h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Our teachers weren’t indifferent, it’s just that they never bothered to check the field properly. A lot of entertainment was had from this game at my first primary school, I don’t remember there ever being any serious injuries.

The best technique to use for breaking through the line is to look for the person, who really doesn’t want to be there and then charge directly towards them yelling at full volume.

It’s brought back a few memories.

at my school, we played slightly differently.
the two teams would join hands, and then both would charge at eachother at full lick, and i don't rightly remember what happend after that. there must have been some sort of rules but im jiggered if i can remeber.

I'd never heard of the linked hands version. The version we played started with 1 person in between the two boundary lines. He would call one player, who would have to make the far side without being tackled. If tackled, he would then become a second tackler in the middle waiting to catch more people.

This game was banned at our school, but lived on in the Scouts.

Astarach, i remember that version you mentioned, but i think here, it is known as "British Bulldog"

Justin

Isn't this the same as the game we called British Bulldogs? This would have been in the early '80s. I think it was later banned from the playground as too many injuries were happening.

British Bulldogs and Red Rover are two completely different games. We played both at the village primary school.

Bulldogs was eventually baned, but we were still allowed to play Red Rover.

I remember my primary school P.E. teacher actually TEACHING us this game. That and dodge ball for when the weather was too bad to go outside. Dodge ball is basically the indoor version. Those big red balls can HURT when they are thrown hard enough!

But our favourite game for the playground amongst the kids was never so regimental as Red Rover... Nope, and we didn't even have a fancy name for it. It was just known as "Kill The Man With The Ball" (Never mind that it's a sexist title, the few girls that did play didn't mind.)

Oh.. this game was pure violence, no rules. The ONLY object of the game was to tackle whoever held the ball. Now while there were no rules, there was a penalty... Dogpiling!... At any moment and for ANY perceived infraction, anyone could yell "DOGPILE" and every standing player would jump on top of the tackle!

Why there were no serious injuries I have NO idea!

I did later hear of a better name for this game (I wish we had called it this) from a different part of the states... "Last Piece of Meat on Earth" This title very aptly describes the behaviour and motivations necessary for good game play.

I think the teachers condoned this behaviour because when we returned from recess we were all too worn out to misbehave for the rest of the day.

aye, i always loved a game of bulldog. Where i learned it you had to lift the takled person comleetly off the ground before they joined your team tho.