Duck On A Rock

Source: Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium
Category: MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVE GAMES



_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._



Each player is provided with a stone, called a "duck," about the size
of a baseball. A large rock or post is chosen as the duck rock, and
twenty-five feet from it a throwing line is drawn. On this duck rock
one player places his duck and stands by it as guard. This guard is
selected at the outset by all of the players throwing their ducks at
the duck rock from the throwing line. The one whose duck falls nearest
to the rock becomes the first guard. The other players stand behind
the throwing line and take turns in throwing at the guard's duck on
the rock with their stones, trying to knock it from the rock. After
each throw a player must recover his own duck and run back home beyond
the throwing line. Should he be tagged by the guard while trying to do
this, he must change places with the guard. The guard may tag him at
any time when he is within the throwing line, unless he stands with
his foot on his own duck where it first fell. He may stand in this way
as long as necessary, awaiting an opportunity to run home; but the
moment he lifts his duck from the ground, or takes his foot from it,
he may be tagged by the guard. Having once lifted his duck to run home
with it, a player may not again place it on the ground.

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. Several players may thus be waiting at once to recover
their ducks, some of them near the duck rock with a foot on their
ducks, others at a distance. Any player tagged by the guard must
change places with him, placing his own duck on the rock. The guard
must quickly recover his duck and run for the throwing line after
tagging a player, as he in turn may be tagged as soon as the new guard
has placed his duck on the rock.

A stone that falls very near the duck rock without displacing the duck
may also prove disastrous to the thrower. Should a stone fall within a
hand span (stretching from finger tip to thumb) of the duck rock
without knocking off the duck, the guard challenges the thrower by
shouting "Span!" whereupon he proceeds to measure with his hand the
distance between the duck rock and the stone. Should the distance be
as he surmises, the thrower of the stone has to change places with
him, put his own duck on the rock, and become the guard. This rule
cultivates expert throwers.

When used in a gymnasium, this game may best be played with bean bags,
in which case one bag may be balanced on top of an Indian club for the
duck on the rock.

The modern Greeks play this game with a pile of stones instead
of the one rock or stake with the duck on top. The entire pile
is then knocked over, and the guard must rebuild the whole
before he may tag the other players. These variations make the
game possible under varied circumstances, as on a flat beach,
or playground where no larger duck rock is available, and add
considerably to the sport.


Next: Dumb-bell Tag

Previous: Drop The Handkerchief

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