Jessie Hubbell Bancroft

“ A good captain will select his players for the playing qualities needed in the particular game to be played. These qualities will vary in different games, and different players may be chosen for excellence in one particular direction, such as swift running, agile dodging, boldness in giving dares and taking risks; in ball games, skill in catching or throwing, or other forms of play; and in all games, the ability to "play fair," and to coöperate generously and with good temper. A player may be unskillful, and yet very valuable as a general helper if he possesses the qualities for coöperation. ”

“ The method of combat is entirely confined to engagements between any two of the opposing players, and is in general of the nature of a "tug of war." They may push, pull, or carry each other so long as they remain upright; but wrestling or dragging on the ground are not allowed. Any player so forced over the guard line becomes a prisoner to his opponent and is thereafter out of the game. If he be a besieger, captured by a defender, he is placed within the prison in the center of the fortress, and may not thereafter escape or be freed unless the general should make an exchange of prisoners. ”

“ The natural desire to learn how a decision was reached in an athletic event must be held in check until the judges have opportunity to announce fouls or other features of scoring that determine the result. It should always be borne in mind, by both players and coaches, that the officials, who are each concentrating on some one feature of the play, know what happens far more accurately than the general observer. It is also thoroughly unsportsmanlike, and counts as a foul, disqualifying a player, if he receive directions or coaching of any sort from an instructor during a game. ”

“ A throw for a basket made with even one foot outside of the outer boundary lines is a foul.
Guarding is done by holding the hands or arms over the opponent's ball to hinder the aim, but neither the ball nor the holder of it may be touched. Only one player is allowed to guard a thrower, no matter how many players may be in the small court where the thrower stands. The two opponents who first pair off at the opening of the game when places are assigned, act thereafter as guards one to the other, no other players being allowed to fill that office. ”

“ No distinction has been made in general between games for boys and girls. The modern tendency of gymnasium and athletic practice is away from such distinctions, and is concerned more with the time limits or other conditions for playing a game than with the game itself. This is a question that varies so much with the previous training and condition of players on the one hand, and on personal opinion or prejudice on the other, that it has been thought best to leave it for decision in each individual case. ”

“ SCORE.—A goal keeper scores one point for his team every time that he catches a ball which has not been touched by one of the guards around his goal. A ball caught by a goal keeper after being touched by a guard does not score.
In addition to the score made by goal keepers, a guards' score is kept, each player counting the number of balls he catches and holds, no matter where he be standing, whether in his position as guard or in the center base from which he is to be thrower. Such a catch by a guard scores one point, the guards reporting their points at the end of the game. ”

“ The butterfly verse for Jumping Rope is obviously another late production of the folklore spirit.
The lover of childish humor will find many delightful examples of it among the games, as where little Jacky Lingo feeds bread and butter to the sheep (Who Goes Round My Stone Wall?) ; or the Mother, trying the Old Witch's apple pie, discovers that "It tastes exactly like my child Monday!" The tantalizing "nominies" or "dares," as in Fox and Geese, and Wolf, and the ways in which players are trapped into false starts, as in Black Tom, are also highly amusing. ”

“ Should a player fail to hit the ball, the opponent has the next turn, either on service or after the ball is once in play.
Each player must keep entirely on his own side of the dividing line, both with his feet, his arms, and his racket. Neither player may step on or over the circle about the pole. If the string winds around the handle of a racket of one of the players, it is a foul. It is also a foul for the string to wind about the pole below the black mark, and counts against the player in whose direction it is wound ”

“ There should be nothing to distinguish the players from one another, each being dependent on his own memory and alertness to know to whom he is to throw the ball and from whom he is to receive it. The particular success of this game lies in having a very considerable number of balls in play at once. In this form the balls do not have to accumulate at the foot of the lines before being returned to the head, as the last Number One player to receive the ball tosses it directly across to the last Number Two player, who begins at once to zigzag it up the line. ”

“ Each player who reaches the enemy's goal safely may carry one stick back to his own goal, and may not be caught while carrying it back. If caught in the enemy's territory before reaching the goal, a player must remain a prisoner in the goal until touched by one of his own side; neither may be caught while returning. Any player may catch any opponent, except under the rules just stated. No stick may be taken by a side while any of its men are prisoners. The game is won by the side gaining all of the sticks. ”

“ In the higher team organizations of Basket Ball, Baseball, Football, there is such a distribution of functions, some players being forwards, some throwers, some guards, etc., though these parts are often taken in rotation by the different players. The strongest characteristic of team play is the coöperation whereby, for instance, a ball is passed to the best thrower, or the player having the most advantageous position for making a goal. A player who would gain glory for himself by making a sensational play at the risk of losing for his team does not possess the team spirit. ”

“ One player is chosen to be cat, and hides behind or under the teacher's desk. After the cat is hidden, the teacher beckons to five or six other players, who creep softly up to the desk, and when all are assembled, scratch on it with their fingers, to represent the nibbling of mice. As soon as the cat hears this, she scrambles out from under the desk and gives chase to the mice, who may save themselves only by getting back to their holes (seats) . If a mouse be caught, the cat changes places with him for the next round of the game. ”

“ The players pass the slipper or bean bag around the circle under the knees, the object being on their part to evade the vigilance of the odd player, who runs around on the outside of the circle trying to touch the person who holds the slipper. Many devices may be resorted to for deceiving the hunter, such as appearing to pass the slipper when it is not in one's hands, or holding it for quite a while as though the hands are idle, although it is not considered good sport to do this for very long or often. The players will use every means of tantalizing the hunter ”

“ Should the captain, in catching a ball, step over his base, the catch does not score, but if this be with only one foot, he has the privilege of throwing the ball to one of his basemen without interference from the guards. A throw from a guard in the opposite field to his own captain does not score. Kicking or striking a ball out of a player's hands is allowable. In trying to block a throw, guards may not touch basemen nor step within the bases. Guards will naturally be very watchful of the center, as successful catches by the captain score. ”

“ At any time a fourth player may run between this player and the chaser, diverting the chase to himself, and so on indefinitely. In other words, whenever a player crosses between the one who is It and the one being chased, the latter is at once relieved of the chase and ceases to be a fugitive. Whenever the chaser tags a player, that player becomes It. Considerable sport may be added to the game by the free players trying to impede the chaser and so help the runner,—getting in the way of the former without crossing between the two, or any other hindering tactics. ”

“ The guard may not tag any player unless his own duck be on the rock. Before he may chase the thrower, he must therefore pick up his own duck and replace it should it have been knocked off. This replacing gives the thrower an opportunity to recover his own duck and run home; but should the duck not have been displaced from the duck rock, the thrower may have to wait either at a safe distance or with his foot on his own duck if he can get to it, until some other thrower has displaced the duck on the rock, and so engaged the time and attention of the guard. ”

“ Any number of teams may compete, but should contain an equal number of players. The teams line up in single file, and the game consists in a competition between them in passing a basket ball backward overhead, followed by a short run for each player in turn.
A starting line is drawn across the playing space, behind which the teams line up. The players in a team must not stand close enough together to touch. An objective point or goal, such as a basket, is placed in front of each team at a good running distance,—at least fifty or seventy-five feet if the space admits of it. ”

“ In those of very little children there are very few, if any, restrictions; but as players grow older, more and more rules and regulations appear, requiring greater and greater self-control—such as not playing out of one's turn; not starting over the line in a race until the proper signal; aiming deliberately with the ball instead of throwing wildly or at haphazard; until again, at the adolescent age, the highly organized team games and contests are reached, with their prescribed modes of play and elaborate restrictions and fouls. ”

“ The teacher calls two numbers, when the players bearing those numbers must rise at once and exchange seats, the two chasers trying to catch them before they can get to their seats.
When a game is played under these circumstances, it is not permissible for the chaser to take a vacant seat; he must catch the player who is running for it. No player, having once left his own seat, may return to it, but must keep up the chase until he is caught or reaches the seat for which he is running.
This game gives opportunity for some very lively chasing, with good running and dodging up and down the aisles. ”

“ Each of the players but one chooses a tree, as for the games Puss in the Corner or Ball Puss. The object of the game for the odd player is (1) to kick the ball so as to tag one of the tree men with it, and (2) to secure a tree for himself, which he may do when no one else has it. The object of the tree players should be not only to avoid the ball by dodging, which may include running around the trees, but they should also try to exchange places as frequently as possible, their prowess in this way serving as an aggravation to the odd man. ”

“ COUNTING-OUT.—This is a very popular method among children. One player in the group, generally self-appointed, but sometimes chosen by popular consent, does the "counting out." He repeats a rhyme or jingle, touching one player on the chest for each accent of the verses. He always begins with himself and then touches the first one on his left, and so on around the circle or group in regular order. Any player to whom falls the last word is "out"; that is, he is eliminated from the succeeding counting and is not to be "It," generally a matter for rejoicing. ”

“ A teacher should be ready with suggestions for new games or occupation of some sort when interest wanes in a game that is being played; but a new game should not be suggested until there is evidence that players are tired of the old one. Do not make the mistake of thinking that children want to play games incessantly during a half-day session of a playground. Children like quiet [29] pursuits occasionally as well as do adults, and it is well to alternate games with such quiet periods and also with marching, gymnastics, folk dancing, or periods of free activity. ”

“ Prisoners may stretch out of the prison as far as possible so long as one foot is within it. As the number of prisoners increases, they may stretch out in one long file from the prison, provided each touches a hand or foot, or some other part of the next player. In such a file, the first prisoner captured should be the farthest away from the prison, the last one captured with at least one foot in the goal, and the others in relative order. After the first prisoner is caught, the game centers more on freeing or preventing the freeing of prisoners than on runs into the enemy's goal. ”

“ The rest of the players are sheep, with one of their number as leader. A place is chosen for a pen where the sheep must stay and blind their eyes while the wolf is hiding. This pen may be a tree or rock or a square or circle drawn on the ground. The leader counts one hundred, to give the wolf time to hide. The sheep then start out, but must all follow their leader "like sheep," looking for the wolf in each place where the leader may search for him. This game differs from most other hiding games in that the searchers are the ones who have to flee for safety when the hider is discovered. ”

“ Group play, by which is meant the division of a large number of players into smaller squads or groups, is undoubtedly the best method for getting the best sport and the greatest playing values out of most games. Such a division of players is not always an easy matter to inaugurate, untrained players being inclined to follow the teacher from point to point in the playground. This may be obviated by appointing group leaders, each of whom should understand the game to be played and be appointed to take charge of it. ”

“ Another example is the game of Wolf, for which additional features have been found that add greatly to its playing value, especially the rule whereby the wolf, when discovered by the sheep who are hunting for him, shall take a jump toward the sheep before his chase after them begins; or, should he discover them first, the requirement that they take three steps toward him before the chase begins. Such points add greatly to the sport of a game, and with the spoken formulas that accompany them form a rich find for both student and player. ”

“ The leader or teacher of a playground should approach his or her work largely in the spirit of the host or hostess whose duty it is to see that each individual guest is happy and has opportunity to share all of the pleasures of the occasion. But much more than this is involved in the relation of teacher and pupil. The teacher of games, or leader of children's play, needs, like all teachers, to have a sympathetic personal understanding of the players ”