Relay Lineup Strategy: Who Takes Each Leg?
A five-leg relay where each team tries every event, times itself, and uses that data to decide who runs each leg. After the first race, a rule change forces a new plan, blending speed, skill, and analysis.
How to play
- Five teams of 5, each with a five-leg relay: a 25-yard sprint, a dribble through 6 cones, a 2-lb medicine ball carry for 15 yards, jumps through 8 hoops, and landing 1 of 3 beanbags in a bucket 12 ft away (3 min).
- Test (7 min): everyone tries each leg while a teammate times and records on the team chart.
- Decide (2 min): using the chart, the team assigns one leg per member for the lowest total time.
- Race 1 (3 min): all teams at once; hand off with a high-five.
- Rule change (2 min): a 40-yard sprint and 2 beanbags in the bucket. Re-plan and run race 2 (3 min).
- Wrap-up (4 min): did your order change? Was the best at each event always the best choice?
Rules
- Finish each leg completely before handing off; if something drops, pick it up and keep going.
- Carry the medicine ball hugged to your chest, never thrown.
- Nobody may repeat a leg in the same race.
Variations
Easier
Three legs (sprint, dribble, and jumps) with teams of 3.
Standard
Five legs with a test phase, a decision, and two races.
Harder
Each member runs two legs and the team also picks the order of the legs.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: an adapted wheelchair leg (slalom or toss) built into the plan.
- Hearing impairment: start with a hand drop as well as a voice call.
- Fitness level: a shorter leg agreed with the teacher, for a one-second penalty.
Learning goals
- Make team decisions based on data.
- Perform varied skills efficiently in a relay setting.
- Value each member's contribution to the shared result.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 40
- basketballs: 5
- 1-kg medicine balls: 5
- hoops: 40
- beanbags: 15
- buckets: 5
- stopwatches: 5
Teacher tip
Bring a printed chart per team for quick recording. Watch that the hardest leg does not always land on the same person.
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