Ah yes, the times when the strongest would survive and the weak learned from mistakes and became stronger

Your name was called.....you went forward......never a thought of backing out....ever......death or glory

I miss life before smartphones. Thank you ❤

‘Tis a tale of time of the boldness and fearlessness of children. A time when we accepted the fate that the steadfast rules of playground engagement whilst our overlooking teachers smoked their cigarettes of choice far from the field of battle. They were difficult times, they were raw times, but they were times when we could show the true content of our character and be shaped into who we are today. Glory!

One of my absolute favorite feral games from the great outside!

Along with King of the Hill. The brutality that happened on top of a dirt pile was staggering.

When your name was called you went forward into battle never questioning or flinching. Only forward into the doom or glory.

Now that I think about it. We were savages.

Ah, yes. I remember well the days of Red Rover, Ghost in the Graveyard, Kick the Can, Tetherball, Foursquare, Freeze Tag, Heads' Up 7-Up. Yet, one of the most fraught of the playground amusements was the horizontal bar. As a young lady of the time, I never left home in a skirt without shorts underneath, so I could reveal my gymnastic prowess, not my Care Bear underwear. For any youngsters lurking about, the object was to flip/rotate around a fixed, horizontal, metal bar, using only the hands and/or the backs of the knees. After completing a number of death-defying, blister-inducing tricks, the truly brave or stupid added a final flourish with a dismount worthy of an athlete of the highest caliber. I never did manage the Death Drop. Oh, for the days when the only difficult decisions involved whether or not to pop blisters.

Red Rover was one of my best games. I myself was never defeated. I always broke through. Being the fat kid who could run fairly fast was a real skill.

It was an honor to do battle on those fields

Long live the 80’s!!

Red Rover, where we learned the flying elbow.

Asked my kids(10 and 9) I’m 45 if they had ever played red rover red rover and they looked at me as if I’d lost my head! Yes that explains so much about our kids these days!

This is just the best! The memories... The dislocated shoulder... Playing on, with a dislocated shoulder... Good times. ;)

What great memories of the play ground during the elementary years. All of the games we played in the late 70's and early 80's were bound in imagination and the desire to make daylight last as long as possible. One of my favorite memories of those years was simply playing 'king of the hill'. Nothing like a dirt pile and the neighborhood kids scrambling to the top to be 'king' if only for a little while.

the good old natural selection.

Kick the can, Capture the flag, Chinese frozen tag, and Red Rover. I have scars from all of these games. Never was physically strong or athletic in any way. Never was competitive either, but I loved these games because of the necessary team work and how it tested your mettle. I learned I was viscous in my strategy and great at distraction. Great memories.❤

Those were the good days when you really found out who was your loyal friends that truely stood by your side through thick and thin , fantastic days they were and we played rain or shine.

Red Rover and Dodgeball were my favorite games growing up

Gen Xer here. I never played RedRover, but I did play Kill the Guy with the Ball.

Red Rover was amazing. Lol!! So many great injuries.

The joys of Red Rover, King of the Hill and Tackle the Man with the Ball (Free-For-All) will remain unknown to the children of today, I fear. Who would be brave enough to pass along such knowledge in the face of the universal condemnation they would, surely, suffer?

I deeply miss the days of bloody noses, dislocated shoulder, and minor neck injuries from clotheslines. I don't miss the feeling of utter disappointment at being forced to join the ranks of the enemy troops if my mission to break the line failed.

Thank you for this, LOVE it, served 8 years hard time in Catholic school in the 80s then was released into public school LOL.

Yes and lest not we forget kick the can at dusk, when the darkness rose and you were left alone to guard the can, not knowing from which of the shadows the threat would come. The adrenaline pounding in your veins, all senses on high alert, life at it's finest.

Red Rover was what teachers had us playing in elementary and preschool. When we got older we played a harsher version called British Bulldog. Similar to Red Rover except it was full contact tackling.

That glorious moment whence your name was called and you sped headlong into battle giving no quarter and expecting none in return. Your only thought being to cause pain, break their spirits, and return victorious dragging a hostage back to your fortifications.

The 70's when red rover was a cry for battle. The blood stain left on the play ground was always there the next time red rover was called.

Ah yes the amazing Red Rover. My favorite method to use when I was called was the side step chop method. Basically I would find my target but run in straight line towards the 2 people to the left or right of them. At the very last second I would do a quick side step to my target and right as I connect with their arms I would do a downward chop on their arms. The wrist is the sweet spot.. Worked most the time. Got in trouble using it too once or twice. Just tell em when your arms are moving from the running that's why you hit them.

Those times are not forgotten by the strong

I remember playing "Smear the Queer" fondly, too. In smear the queer, one person (the queer) held a football, and tried to evade the other players. The players without the ball would tackle (smear) the person with the ball. We USUALLY played the game on grass, sometimes on a dirt field, and only occasionally in the street. Theoretically the queer could escape by tossing the ball to another player, who would then stop trying to tackle him, and would switch to trying to evade being brutally knocked into the earth by several of his friends. Escaping the violence by relinquishing the ball was bad form, and (worse yet) cheated you out of the painful fun and glory of being injured. - There was no scoring. - There was no formal field nor out-of-bounds line. - There was no base to touch in order to find safety. - There were no rules other than that you could only tackle the person who had the ball. - There was just struggle and violence and pain for the fun of it. We LOVED that game more than any other! For obvious reasons we could never play it with adult supervision, but most of the time, we had none, so we were good to go. Needless to say, from first through seventh grade, I ALWAYS had at least one skinned knee or elbow.

Such Great Videos! Love everyone of them. Please keep them coming! Your wisdom is great, your tales large and your remembrance full!

I'm old enough to remember the sting of the orange rubber dodgeballs, yet young enough that my peers do not. despite the multiple undiagnosed concussions camp counselors vs the campers wrought, I would not change a thing.

I'm literally crying. I miss it so. The screams an chants...christ I miss it.

I always enjoyed Red Rover. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the opponents to stop calling my name.😂😂🤣🤣😂😂

Yet again brought back another childhood memory of me in grade school! Simpler, great times and I can still remember the unbreakable bonds of bully’s hands lol! Good on ya, you made my day again… Cheers from Canada…

Let's not forget the asphalt play grounds. No padding for us, just tar pavement. Just flying out of the swing set hoping not to break a leg or fall down and skin knees or bloody our faces! I still have asphalt rocks in my knees from falling on the play ground, and I am almost 55.

I get such deep belly laughs out of every single one of your videos! I am a boomer and you just crack me up!

I miss the good ol' days. 😢

As one of the smallest guys in my school.. I remember this as: Red Rover, Red Rover, now knock my ass over. But though Red Rover was not my best sport, my size did give me advantage at the great game of dodgeball. You see I was small, but I had big hands and fast reflexes. Though Red Rover beat me, I avenged my losses on the field of battle called dodgeball and it was glorious!

Oh, my good sir. I always walk away from your videos with laughter and amusement. I still can't determine if your accent is authentic or part of your character. Quality entertainment. Thank you so much.

We never ever thought that we would be the only generation to grow up like we did 😢

Red rover, lawn darts & dodge ball; the triathlon of block battles.

This is true. The most common injury was broken collar bones but like you said, the teachers were on standby to collect little Timmy as another stood by to watch on for the next cry for help.

Oh man I loved red rover! One of the best games around.

Ah yes, red rover was a great game. I remember playing it in scouts not to long ago. It taught us how to be strategic and to evaluate our oppositions strength.

Do kids these days even know what a clothesline is?

This dude is AWESOME!!...& As agen x'er myself... totally agree...we weren't and still aren't soft...

Lmao, I have clothes-lined so many peers...ahhh, the memories❣

I loved to hear "Red rover red rover send Darren over" because soon I would hear tears and the lamentations of my opponents. I was always the largest kid in my class even though I was a year younger due to being a summer child. But oh how I enjoyed those games. Quickly though the school shifted from red rover to kick ball avoiding dodge ball which I also dominated because parents complained.

“Red rover, red rover, let (insert name) come over” lol can’t tell you how many time I received an injury over those words lol

Yes, those were the best of times!! When a man was a man and a woman was a woman!! There were no cry-babies, and if there were…We’d send them home crying for their mommies (eventually to wear her clothes too!)!!! Kids nowadays wouldn’t last a day, in our world/times!!! You Sir, make me reminisce and relive the days of old; the good old days!!!

The great outdoors. Great memories. I still have a limp from a tragic dodge ball accident. Oh how I wish I hadn't worn a dress that day. Sighs.

Love this!!!! I was always afraid I wouldn't be picked. Alas, I joined my team!!

The counter-gambit for the clothesline strategy was to throw both of your arms up, so that your elbows were are neck level, and your forearms covered your face. If the defenders still chose the clothesline, the charging armor of bone was sure to strike home, at the hands amd wrists of the defenders, either breaking their grip or injuring the clotheslining players. In either event, that player would not be keen to repeat the clothesline tactic, as the best that could be attained was a pyrric victory. On the battlegrounds of gym class, we learned battle strategy and courage under fire, through a crucible of blood and glory. We saw titans fall, and the triumph of the meek. Those were the days in which we learned who we truly were. Like you, sir, I miss those days.

The daily battles of the outside are never forgotten.

"Kill the Man" and "King of the Hill" as well... "Smashmouth Football," "Dodgeball," "Tetherball," and "Full-contact Hoops." We made every game a violent conflict. 😂

Miss that game. Not gonna lie- if a bunch of adults decided to play, I would be THERE.

Best description of that game I’ve ever heard man those were good times indeed!🇺🇸👍🏻

Ye old glory days of “kill the man with the ball”…. Or the permanent feel and taste of those red dodgeballs…..

By the Valor of our forefathers, we learned, yes, we learned. Perseverance, fortitude and battle techniques. We lost some, we won some. But the lesson itself was the point. We adapted to the ever changing environment that was our way of life. I have instantly subscribed.

Go Sparta! 😂

Ahh...yes, good times 🥰

Ah,yes.In the days before the oceans swallowed Atlantis,let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

I remember watching kids literally flip over my arms, get the air knocked out of them as they landed flat on their backs. Good time, good times indeed.

they have a new version of this game now. its a game of death battle ball in an octagon. its like training the kids for Mad Max battle domes

Gen X here 👋🏾👍🏾 this is the best description of this game 💯💯💯 love it!

when I was little,my uncle took us lil ladies aside,and gave us strategies on how to break their link n also how to properly clothesline the enemies.Those tips were some of the most valuable tips I've ever had.thank u unk

This is a 100 % accurate......& I say good elaboration big brother / Good Sir .

Loved this game but my all time favorite game was king of the hill! Battling in the before time for ultimate supremacy was and always will be a great experience!

Sooo accurate a description and sooo fun of a game. I feel bad for the children who never got to play.

Omg. I remember getting clotheslined so hard playing that game. Think I even rattle a few teeth loose on a few of those exchanges. Ah the good old days. I miss those days. Ngl.

Red Rover was my curse... always the tallest in my class, always the largest, and always the one that the other kids wanted to take out of the game. I usually managed to break through, but was sometimes stopped, by that dreaded clothesline

Red Rover Such good times

Always, at least one or two of the cohort was in a cast or had stitches. I remember cutting off my cast with a drywall saw early so I could ride my bike and make dirt jumps with shovels.

School yard memories.

Thunderdome wasnt just the third Mad Max movie, it was the story of Gen X childhood

Indoor dodgeball in gym class was fun too. The thick red rubber rhythm balls sure did sting.

Loved that game, Love your channel, it makes me smile daily!

I'm 47 and never played red rover. My favorite gym game was Circle Dodge Ball. Didn't know it was supposed to be 2 even lines facing each other until the movie Dodge Ball came out. In circle dodge ball all the girls would circle around the guys and throw the 8 red gym balls the group on the ring got. Then dodge balls would come from every direction until you got hit. Then the boys traded places and we would throw the balls at the girls as hard as we could until each girl was eliminated. Fat people got hit first. Easiest target.Bonus point for making somebody cry.

I remember a time when we were playing red rover outside against another classroom of kids. Our team decided to summon a fairly big kid. He saw that a girl named Alexa was holding hands with two kids much bigger than she was. She was one of the more skinny girls in the class. She was standing two kids down to my left. So the big kid saw the opportunity and he decided to run as fast as he could towards her left side. The guy holding her left hand grabbed as hard as he could to her. Well his grip was very strong, too strong. The big kid running didn't break through the line. But we instead heard a snapping noise as the bone in her left forearm broke. She started screaming and tried to retract her left hand from the other kid's grip, but her hand went floppy. One of the two teachers present ran inside the school to summon an ambulance for her. She was taken to the hospital and we didn't see her for about 2 weeks, when she returned with a purple cast on her left arm. They banned red rover at my school after that day.

The only time you could clothesline your friends and not be punished.

"With your shield, or upon it".

Sounds similar to British Bulldog. .. Great game!!!

king of the snowhill, dodgeball.... ahh yes

I am howling and in tears, this is sooo funny. And I love that you do it with a straight face….😂

A true spokesman fer us!

Our K-3 playground was covered in gravel. Our 4-5 playground was covered in asphalt. Dodgeball, Red Rover, etc. were blood sports. Most of us have the scars to prove it.

Dog piles, red rover, dog fights on the swings, Johnny cross. How did things get so messed up? I would blame the schools but they didn’t lower the education standards, they just embraced it.

Yes the days of old. We played these games. We survived when they say we wouldn't. We were feral . We Gen X are the feral . Stay feral my friends and you will be just fine.

Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.

Ah the days of mercurochrome on the knees!!! Battle scars.

And the younglings thought Game of Thrones were savage. We veterans of the Red Rover games laugh at their foolishness.

And tetherball. Where the largest kid would dish out concussions to the smaller ones every recess

How I miss the battle cry... "Break the line"

Ahhh childhood use to be so simple.

Smear the Kweerr ..where you had to single handedly carry the Nerf® football from one driveway "end zone" to the next driveway..over the lawn while your neighborhood friends all tried to annihilate you to the ground and get the ball.

It wasn't a school and playground. It was a barracks and training hall. Decades ago, in college, a group of us got the brilliant idea to have a game night to relive those elementary playground games. Some, like tag, are even better in your 20s because being in your athletic prime makes it that much more challenging. But we had to call the Red Rover match early because being young and in your athletic prime makes it that much more dangerous. A 60lbs child running at 8mph is easy to stop when your bones are still quite elastic. Restraining 200 lbs of sprinting adult when your arms are fully ossified means fractures, dislocations, and torn tendons are much more likely. Ah, the days of dodgeball, four-square, mercy, and others on the blacktop.

This makes me think a bit of British Bulldog 1-2-3. Where it started off with one person verses everyone else. He would have to tackle and hold one of the others. While holding that person, he would shout "British Bulldog 1-2-3". If he was still holding that person, they'd swap sides and work with him. It carried on like this until everyone was after just one person.