition to this more challenging game.
Then things got really crazy
Instead of one paddle, we raised the bar again by having one in each hand for right and left handed shot opportunities. Then we played games were you were forced to alternate hands with every shot. That was a good one.
Shortly after that we decided to take the net completely off the table...now that was interesting! A game with no net.
We even use the ceiling as part of the game. Try that for sure!
And then it happened
We went from using 1 paddle to 2 paddles and then...NO paddles.
Oh man! We couldn't believe the kind of shots we started making by only using our hands. Now we are in the big leagues. Now we have back hands, forehands, undercuts, Powerballs, Thors and even a shot called the Jedi.
With the traditional overhand smash taken out of the game, every shot became retrievable, only great shots score points and trash talk during the rally was at a premium!
So what does MIKONO mean?
Well now that we have this new game to play, naturally we have to name it.
Many months went by where we came up empty but after a little inspiration we noted that this game's most creative change was the use of hands only.
So we looked for cool or interesting words that would describe the game perfectly and as luck would have it, we found that the Swahili word for 'hands' is MIKONO. Done deal.
Tournaments
WAKANDA Open
The Rio Carnaval
The MineHunter
This Tournament honours the magic of the Mikono origin by having its crown jewel tournament played in Africa, home of the Swahili Language and hosted in the mystical land of Wakanda. This stop on the tour is played with a Twisted Net and a Yellow Category 3 Speed Ball.
The MineHunter
The Rio Carnaval
The MineHunter
This Tournament is the most formidable challenge on tour. Every missed serve results in an obstacle or 'mine' being placed on your side of the court by your opponent in any place of their choosing. During play you have to safely navigate the mine field on your side while your opponent mercilessly goes hunting for them. A Blue Championship Ball is used for this battle.
The Rio Carnaval
The Rio Carnaval
The Trench Tournament
One of the most celebrated tournaments of the year in Brazil which features open towers as the net where you can score double points for tactfully landing the ball inside one of the towers during a rally. A Green Championship Ball is used for this tournament.
The Trench Tournament
Using low tech for videography...
The Trench Tournament
A true test of speed and agility is the Trench tournament where the 2 parts of the table are turned sideways so that the playing field is now longer but more narrow. A category 5 Tour Ball which is the smallest, fastest and has the most bounce is used for this highly skilled tournament
Using low tech for videography...
Using low tech for videography...
Using low tech for videography...
More Tournaments on the way
Using low tech for videography...
Using low tech for videography...
Stay Tuned...
the Ivor Goldsmid Montagu Trophy
Every Professional League needs a Holy Grail
Mikono gets its origins from Table Tennis (aka Ping Pong) so we decided to honour that legacy and name our trophy after the most significant ambassador in the history of Table Tennis.
Ivor Goldsmid Montagu was a champion player who founded the International Table Tennis Federation in 1926 and the first ever Wold Championships that same year. He was the President of the ITTF for 40 years before retiring in 1967.
From one Creator to another, we salute you Monty!
The Full Monty
The 'Monty' is presented to the winner of the Mikono World Tour at the end of the season in a lavish ceremony, just as the snow melts and the Ultimate Bocce season is set to begin.