Traditional Sport Games

MATERIALS & STRATEGIES FOR SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

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Traditional Sport Games [TSG]

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“The diversity of physical education, physical activity and sport is a basic feature of their value and appeal. Traditional and indigenous games, dances and sports, also in their modern and emerging forms, express the world’s rich cultural heritage and must be protected and promoted.” (UNESCO, International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, Art. 1.5., 2015)

The traditional game is a playful activity that reflects the hobbies and tendencies of a particular people, concerning the tradition of each society, transmitted from generation to generation by tales and legends in customs and rules of conduct.

TSG have health benefits, are inclusive and have a socialising influence (EC, 2016). TSG involve: motor skills (e.g. coordination, balance, flexibility and endurance); intellectual skills (e.g. leadership, memorization, strategy); as well as social and cultural skills (e.g. respect for others, coping and expressing emotions through creativity, cultural identification).

The following are considered benefits of traditional games (Hazelton, et al., 2015):

- TSG have old cultural roots but can be promoted like something new and fun – for kids of today.

TSG work in the local context and TSG are visible and practical, in contrast to Olympic Sport as a global phenomenon.

TSG have their starting point in local needs and possibilities.

TSG are heritage, culture and history that are worthwhile to learn about.

TSG reinforce cultural identities for many participants.

TSG have health benefits that can be seen as a part of healthy and active living.

TSG have a socializing influence to good morals when they emphasizes fairness, respect for diversity and ability and cooperation in the game. Participants make their own rules, unlike in sports where judges stand outside the game and make rules for all.

TSG, in general, are easy to do – with simple tools and few rules and easy to facilitate.

TSG are an activity that can involve all ages playing together. Many games can be adapted for persons with disabilities.

The tools to TSG are simple, inexpensive and can be homemade and carried around easily.

TSG are for the masses. Sport is for the classes (Dr. Deshpande HVP Amravati India).

It’s a simple, fun and sociable way to do physical activity, requiring no specific motor skills, no expensive materials, no specific locations; and privileging socialization, cooperation and joint activities, to the detriment of competitive aspects. It also has the power to unite generations, as they can be played throughout the lives of individuals and easily adaptable – so in modern society, TSGs are excellent tools for promoting family activities, intergenerational activities, quality-of-life promoters and of healthy living habits (Hazelton, et al., 2015).

Thus, TSG presuppose the diversity of the spaces in which they are played, the simple and economical materials, the temporality of their practice and the freedom, spontaneity and creativity that allow the promotion of their inclusion. They are played by people of all ages, genres, features, cultures, etc. And they can be divided into categories – The main European TSG classification concept is based on the eight traditional types of human physical activities (Bronikowska & Groll, 2015), which involve: Ball, Throwing, Shooting, Fighting, Animal Games, mobility and / or stunts.

First stone of the process, the Declaration of Punta del Este (MINEPS III) aimed at promoting the safeguarding and development of TSG through the elaboration of a worldwide list of traditional games and sports and governmental support.

(UNESCO, 2003)

Also part of the InSport project is the collection and gathering of good development practices from the selected activities. In this topic, it is important to highlight the project “Recall: Games of the Past – Sports for Today”, available at: http://recallgames.com/ – which shares with the InSport project two partner entities. It is a project led by TAFISA, supported by 12 partner organizations coming from all over Europe, including the UNESCO Chair, which was co-funded by the European Commission (TAFISA RECALL: Games of the Paste – Sports for Today, 2015).

The “Recall: Games of the Past – Sports for Today” project aims to “reintroduce Traditional Sports and Games into the daily lives of young people as a means to tackle social challenges of today – including the epidemics of physical inactivity, by documenting and disseminating TSG worldwide heritage. ”

We have described a few examples with their adaptions. For more traditional games with country characteristicis and country of origin can be found via recall games( http://recallgames.com/games):

Example of individual game …
Title	La Marelle	Adaptations
Aim of the Game	Starting from the earth (“Terre”), to reach the sky (“Ciel”) by jumping on the various boxes of the “Marelle” as quickly as possible.	Teaching Style: Provide clear and simple instruction. Demonstrate the game. Use a buddy system, with one player throwing the stone and one player moving to targeted box. Safety instructions to be tailored to the environment and participants playing the game.
Rules	Draw the “Marelle” either on a dirt field or with chalk on the pavement, as shown in the illustration. This game can be played individually or with up to 6 participants playing on the same drawing. You can draw several “Marelles” and divide a big group into several teams. The player starts from the “Terre” box and picks up the stone. S/he throws it with his/her hands into the first box and then hops on one foot into this box. S/he picks up the stone (remaining on one foot) and throws it into the 2nd box and hops into it, and then throws it in the 3rd box and hops on it. The stone thrown on either the 4th or 5th box is followed by a jump with both feet (left foot on the 4th box, the right foot on the 5th box). The game continues on until the player reaches the “Ciel”, where a player can stand with two feet. Then, the player must come as fast as possible back to “Terre” without throwing the stone, jumping with two feet on boxes 7 & 8 and 4 & 5, and on hopping on one leg on boxes 6, 3, 2 and 1. One’s turn ends when the stone goes out of the “Marelle,” a box is missed, a foot lands on the line, or, if one’s balance is lost. It is then the next participant’s turn to play, starting from “Terre.” Once their turn come again, players that faulted must re-start from the box where a fault occurred. The winner is the first player that manages to go back to “Terre.”	A player can have several attempts to land the stone in the target box without being penalized. The player can have the option to kick or push the stone. For wheelchair users, use different option to move through the boxes e.g. only 2 wheels can touch the ground, or they have to spin around in a circle before moving onto the next box
Equipment	Chalk to draw the “Marelle” on the concrete/asphalt ground; one little stone per player.	A ramp may be used with a boccia type ball to assist players with throwing Range of materials can be used that vary in weight, size, texture, density e.g. easy to grasp bean bags or bigger stones. A grabber (or equivalent) maybe used to help pick up the stone/bean bag.
Environment	Outdoor free space (concrete/asphalt pavement or dirt field)	Ensure the indoor/outdoor playing area has a smooth surface and is free of obstacles. Increase / decrease the size of the target boxes. For persons with visual impairment, mark borders and box numbers using thick strings or an embossing painting. For wheelchair users, enlarge the size of the boxes.

Team play example …
Title	La Billarda	Adaptations
Aim of the Game	To hit the “billarda” (pin) with the “mocho*” (stick or bat) in order to send it to the opposite field without it touching the ground. The players of the opposite team try to avoid this happening with their ‘mochos’.	Teaching Style: Provide clear and simple instruction Balance the ability level of the team Practice games before introducing scoring Encourage players to communicate throughout the game Safety instructions to be tailored to the environment and participants playing the game
Rules	Set up: Draw or mark a rectangle of about 20 x10 m. Within this rectangle draw two 2 m circles approximately 8 m apart. Each circle is the field for one team. Rules Before the game starts, players must agree on a number of points to reach (e.g. 5, 10, 15 or 20). They toss a coin to define which team starts. To hit the billarda, place it first on the ground. With the mocho, hit one of the sharpened ends of the billarda in order to toss it into the air. When it is flying, hit the billarda a second time with the mocho in order to place it into the opponent’s field. To avoid children’s injuries the players should hit the billarda with an extended arm every time to keep the appropriate distance between the piece of wood and their head. Players are not allowed to cross the line of their own field (the circle) while the “billarda” is in play. Players of each team take their turns during play. Three attempts are allowed to get the “billarda” out of one’s own field. The “billarda” can only be struck with the “mocho”, both in attack and in defence. Once the 3 tries are done, it is the other team’s turn to play and serve. Scoring system: 3 points are scored by the receiving team if the “billarda” is returned to the field of the team in service. 2 points are scored by the team in service if the “billarda” lands inside the receiving field; also if the “billarda” is touched with any part of player’s body of the receiving team. 1 point is scored by the serving team if the “billarda” touches the opposite field and then goes out of it. The winner is the team that reaches the agreed number of points first.	Introduce a time limit to the game Increase/decrease number of players on each team or on the defending team Vary the way the billarda is released (eg. It is tossed in the air before hitting, a tee is used) Increase/decrease the number of attempts each player has to hit the billarda Adjust the scoring system according to the level of ability of team members Set up target zones to allow players gain bonus points.
Equipment	“Billarda” – cylindrical wooden piece of a 2 cm diameter and 8-10 cm long sharpened on both ends, “mocho” – wooden stick or bat – approximately 80 cm long used to strike the “billarda”. Each player has to be equipped with a “mocho”.	Range of balls can be used that vary in weight, size, speed, texture, density etc. Range of bats that vary in weight, size and material can be used Audible equipment can be used ( e.g. bell or rattle ball, bases that have a buzzer) Brightly coloured equipment can be used
Environment	Indoor or outdoor area, approximately 10x20m big.	Increase/decrease the playing area/distance between the circles Ensure the indoor/outdoor playing area has a smooth surface and is free of obstacles

Thus, it is verified that the “game” of adaptations always uses the TREE Model, using the strategies, highlighting that (Hazelton, et al., 2015):

At the Teaching Style level: one should foster discovery and imagination – valuing the “Everyone wins, nobody loses” perspective; Encourage players to communicate between each other; Provide success experiences, in the sense of athletes enjoy sport more and have a greater chance of structural participation.
At the Rules level: These are simple games with few rules – and existing ones can be adapted;
At Equipment level: materials should be simple to handle, economical – many of them recycled – and light to be easily transported. Be sure to vary objects (weight, size, speed, texture, density, etc.) by inserting audible equipment and coloured material.
At the Environment level: Verify that they are safe and accessible places to practice and can adapt the practice to available places (using indoor and outdoor spaces)

Safeguarding and promoting Traditional Sports and Games (TSG) as sports practices and intangible cultural heritage is a key challenge for the future development of sport and societies. (UNESCO, 2003)

TSG are a reflection of different cultures and traditions, an opportunity to learn, learn and communicate world cultures – diversifying learning, experiencing the sporting heritage of different cultures and “building bridges” of international understanding and cooperation (Bronikowska, et al., 2015).

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