[Obstacle Course Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Add to Your Sports Day
The “obstacle relay,” where teammates pass the baton while overcoming various obstacles, is a super fun event that excites people of all ages!
In this article, we introduce ideas for obstacle relays.
Hurdles and net crawls are classics, but this time we’ve also picked out some quirky, laugh-inducing ideas with a twist.
If you’re thinking, “Obstacle relays are a must, but the same old traditional course is boring!” then take a look for inspiration!
- A roundup of recommended obstacle ideas for obstacle courses
- [Obstacle Course Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Add to Your Sports Day
- [Unique] Fun sports day events that both kids and adults can enjoy
- [For Middle Schoolers] A Comprehensive Introduction to Fun Sports Day Events We Recommend!
- For the kindergarten sports day! A list of obstacle course ideas
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- Arrange the bread-eating race! A roundup of fun, exciting, and hilarious ideas
- Perfect for Sports Day! Obstacle Course Ideas Recommended for 2-Year-Olds
- [Make Sports Day More Approachable!] Unique Event Names: Fun Competition Titles by Category
- Popular songs recommended for nursery school sports days! A roundup of classic crowd-pleasers and the latest hits
- [Preschool] Fun event ideas to include in the sports day for the junior (younger) class
- [Dance Songs] Recommended for school sports days and athletic festivals! A curated selection of popular tracks that are fun to dance to
- From classic to quirky: prompts that will liven up a borrow-it relay
[Obstacle Relay] Recommended Ideas and Fun Skits to Add to Your Sports Day (1–10)
Kendama
The traditional Japanese toy, kendama.
How about incorporating a basic kendama trick—placing the ball on a cup—into an obstacle course? You could make it so participants clear the stage by attempting it on the spot and landing the ball on the cup, or, if you have a group of skilled players, it might be fun to specify intermediate or advanced tricks.
The more you rush to clear it, the shakier your hands get and the harder it is to succeed, so focus on the kendama right in front of you and take on the challenge with full concentration.
tire pull
How about incorporating tire pulling—often done as part of training in school clubs—into an obstacle race? One of the appeals of obstacle races is that participants can compete in more than just running speed, so comparing strength should get both participants and spectators excited.
In addition to tying a rope to the tire and pulling it, we also recommend a rule where participants push the tire by hand.
balance beam
If you want to add an easy obstacle, a balance beam is highly recommended.
It’s a simple setup where participants just cross without falling, so it’s easy to incorporate into nursery and kindergarten sports days.
On the other hand, it’s also great for events where adults participate.
Crossing a narrow balance beam can feel surprisingly challenging for adults with larger feet.
To prevent serious injuries in case someone falls, it’s reassuring to take precautions such as placing mats around the beam.
[Obstacle Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Use at Sports Day (11–20)
Balloon popping
For those looking for an obstacle idea with a touch of humor, popping balloons is a great pick.
Tape a balloon to a chair with duct tape, and contestants have to sit on it to pop it.
It looks easy, but it’s surprisingly hard to burst! Because there’s a bit of luck involved, it’s a perfect idea for an obstacle course that isn’t just about pure foot speed.
Puzzle-solving! Obstacle Relay
As the name suggests, it’s a race that adds puzzle-solving elements to an obstacle relay.
Because you can’t proceed without clearing the puzzles at each checkpoint, it’s nice that even those who aren’t good at sports have a chance to win.
You can also make it more fun by taking advantage of the relay format—for example, having each runner collect keywords so that the final puzzle can’t be solved unless all of them are gathered.
However, be careful when creating the puzzles: if they’re too difficult, it may take too long for everyone to reach the finish.
vaulting box
Incorporating a vaulting box into an obstacle relay, where team unity is put to the test, could make it really exciting.
It’s also important to decide when to include the vaulting box.
When using one, you can choose the number of levels, whether participants simply go over it, and so on—there are many options, so it’s good to get creative depending on the members at the time.
In this video, they add constraints such as requiring a sideways vault.
Discussing as a group to ensure everyone can enjoy participating is another key point when planning an obstacle relay.
Rubber bar jump and crawl
“Gomu-goe” is the movement of jumping over a stretched rubber band.
“Gomu-kuguri” is the movement of ducking under a stretched rubber band.
Attach a rubber band between two rows of cones and have participants advance by jumping over it.
By varying the height of the rubber band, each participant must decide whether to jump over or go under, which creates a range of variations and makes the activity more exciting.
