How to make the perfect conker for battle

Autumn can only mean one thing for little outdoor adventurers: conker season has arrived!

The World Conker Championship is taking place this weekend in Southwick, and while we might not all be ready to enter the competition just yet, we're getting prepared for next year's event!

There are few things more satisfying than heading out on a crisp autumn day, spotting a shiny brown conker hiding beneath a horse chestnut tree and carefully selecting your champion. But not every conker is created equal. If you're going to enter the conker battlefield, you'll need to choose your champion wisely, prepare it properly and, most importantly, master the art of the perfect swing.

So grab your wellies, head outside and let the conker hunt begin!

Photo credit: Karen Cann on Unsplash

What you'll need

• A few freshly collected conkers

• Strong string

• Sharp scissors or a screwdriver

• A little patience

• A competitive spirit!

Step 1: Choose your champion

First things first: you need to find the perfect conker. Take a good look at your collection and search for one that is firm, uncracked and nicely symmetrical. Give it a gentle squeeze — you want a conker that feels solid rather than soft or damaged. 

There's also a clever little test you can try to see which of your conkers is the densest. Fill a bucket with water and carefully place your conkers inside. If your conker sinks, that's a good sign! A conker that sinks is likely to be denser inside, making it a promising candidate for battle. If it floats, it may have more hollow space inside and could be more fragile. Of course, no conker test can guarantee victory — but choosing a good, solid conker is certainly a great place to start!

Step 2: Make a hole

Once you've chosen your champion, it's time to turn it into a proper conker battle weapon. You'll need to make a hole through the middle of the conker.

Important: This part should be done by an adult. Use a sharp tool carefully to make a hole all the way through the centre of the conker. Try to keep the hole as central as possible. A nicely balanced conker will be much easier to swing when battle commences.

Step 3: Add the string

Cut a strong piece of string approximately 25cm long. Thread it through the hole in your conker and tie a good, secure knot at one end. Give it a gentle tug to make sure your conker is firmly attached before you start playing. And that's it! Your conker is ready for battle. Now all that's left to do is find an opponent brave enough to face you...

How to play conkers

The basic idea is wonderfully simple: two players, two conkers and one winner. Each player has a conker hanging from a piece of string. Players take turns trying to hit their opponent's conker. The winner is the player whose conker survives while their opponent's is smashed to pieces! Ready?

Choose who goes first

Decide which player will be the striker and which player will hold their conker first. If you're going second, wrap the end of your string around your hand and let your conker hang down. Hold your conker at the height your opponent chooses and keep it perfectly still. Now it's your opponent's turn to take aim.

Take your shot!

The striker wraps their string around their hand and holds their conker in the other hand. Pull it back, take aim and... SWING! Release the conker and see whether it makes contact with your opponent's. A well-aimed shot can send a conker flying, so make sure everyone is standing safely out of the way. If the striker misses, they can have up to two further attempts before the turn passes to the other player.

Watch out for tangled strings!

Things can get a little chaotic when two swinging conkers are involved. If the strings become tangled, the first player to shout "STRINGS!" gets an extra turn. So keep your ears open!

Going 'round the world'

Sometimes a conker makes an especially spectacular hit. If a player strikes their opponent's conker and it completes a whole circle after being hit, this is known as "round the world." And a shot like that earns the striker another go. Very impressive indeed!

Don't forget "stamps"!

There's one more rule to remember. If a player drops their conker, or it gets knocked from their hand, the other player can shout "STAMPS!" and jump on it. But there's a clever way to protect your conker. If its owner shouts "NO STAMPS!" before the other player gets there, the conker is safe! So if you drop your champion, you'd better be quick...

And the winner is...

The battle continues, with players taking turns to swing, strike and defend their conkers. Eventually, one conker will emerge victorious. The game is over when one player's conker has been completely destroyed. And there you have it — a brand-new conker champion!

Get outside and go conker hunting

Conkers are one of those wonderful autumn treasures that turn an ordinary walk into an adventure. All you need is a horse chestnut tree, a crisp autumn day and a little imagination. Children can spend hours searching beneath the trees for the biggest, shiniest and strongest-looking conkers before choosing their champion. And don't forget to make the most of the weather while you're out there. Autumn walks can be muddy, wet and wonderfully wild, so pull on those wellies, grab a waterproof and get ready for some serious conker action!

Discover our full range of kids wellies, raincoats for boys and girls & waterproof trousers and All-in-Ones here and get your little explorers ready for whatever the autumn weather throws at them.