If you grew up playing games outdoors during the school holidays, chances are you know Drie Blikkies.
The literal translation is “Three Cans”, and the game was a favourite for those long summer afternoons on the Cape Flats when a group of friends could turn a few old tins and a tennis ball into hours of fun.
Drie Blikkies was also wonderfully cheap. You could find a few empty tins in a field or rummage through a rubbish bin, grab a tennis ball and call your friends. That was pretty much the equipment sorted.
A local park or open field made the best playing area. You needed enough room for everyone to run, dodge and rebuild the cans. A street could get awkward, with passing cars and pedestrians breaking up the game.
What is Drie Blikkies?
Drie blikkies is a team game built around a tower of three empty cans.
One player guards the cans while everyone else tries to knock the tower down with a tennis ball. Once the cans fall, the chase begins.
The other players have to run from the guard while also trying to rebuild the tower. The guard has one job: get the ball and tag a player by hitting them with it before the cans go back up.
It sounds simple. Once everyone starts running in different directions, things get lively very quickly.
What you need to play Drie Blikkies
| Item | What it is used for |
| Three empty cans | Used to build the can tower |
| Tennis ball | Used to knock down the cans and hit players |
| Open field or local park | Gives players room to run |
| Group of friends | The essential ingredient for a proper game |
How to play Drie Blikkies
1. Build the can tower
Place three empty cans on top of each other to create a small tower.
2. Form a circle
The players gather in a circle around the three cans. The guard takes their position in the middle beside the cans. The players remain around the outside of the circle as they take turns trying to knock the cans over.
3. Choose the guard
One player takes the role of the guard. They remain by the cans and defend the tower.
4. Knock down the cans
Everyone else takes turns trying to knock the cans over with the tennis ball.
Once someone sends the tower flying, the real game begins.
5. Run!
As soon as the cans fall, the players scatter and run away from the guard.
The guard grabs the ball and tries to hit one of the players with it.
6. Rebuild the tower
While the guard is chasing players with the ball, the rest of the group works together to put the three cans back up.
This is where teamwork comes in. One player may be watching the guard while another heads for the cans. Everyone needs to keep an eye on the ball too.
7. Watch out for the ball
If the guard hits a player with the ball before the tower has been rebuilt, that player is out.
If the group manages to rebuild the tower first, the round ends.
The basic Drie Blikkies rules
| Rule | What happens |
| Three cans are stacked | They form the target tower |
| One player is the guard | The guard protects the cans |
| Other players throw the tennis ball | The aim is to knock the tower down |
| The cans fall | Players scatter |
| The guard retrieves the ball | The chase begins |
| Players rebuild the cans | They work together while avoiding the ball |
| A player gets hit before the tower is rebuilt | That player is out |
| The tower is rebuilt | The round ends |
Where to play Drie Blikkies
A local park or open field is ideal because everyone has room to run. Grass also gives players a bit of space when the chase gets going.
The street can make things awkward. Cars and pedestrians can pass through the playing area and interrupt the game. An open field keeps the game moving and gives everyone room to scatter when the cans come down.
Author: Editorial Team
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