A roundup of recommended obstacle ideas for obstacle courses
An obstacle course race is one of the classic events at school sports days.
Various obstacles are set up between the start and the finish, and it’s a race where competitors aim for first place while overcoming them.
What obstacles you include greatly affects both the difficulty and the excitement of the event.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of obstacle ideas you’ll want to incorporate into your obstacle course race.
We’ve included plenty of obstacles that require not only speed, but also dexterity and luck.
Use these ideas as a reference to create an obstacle course race everyone can enjoy!
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Recommended Obstacle Ideas for Obstacle Races (21–30)
wall climbing
An idea for a wall-climbing activity that gets the viewers excited too.
Set up a wall along the course and have participants climb it.
You can use any material for the wall, but a wooden signboard or a slatted panel works well.
If it’s simply placed, there’s a risk it could tip over, so teachers should firmly support it from both sides.
It’s also important to set the wall height so that participants can just barely reach the top with their hands.
That way it’s safe to climb and still gives a sense of accomplishment.
tire pull
How about incorporating tire dragging—often done as part of training in school clubs—into an obstacle race? This obstacle idea is especially recommended when participants are students who regularly exercise, such as junior high and high schoolers.
One of the appeals of obstacle races is that you can compete in more than just running speed, so I think it’s interesting in the sense that it lets people compare strength.
You could not only tie a rope to a tire and pull it, but also make a rule where participants push the tire by hand.
Recommended Obstacle Ideas for Obstacle Races (31–40)
jump rope
It’s very simple, but adding jump rope is also recommended.
The reason is that you can freely set the rules to match participants’ ages and fitness levels.
The simplest rules could be things like “run a certain section of the course while jumping rope” or “clear it after X jumps.” If you want to increase the difficulty, you can raise the skill level required, such as “clear it if you can do X double-unders.” For further variation, it might be fun to add rules like bonus points for those who can perform even more advanced skills, such as triple-unders or the Hayabusa (cross double-under).
tightrope walking
One sport that makes use of balance and can be enjoyed easily is tightrope walking.
In this version, you place a jump rope or similar item on the ground and move along it without falling off.
Since there’s no risk of injury even if you step off, you can participate with peace of mind.
That also means you can try crossing with dynamic movements or even dash across boldly.
You can also take advantage of the jump rope’s characteristics by laying it out not just straight, but in a zigzag or in shapes.
Adjust the length of the jump rope to match the shape you want to create.
can stilts
Do you know can-stilts? They’re an old-fashioned toy made by threading ropes through empty cans that are a little bigger than a typical can of juice, then standing on them to play.
You can think of them as a kind of relative to bamboo stilts, which might make it clearer.
That said, while they’re easier than bamboo stilts and most people can get on them right away, it’s a different story when it becomes a race.
Moving fast is surprisingly tricky, so I think they make a great obstacle idea that kids and adults alike can enjoy.
ball basket
People of every generation have likely played games with balls, and individuals vary widely in how good they are at handling them.
Precisely because there are personal differences in ball control, incorporating it into obstacles can create more sophisticated tactics in a race.
You can also adjust the difficulty by changing combinations such as target size, the distance to it, and ball size.
If the throw misses the target, quickly getting the ball back to the thrower is necessary, so a cooperative attitude is important, isn’t it?
unicycle
A unicycle, which is propelled by pedaling a single wheel, is an activity that really tests advanced balance.
Focusing on that balance, let’s have participants ride a unicycle over obstacles.
Since it’s hard to control unless you’re experienced, it’s best not to require everyone to try; make it an optional challenge instead.
How stable you are affects the speed you can achieve, so anyone who wants to attempt it should practice thoroughly before taking on the unicycle.