There are various tactics to consider when you train a tug of war team and we thought it would be fun at Ropes Direct to look at some of the methods used, use our tips if you get called up to a rope pulling team, they could serve you well and help you win!

Sort by size – The best tug of war teams use a mixture of strength and strategy, get this mix right and you’ll be able to maximise your chances of winning the event. To begin, sort out your team, organise the members by their size and strength, use the strongest members as the anchors, place some at the back of the pack and some at the front, those with less upper body strength can make up the middle.

Get the stance right – Once you know where the team members are going to stand you can work on the stance. Drive your lead leg forward, bend your body back slightly, around 45 degrees is fine, and grip the rope tightly underarm. Adopt a wide stance with your feet to reduce the chances of slipping, 

Use your legs – The lead leg should act as the anchor, it has to be straight, as the opposing team pulls you can drive this leg further into the ground. Use the rear leg for power, keep the rope tight using your arms but drive backwards using your legs. Remember to keep your feet forward of your knees at an angle.

Move as one – The key to success is teamwork. Pull as one, don’t waste energy on short tugs, let your thighs take the strain, work together making effective use of your pulling power and with a concerted effort you should tug the other team into submission.  

Phew!