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Rescue Tag

A tag game where frozen players are freed by a teammate. Everyone keeps moving and helping.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

One or two people are chasers.

Core: Two. Count the rescues your team makes together.

Ages
5 to 10
Time
10 min
Players
3 or more players
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Open space, 3 or more players
Level · skill
Beginner · Endurance

The steps

How it works

  1. One or two people are chasers.
  2. When tagged, freeze with arms out.
  3. Anyone free can rescue a frozen player by a high five.
  4. Swap chasers every 2 minutes.

Coaching point

Help a friend, keep moving.

Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Rescue Tag with tails or flags: a frozen player is freed by a teammate right away, so nobody waits long.

Challenge

Pick a game: Less (one chaser), Core (two), More (three). Count the rescues your team makes together.

Story

You are firefighters rescuing your friends.

My best

Beat your own count

Count the rescues your team makes together. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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