The Games We Played as Kids: Outdoor Games Edition II
Here are more Pinoy games for you:
1. Tamaan-Bata
This game needs two teams with equal number of members to be played. Tamaan-bata is translated to "hit the kid" which is exactly what is to be done in the game. Tamaan-bata is basically a dodgeball game but uses only one ball. The players will decide who's gonna be the "it" by tossing a coin.
The "it will then be divided into two and will stand guard on both ends of the playing ground. The opponents will stay in the middle of the division at a reasonable distance. A ball should be used by all the "it" to strike the opponents. If a player is hit by the ball, he will be eliminated. The ball will be tossed and passed between the two ends hitting the opponents midway until everyone is eliminated. It will be the prerogative of the "it" to strategize on how to wipe out the running and avoiding opponent. That's when the players will change turns.
If the "it" team was able to reduce the opponent's number to one, that player will have the chance to revive all his eliminated team mates by avoiding 3 strikes of the "it". Note that throws in a projectile motion are not considered as strikes.
When we were kids, we used tennis balls and unused papers crumpled into a ball binding it with adhesive tapes to keep it together. I personally prefer the latter as ball because it's not very painful when smacked by it. But as an "it", I prefer the tennis ball because I can easily throw it. (evil laugh) 😈
2. Syato
This game uses a long and a short stick. It is also called syatong or chatu in other areas of the Philippines. Two persons or two teams can play the game. A wide open space is needed to play the game. A land is much preferred in order to dig an elongated shallow hole. The first to go is decided by hitting the short stick with the long one. The player who cast it the farthest is the first to go. There are many variations of this game.
The first variation of the game needs the short stick to be positioned horizontally on the furrow. The first member will use the long stick to catapult the short stick as far as it takes. The opponent will stay in front of the first player to try and catch the short stick. If the opponents succeeded, the players will loose their turn. If not, they will continue to the second part.
The short stick is then, place inside the hole parallel to the furrow slightly elevated. Then, the second member needs to hurl the short stick out of the furrow using the longer stick and hit it again and again to throw it even farther. All the remaining members will do this and when all is done, the "it" should take the short stick from where it landed to the furrow while shouting "SYAAAAAATOOOOOO!" If he was able to reach the furrow without loosing his breath, they will take the turn, otherwise, the players will play again.
The other variant is played similarly like baseball. Just like the first form, the short stick will be projected out of the furrow using the long stick. The "it" will try to catch it. If they failed, they will have a second chance of taking the turn by hitting the long stick placed horizontally in the furrow. If they failed again, the game will continue.
This time, the short stick will be placed parallel to the furrow slightly elevating it. The player will hit the short one using the long one and try to hit it. If he failed, then the team looses the turn. The player should hit the long stick 3 times in order to have an advantage. In the third one, he should hit it as hard as he could to pitch it as far as it can get. The opponent will once again try to catch the short stick. If they fail, the game will continue.
If he was able to hit it only twice (first when hurling it out of the furrow, second when hitting it away), the long stick will be used to count the shatong points. Counting the shatong points is done by placing the end of the long stick at the site where the short stick landed and start moving it towards the furrow in a straight line counting the distance. (One count for each stick distance) However, if the player successfully hit the short stick thrice, then the short stick will be used to measure the distance towards the furrow. This will make the players gain more points because the shorter stick will take more distance counts because it is short. The team with the higher shatong points is the winner.
3. Chinchan
I love this game. This is the combination of Taguan and Tumbang Preso which is best played in an open space surrounded by houses or trees. A lot of players can join this game that'll make use of a can. The game's goal is basically kicking the can. Doing the ompyang will decide who'll be the "it".
A can will be used as the home base. The "it" will close or cover his eyes until all the players are hidden. He can count from 1-10 in order for the other players to know that he will look for them already. He will then try to find all the other players and if found them, he should touch the can while stating the name of whoever it is he found and where he found them. The players caught will then stay near the can until they are rescued.
On the other hand, the hiding players who aren't found yet will try to sneak behind the "it" and kick the can as hard as they could so that it'll be hurled far and long enough for the players to hide again. If all players are found, the first to be found will be the next "it" or the group could just make another ompyang.
4. Piko
This game is usually played by girls but will also be enjoyed by boys. I remembered this game as "Step-Baro" and not piko. According to Wikipedia, piko is the Philippine version of hopscotch. It can be played by 2 to 8 people.
It is best played in an open field with soil on the ground or a concrete floor. If the playground is soil, a stick could be used to draw the the divided diagrams while a chalk is used to make the figure on a cemented playing field. The players will need a "pamato" which is a mainstay preferably anything flat such as an even rock, a small floor tile or a thick glass shard. Other provinces uses fruit peel.
The first player to go will throw his pamato to one of the boxes (starting from box 1) and will hop on each part to get it and come right back to where he started. He will then, throw it again and repeat what he did in the first until the last box is reached. The parts are not necessarily boxes. It's still dependent on what kind of piko is played. If the player is able to pass through all the parts without making a mistake, he will be able to choose a bahay (home) among the boxes by throwing his pamato on his back to the piko diagram. Other players are not allowed to step on that bahay except when the owner draw a tenga (ear) where the other players can step into.
The players will have their turn if the previous player stepped on the lines of the piko or if the pamato did not landed on the intended box. The player will also loose his turn if he fell while hopping.
5. Patintero
This game is played by two teams with at least 3 members each. This is a famous game in the cities and not in provinces as well as islands. This is not a common game in our neighborhood. We played this in school, though, during our Physical Exercise in MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education, Health).
The goal of the game is get past the taggers without getting tagged or caught and get back to where the player started to score a point. The players who are tagged are out of the game. If all are tagged out and/or finished scoring their run, the roles will change. The previous taggers will do the running and getting away, while the runners will defend. The team who makes the most points will win the game.
6. Luksong Baka
Lukso means jump while baka means cow. But this game doesn't use cow to be played. It is similar to Luksong Tinik but is slightly different. It is best played in wide open fields without obstruction.
The whole body is used as the obstacle. The "it" who is the baka will position himself while all other players jump past him. The player who fails to jump over the baka will replace the latter. One can also be the baka if his foot or bottom get caught or touches the baka. The stages becomes difficult as the game progresses since the taya will rise up once the jumpers are done skipping over. The stages will repeat if the last stage is reached with no one falling over or having any unacceptable contact with the taya.
Note: Touching the obstacle using the hands is the only contact accepted as long as it's used as support in jumping. The jumper is not responsible if the obstacle fall down upon doing so. It is necessary that the "baka" should be firm. However, the safety of the players should be carefully observed.