Agawan Base, One of my Favorite Traditional Game in 80's

Agawan base is another traditional games in Philippines that is so popular from the past 2-3 decades. In our old school in Elementary, these game is one of our favorite, especially the boys. We are playing this game starting Grade1 up to Grade 6 during break time and after class.

The mechanics is easy and better if you are many players for each teams. There are two teams assigned for each base. The base we used before is a flat stone, this stone is approximately five to ten inches in diameter and we typically placed at the bottom of tree's trunk or side of a wall. The distance between two bases is good for about thirty to fifty meters for better allowance and mobilization. The goal of each team is to tag the other team's base using their feet, then shouting "base!!!". It is usual practice to guard your base by one to two person while other players of your team are running to tagged opponent players or their base. The technique in this game is to attract opponent players to run for you and attempt to tag you while you are trying to make close in their base for a possible tag, same idea with other member of your team so your opponent base will be left less guarded and an opportunity for your team to make a tag. Take note that the penalty of being tagged is you will become prisoner of the other team. Increasing your prisoners is a technique also to minimize the guard of your opponents base, but on the other side it will become disadvantage because all prisoners will link each other using their hand or feet connected to make short distance from your base waiting for rescue from their team.

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Agawan Base, Prisoners are being rescued by their teammates

The decision which one wins will be based on the score of tagged for each others base. Sometimes there is a possibility that both teams has no score because time is short or due to a better defense for each base against the tagger. Typically we played this game minimum of thirty minutes to one hour with five to ten players for each team until every one are tired enough to run.

The video below is played in school with another variation wherein every tagged for each player will be counted as score.

The following video is played by small kids in street same in my old days 3 decades before.