A cheetah chasing prey

Tag

  • Good for groups of mixed abilities
  • Works endurance, speed and agility
  • Ideal for groups of 5-20 players
  • Perfect for the parks

Tag is the classic playground game. The rules are simple and pretty much everybody already knows how to play.

Equipment

20 or so flexi-cones to mark out the play area and if playing the cumulative tag variation then bibs to help identify taggers (one per person).

Setting Up

Identify an area free from hazards with good traction and mark out an area of play with the flexi-cones.

Nominate one of the team "it".

Playing

The player designated "it" chases the other players around within the coned area. Once a player is tagged (touched on the shoulder) they become "it" and start chasing everybody around.

Rules

  • No "tag-backs". If a player is tagged by another they cannot immediately tag that player back. It's best to set a short time period (ten seconds is good) during which the previous tagger is immune, especially when playing with younger athletes.
  • Players must stay within the coned play area.

Group Size

Five or six players are needed to make the game fun. Beyond about 20 it becomes difficult to coordinate and for everybody to be aware of who is currently "it".

Variations

Cumulative Tag

In this version of the game more than one person can be "it". Everybody that is tagged becomes a tagger.

This can get very confusing so it's useful if some bibs are available. When a player is tagged they can leave the play area temporarily and put on a bib so it's obvious who's who.

The winner is the last person to be tagged, although it's often difficult to work out exactly who this is since towards the end of the game, with so many taggers, several people end up getting tagged simultaneously. Make the play area much larger for this variation of the game otherwise it will be over very quickly.

Tagged and Out

In this version of the game once a person is tagged they must leave the play area. The original tagger remains throughout the entire game. When there is only one person remaining the tagger has thrity seconds to tag them and win. If they do not manage then the last remaining player wins.

Real World Example

There is a group of 13 athletes and the session is taking place in a large field.

20 cones are laid out in a large circle to mark the play area.

The run leader thinks of a number between one and thirteen and each athlete chooses and announces a number from one to thirteen in turn. The first athlete to correctly guess the number that the run leader is thinking of is given the honour of being the first tagger.

The tagger chooses a spot to stand within the coned area and then all other players pick a starting point, which is unsurprisingly as far as possible from the tagger.

The run leader blows a whistle and the tagger begins chasing the other players. Each time a player is caught they leave the play area, jog a lap around the cones as a forfeit, and then put on a bib. They then rejoin the play area as a tagger.

Tips

Be very clear about the rules, such as "no tag-backs" and the boundaries of the play area, before the game begins.

Danger

Because of the sudden turns and acceleration that the game requires ensure a surface with good traction, especially in wet conditions.