INDIRECT TRAINING OF PARKOUR (THROUGH GAMES)

[Philosofist]

Games such as PDQ and the obstacle course race on Wednesday at Acrosports take elements of parkour and parkour itself and fits it into a situation where you aren't training. It'd be a good idea to not only do group runs (already occuring) on weekend sessions, but maybe games like manhunt or capture the flag too. This practices instincts, and shows how it feels when parkour is used extensively. Simple games you enjoyed as a kid should still be fun with an added Parkour element to it! :D

1.)CAPTURE THE FLAG
There are two teams.

Team 1 and 2 split the playing field and are given 1-5 minutes to hide their flag (bandanna would be a good choice as you can tie it to your body and run)

[optional] During this period spies were sent out to see were the flag was hidden as well as look-outs to catch the spies.

When the flag is hidden you call out that you are finished. Then you simply try to get the other teams flag. If you get caught and tagged by the opponent on their territory you had to go to jail and could only be freed by a teammate who grabs you when your opponent isn't looking. A good alternative for parkour is to do a set of exercises before getting a free walk home, 10 push ups, squats, etc)

The first team to capture the flag wins. In most versions you had to both get the flag, and bring it back to your side.

2.)SHARKS AND MINNOWS
Have two groups of "minnows" on opposing sides with "sharks" in a middle area.
The goal is, when the sharks call for the minnows they have to cross to the otherside without being tagged, or else they become a shark.

Safe Zone 1 ]--------------------- SHARK ZONE/Obstacled Environment-------------[SafeZone 2

The good thing is, there are no jails, every gets to have fun.

3.)FREEZE TAG
It's just like normal tag but without people standing around too much. There are two teams, one is "it" and the other is not. Upon being tagged you freeze staying in the spot like you're frozen until a teammate comes to save you by tagging you.

4.)RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT
Target person stands at one point across from a row of people with his/her back turned. When the person yells "green light" the people in the row try to get to the target person, by running over obstacles and getting through. When the person yells "Red light" while turning to see how far you've gotten, if he/she spots you moving, you have to start over.

5.)ZOMBIE TAG
Tag, your it, you're a zombie too now, just like the person who tagged you, go infect the rest of those innocent humans.

6.)PRISONER
There are two teams, this is much like capture the flag, except you are trying to free a person.
The prisoners are on opposite sides in a free zone, if the opposing team enters this zone and tags their prisoner, they are free to run and escape to the other side. Capture the flag, where the flag is human, and upon "capture" moves freely on it's own to earn the point.

7.)SUICIDE BOMBER
Inspired from reading Halo like the dork I am, this game ideally is just like capture the flag.

2 Teams on opposing sides of a field.
Everyone is a suicide bomber
Your target is a at the back of the other team's territory, an object such as a backpack (aka detonator).
Everyone tries to run through and touch this object, upon getting past to the other side.
If you are tagged you explode, so try to tag your opponent too at the same time, this element is what makes the game fun.
The first team to infiltrate and hold up this object at the other teams side declaring victory blows the other team up by detonating the nuclear bomb. Well in Halo it was a nuclear bomb. but yeah, you win. Woohoo. After the game, exchange insurance information and play again. :)
No this game does not make us terrorists. lol


At least one of these should have sound fun. Who else want's to try this at a large group session?
Parkour itself is anti-competition, but you're bound to use it to outrun something, someone, someday. The competition is in the game, not the method, Parkour remains technically competition free.

List the numbers of the games in accordance to best tow worst as I have below.

[Sigmund Werndorf]

As a fan of these sort of games outside of Parkour (also, thank you for not just adding 'extreme' to the name and calling it a day), I find that the largest challenge will be organization. That being said, I think the location will also be what will make this Parkour related rather then just a fun game (which isn't to say it can't be both, in fact it very much can).

Oh, and if we can get it around I'd very much like try )

[Philosofist]

Well usually after an hour or two when people are a bit tired and all sitting together, then maybe we can take some time to explain the rules and organize teams. If people want to. I mean the game would probably be fine with just 3 vs 3 teams.

[Seng]

Playing games is a great idea and a very useful part of training. When I was cross country ski racing, sometimes we'd play games like soccer or ultimate in our skis- the games worked both mentally and physically because it was a break from the repetitive movements of racing and also improved our agility and proprioception because we weren't thinking about the skis and our technique, we were just trying to move. Wax on, wax off.

[Philosofist]

Dude, skiing and soccer? That sounds pretty challenging.

[Byron]

Yo Gene, that sounds like a lotta fun. I'm down.