Rules and player positions
The National Defense Academy of Japan explains the rules and positions as follows:Rules
* A match lasts two minutes. * A team loses when their pole is tilted to a 30° angle. A referee will indicate this using a flag, then declare the winner. * If no team's pole is lowered within the match time, the match remains undecided and will be repeated. * A team consists of 150 players, divided into attackers and defenders. Offense players wear shirts in their team's color, defense players wear white shirts. * Punching, kicking, strangling, pulling heads, and similarly dangerous roughness are prohibited.Defense positions
* rider on top (上乗り, "rider on top"), a single player sitting or clinging to the top of the pole * circle (サークル, "circle"), players surrounding the pole in a circle * pole support (棒持ち, "pole support"), players inside the circle supporting the base of the pole * interference (キラー, "killer"), players interfering with attackersOffense positions
* attackers (遊撃, "attack"), individual offensive players * scrum (スクラム, "scrum"), formations of players plunging into the defensive circle, becoming springboards for attackers charging at the pole * chargers (突攻, "sudden attack"), players charging at the poleReferences
Further reading
* Bodlak, Tyler. '' The Scribe'' 12 November 2011External links
{{Commonscat-inline, Bo-taoshi Outdoor games Tag variants Japanese games Japan Self-Defense Forces Athletic sports