A hand throwing two dice

Dice

  • Works with groups of all abilities
  • Perfect for core/circuit training and drills
  • Ideal for groups of 6-15 players
  • Works best on grass or mats

Using dice is a good way to add an element of randomness and fun to a session and to get athletes engaged and make them feel involved.

Equipment

Ideally a large dice for ease of visibility, but a smaller dice can also be used.

Setting Up

Arrange participants in a circle so that everybody has plenty of room to perform each exercise.

Playing

Each number on the dice is associated with an exercise. The group leader or one of the participants rolls the dice and the group must then perform that exercise. Play continues for a predetermined time or number of rolls. The activity works best if each person in the group takes a turn rolling.

Group Size

With less than six players the session doesn't seem as fun, and with more than 15 it can start to take quite a while to get through all players.

The game is slightly more enjoyable with smaller groups and a big dice so that everybody can see the number as the dice lands and grin or groan according to the exercise associated with the face value.

Variations

Dice Galore

Using several dice, dice with more than the standard six sides, or rolling more than once, allows for more exercises to be included.

Extra Random

Extra rolls can be carried out to determine how long to perform each exercise for, with each number on the dice associated with a length of time. Recovery time can also be decided this way.

Roll Your Own

Each participant has their own personal dice and their own personal roll determines their exercise. This detracts slightly from the fun element, and a better alternative is to have a separate dice for each of several small groups. This option works really well for large groups that can be sub-divided.

Running

Although the game works extremely well for circuit/core sessions, it's also possible to use dice to determine rep length/recovery time for running sessions as well. Simply arrange for all runners to return to the rolling area following each rep. Think carefully about positioning and rep length so that this doesn't upset the flow of the session too much.

An idea that allows more freedom with rep length is to have one of the runners in the group carry a dice and then roll it immediately following each rep so that recovery time and/or the next rep's length can be determined promptly without having to return to base first.

Real World Example

The following list of exercises is created:

Number Exercise
1 Running high knees
2 Squats
3 Press ups
4 Burpees
5 Calf raises
6 Plank

The left column represents numbers on the dice and the right column the associated exercises.

There is a group of nine athletes and the session is taking place in a field. The athletes are organised in a circle. Each athlete is to roll the dice twice. The first roll will determine the exercise to be performed and the second roll will determine the amount of time for which that exercise is performed (which will be the face value of the dice multiplied by ten).

The first athlete throws the dice and it lands on 4 which is associated with burpees. The player rolls again and the dice lands on 5. Since 5 × 10 = 50 the group performs burpees for 50 seconds.

The dice is then passed to the athlete on the left who throws a 2, which is associated with squats. The second roll also yields a 2. Since 2 × 10 is 20 the group performs squats for 20 seconds.

Play continues until everybody has had a turn throwing the dice.

When everybody has thrown it's noted that the dice hasn't landed on 1, which is associated with running high knees. As a special bonus everybody performs the running high knees drill for one minute.

Tips

Accommodate different abilities by offering different exercise options for each number on the dice. One easier exercise and one harder.

A good idea is to match increasing numbers on the dice with increasingly more difficult exercises. I.e. with lower numbers linked to easier exercises and higher numbers linked to harder exercises.

Having a big print-out of all the exercises is a good idea so that everybody can see immediately after the roll what they must do next.

Danger

Ensure participants have plenty of room for all the exercises they are to perform. Some exercises will require more space than others.

Since the activity involves a range of different exercises it's important to make sure before each exercise that everybody is comfortable performing it.

Remember to warm up before your session and cool down afterwards.