FOOT Down
This classic game with endless creative progressions can help athletes learn balance, coordination, ratcheting, and ultimately, track stands. How does your team play foot down?
Freeze Tag
This familiar playground game gets a twist when you add bikes and balance!
Have you ever…
Have you ever…wanted to build more community within your team? Then this game is for you! Laugh your way through a series of questions and find out what you have in common with your fellow teammates and coaches…
Roll the Dice
Create some excitement around skills late in your season once trail riding has gotten a little stale. Get creative and customize your skill and activity options!
Something True/Something False
This simple get-to-know-you game is great for the beginning of the season. It encourages sharing while allowing athletes to choose the facts (and falsehoods) that they disclose about themselves, depending on their own comfort levels.
Space alien invasion
Combine bike skills, tag, and rock paper scissors in one amazingly intergalactic game.
People Bingo
A game to get to know each other: use People Bingo to learn something new about your riders and fellow coaches!
Bike Limbo
Bike body separation, friendly competition, and a catchy bit of music make for a memorable team game. How low can you go? Have two coaches hold a long thin object such as a pool noodle, webbing, broom handle, or a rod of bamboo (for authenticity). Riders form a line and try to ride under the object one at a time.
The Endlessly-Adaptable Scavenger Hunt
For our spring leagues in the midst of race season, a scavenger hunt can be a great mid-week change to your practice routine. It can make a trail system that you’ve ridden dozens of times feel like a new experience. A scavenger hunt or full-team on-trail game can break up race prep or help your athletes take a rest after a weekend of racing.
The Impossible Climb
Use “The Impossible Climb” at practice after you have taught all of NICA’s 101 climbing skills, and have given your student-athletes an opportunity to attempt a challenging climb that you designed. You will want to be intentional about using the name “impossible climb.” This name gives your riders permission to make mistakes and acknowledges that failure is part of the fun.