Wall Crawls: Bear, Crab and Lizard Relays

Crawling relays that mimic climbing patterns: opposite arm and leg, low hips and a tight trunk. It raises heart rate and preps shoulders and core before getting on the wall.

How to play

1. Explain and demo the three crawls: bear (knees off the floor), crab (face up) and lizard (low hips, opposite hand and foot) (1 min).
2. Team relays in groups of 5 over 10 m: bear crawl out, walk back (2 min).
3. Crab and lizard relays; the last person in each line is the technique judge and voids a leg if knees touch the floor (3 min).
4. Final free round: each team picks the order of the three crawls for a combo relay (2 min).

Rules

• Clean technique beats speed: every knee touch adds 2 seconds.
• Lanes at least 2 m apart.
• Warm wrists first: 10 circles.
• If wrists hurt, go on your fists.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wrist injury: go on fists or be the technique judge.
• Students with limited mobility: do the relay seated, moving a ball with the hands.
• Deaf students: start on the judge's arm signal.

Learning goals

• Raise overall activation.
• Practice cross-pattern arm and leg coordination.
• Judge technique fairly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 12
• gym mats: 6

Teacher tip

Use the gym floor, not a sandy schoolyard, for the hands' sake. The common mistake is popping the hips up in the lizard to go faster; the time penalty fixes it on its own.

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