Gym Tower Defense: Buy Towers and Break Through
Inspired by tower defense video games, one team places towers (throwers in fixed hoops) along a path and the other tries to get as many runners as possible to the end without being hit below the waist by a foam ball. Both teams have a token budget: defenders buy towers and attackers buy shields or shortcuts.
How to play
- Mark a zigzag path of about 40 m with cones and ten possible tower sites (hoops) 3 m from the path (4 min).
- Defenders: 12 tokens; a tower costs 3 and an upgraded tower with two balls costs 4. Attackers: 12 tokens; a shield (absorbs one hit) costs 2 and a cone shortcut cutting 10 m costs 6 (3 min).
- Wave 1, 4 minutes: attackers set off one at a time every 5 seconds; towers throw from inside their hoop and collect balls in their area; a player who is hit walks back outside the path to the start and goes again (4 min).
- Count the runners who reach the end; defenders get 4 extra tokens to move or upgrade towers and wave 2 is played in the same format (6 min).
- Switch roles and play two more waves with the same buying system (10 min).
- Analysis: where the most cost-effective tower was and whether shields or shortcuts were the better buy (3 min).
Rules
- Balls are foam and thrown below the waist; a head hit does not count and the thrower loses a ball.
- Towers never leave their hoop.
- Attackers stay on the path; stepping off counts as a hit.
- Runners keep 5 seconds apart to avoid crowding.
Variations
Easier
Towers may only roll the ball along the floor.
Standard
A 40 m path, ten tower sites and a token budget for towers, shields and shortcuts.
Harder
Add ice towers that, instead of knocking runners out, make them freeze for 3 seconds in a hoop.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: play a tower at a fixed site, the same role as every other thrower.
- Visual impairment: run the path with a guide, and any tower aiming at them claps before throwing.
- Anxiety about being hit: may always choose the team treasurer role or start with a free shield.
Learning goals
- Allocate a budget based on an analysis of the playing space.
- Improve throwing accuracy and dodging on the move.
- Evaluate each investment using data from the wave.
Equipment for a class of 25
- hoops: 10
- foam balls: 20
- cones: 20
- cards: 40
- pinnies: 28
Teacher tip
Ask each team's treasurer to log purchases and results in a table: it is the basis for the final analysis. Check that the balls are soft and in good condition.
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