Tuho: Korean Pot Toss

A traditional Korean game once played at the royal court and still enjoyed at holidays like Lunar New Year: tossing arrows into a tall pot. In the school version, students toss relay batons into a bucket from increasing distances. Students work on accuracy and throwing control.

How to play

1. Make 5 groups of 5. Each group puts a bucket inside a hoop and sets cones at 2, 3, and 4 yards (2 min).
2. Each player tosses 4 batons per turn from 2 yards, underhand with a straight arm. In the bucket is 2 points; in the hoop is 1.
3. The thrower collects the batons, hands them to the next player, and calls out the score; the team keeps a running total (5 min).
4. At 30 points, the group moves to the 3-yard cone and then to 4 yards. The first group to reach 30 points from 4 yards wins (6 min).
5. Final round of trick throws, backward or with the non-dominant hand, worth double (3 min).

Rules

• No one goes to the bucket until the group has finished throwing.
• Always toss underhand.
• A baton that goes in and bounces out counts as a hoop point.
• All groups throw in the same direction.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: toss while seated, with the bucket raised on a bench.
• Visual impairment: a partner taps the bucket before each toss so the player can aim by sound.
• Skill level: each student picks their cone; all points count the same for the team.

Learning goals

• Control force and trajectory in accuracy throws.
• Learn about a traditional game from Korea and its holiday setting.
• Cooperate with the group by keeping score honestly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• buckets: 5
• batons: 20
• hoops: 5
• cones: 15

Teacher tip

The usual mistake is tossing with a bent arm and too much force: ask for a baton that barely spins and drops in vertically. Line up the buckets with groups behind them.

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