Tail-takingis a kind of team playin a spacious yard or playground, where eachof two teams tries to catch the tail of the line of other team which is formedwith players holding one another by the waist.

This game can be played in all seasons and is mainly played whenmany children of the same age gather.

They are divided into two teams before playing thegame.

It can be decided on by the toss whereby thewinners belong to a team and the losers to the other, or according to theplaces of their residence. Any of the methods is OK for deciding on the teams.

When the two teams are decided, each ofthem chooses its leader, called phyonjang in Korean. The leader should be the one who is not only tall andstrong but also capable of commanding histeam skilfully and catching the tail of the opponent.

Each childstands in a line behind the leader in order of stature, holding the waist orclothes of the one in front.

When the preparations areover, the game begins.

Each of the leaders should prevent the opponent from catching his team’s tailand try to take the tail of the other.

Each of the leaders plays an important role in thegame.

Whether the opponent’s tail is caught or not totally depends on the role of the leader.

He must play a pivotal role in preventing his counterpart from catching his team’s tail.

For example, if the opponent rushes to the left to take the tail of the other, the latter’sleader must quickly open his arms tocheck him and at the same time change the direction of his team to take the tail of the former.

The leaders should employall possible means andmethods including attack, defence,deception and counterattackto lead his team to win.

The role of the tails (the last boys) of bothteams is also important in the game. Each of them should carefully watch themovements of the opponent, see through his team leader’s tactics and change hisdirection in time as intended by the leader.

If the leader and tail failto ensure unity of action, the middle part of the line may break or the tail may be caught.

The children in the middle part also play a big rolein the game. Only when they act promptly according to the leader’s tactics ofdefence or attack, can the tail move accordingly.

The more children take part in the game, the funnier it is.

The winner of the game is the team that catchesthe opponent’s tail first. And if the line of any team is broken when one childin the middle part misses the waist of the other in front of him or any of theteams falls down while circling in an attempt to catch the other’s tail, theteam loses the game.

It can be also played by setting a child as atagger instead of dividing players into two teams or by making the leader of ateam catch its own tail.

The game helps children develop the ability to judge situations, buildup their physical strength and cultivate the spirit of ensuringthe unity of collective action.