Unleashing the Power of Speed Stacking: How My Students Are Stacking Up Skills for Success in 2025
- Rachel Dudley
- Jan 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 23
At the end of last year, I was fortunate enough to observe how Speed Stacking was so successfully used to support learning by Learning therapist Thekle Eilers in her practise in Bremen. Speed stacking, often called cup stacking or sport stacking, is an exciting sport where participants quickly stack specially designed plastic cups in specific orders. This fast-paced activity not only demands agility and hand-eye coordination but also focus, rhythm and practice. Beyond the fun, speed stacking serves as a powerful educational tool as well. So as we enter the new year, my first investment for my Learning Therapy students? I've invested in a speed stacking set! And today, I want to share with you how you can stack your kids' way to sharper vital skills whilst having a littlle competitive fun!
Understanding Speed Stacking
In speed stacking, individuals or teams compete to arrange and unstack a series of cups as quickly as possible. This activity is not only enjoyable but also enhances physical speed and coordination and reinforces teamwork. Over the past few years, this sport has gained immense popularity in schools, clubs, and communities across the globe. While it might appear as just a timed challenge, the true benefits of speed stacking are extensive and impactful.
Left-Right Coordination
Speed stacking significantly improves left-right coordination. As students stack and unstack cups, they must engage both hands with precision. This exercise enhances fine motor skills crucial for everyday activities like writing or using utensils. For instance, students who practice speed stacking regularly can see an improvement of up to 30% in their coordination within just a few sessions (1). Particularly for children with difficulties in spelling and handwriting, activating left-right coordination can have a powerful learning effect. It's amazing to observe the transformation in their skills over time!
Speed Development
The competitive aspect of speed stacking encourages students to improve their times. Many students aim to reduce their times week by week, giving them a clear and exciting goal. A study by Hansen et al. found that nocive speed stackers can make a lasting improvement to their average stacking times of up to 30% after just 20 minutes of practice, compared to those who don't train (2). This drive teaches students that speed comes from efficiency, not just rushing through tasks. During practices, friendly competitions spark motivation and excitement, turning learning into a joyous activity. Transferring that experience of personal improvement and competitive fluency into improving fluency and error free speed in academic tasks can be hugely motivating.
Body Crossing
Body crossing is another essential skill enhanced through speed stacking. Students frequently need to cross their arms, allowing them to reach and stack cups more effectively. This skill proves beneficial in a range of physical activities and daily tasks. 2019 studies by Brodel et al and Cairney et al. found that activities promoting midline crossing enhance communication between the brain hemispheres (3) and have a positive association with early literacy and math skills (4).
Rhythm and Timing
As they engage in speed stacking, students cultivate a sharp sense of rhythm and timing. Learning when to lift a cup or shift their hands is crucial for peak performance. This skill goes beyond stacking, as it can also benefit their feeling for rhythm in language, music and sports, where timing plays a fundamental role. Improving rhythm in segmenting words into syllables, nemonics for sspellings,and a feel for rhythm and patterns in number are all related skills that can benefit.
Frustration Tolerance
Speed stacking teaches students valuable lessons in dealing with challenges and managing frustration. They face various setbacks, like cups falling or not replicating their previous best times. This process of confronting obstacles builds resilience and teaches students that progress is not always linear. Over time, students learn to embrace setbacks as part of their journey, fostering a mindset that encourages perseverance—an essential trait for overcoming challenges throughout life.
The Relationship Between Practice and Improvement
One of the most impactful lessons learned through speed stacking is that practice leads to improvement. Each stacking session builds their proficiency, and students often observe a direct correlation between their efforts and their speed gains. This understanding that commitment to practice leads to mastery shapes how they approach other skills, promoting a work ethic that values consistent practice.
Focus, Midfulness and Self Regulation
Speed stacking requires intense focus, and students come to understand that their ability to concentrate directly impacts their speed. They learn that distractions can hinder their progress, reinforcing the importance of mindfulness. For example, a study from Serbia, conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown, showed that children who trained with an online speed stacking coach showed improved midfullness and emotional regulation compared to control groups (5). This realization not only aids their stacking performance but also enhances their focus and self regulation in other academic and extracurricular areas.
The Importance of Short Breaks and Task Switching
It's long been the consensus that short breaks to rest or change activity help us to digest material and regain focus. There is even evidence that skills can imporve more dring short breaks between practise than dring practice itself, as the brain rehearses and consolidates the learning connections (6). During speed stacking sessions, students benefit from stepping back to breathe and reset. A metastudy of Brain Breaks by Singh et al. in 2019 (7) found evidence that breaks including physical movement and exercise were more effective than rest breaks alone. With my new Speed Stacking materials all ready to go in sessions, I plan to alternate a round of speed stacking with academic tasks, in order to further enhance motivation and focus.
Want to learn more? Learn all the official stacks and techniques at speedstacks.com
It's Fun Too!
One of the most compelling reasons to incorporate speed stacking into learning therapy is simply that it is incredibly fun! Competing against themselves or others brings energy and excitement to the activity. Having witnessed Learning Therapy students take their renewed focus and sense of success from a new best time in speed stacking and apply it to a timed reading task, I can speak to the smiles and laughter it sparks as well as the learning! Finding joy in learning is a powerful motivator—a fact that fuels my enthusiasm for integrating speed stacking into our educational programs! And you might just find me practicing a little too!
Something to work towards?? World record sport stacking in action
Referrences:
(3) Brodal, P. (2019). The central nervous system: Structure and function. Oxford University Press.
(4)Cairney, J., Rigoli, D., & Westfall, D. R. (2019). Crossed and uncrossed tasks provide evidence of motor skill differentiation in children. Child Development, 90(4), 1274-1284.
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