If you have a lot of energy that you want to get rid off and are looking for a way to let it out, this is the perfect game for you. It combines friendly fighting, speed and fun, all in one simple game.
To find out what the requirements for the “battle circle” are and how to play it, keep reading this article.

What do you need?
The only requirements for this game are players and a big enough space. The number of players has to equal an uneven number and although, it is possible to play the game with only five players, I would not necessarily recommend it. It starts being the most fun when the total number of players is at least eleven. During the game, players will have a lot of contact with the floor which is why I suggest playing the game either indoors, or outside, for example on grass. Other than that, there is no additional equipment required to play the game.

How to play?
The first step is to pair up the players. Since it is an uneven number, one player does not have a partner. You then all gather around in a circle with one of the players of each pair sitting on their knees in front of their partner, similar to a dog sitting in front of their owner. The game now goes the following: The single player looks around the circle and selects one player that is sitting on the floor and winks or blinks at them. This player then has to try to reach the single player as fast as possible and escape its owner. At the same time, the owner wants its dog to stay with them and come back which is why they are trying to hold their dog back from running to the single player. If the dog touches a body part of the single player, he or she successfully escaped and now becomes the new owner to the single player. This means that the single player lowers themselves to the floor as the dog, and the dog that just escaped its owner stands behind the single player and is now the owner of this dog. The player that is standing by themselves now, so the owner that just lost their dog, becomes the new single player in search for a dog. He or she follows the same procedure and blinks at one of the dogs, hoping for it to reach them. If a dog is being blinked at but the owner manages to prevent them from leaving and brings them back to their original spot, the single player has to go again and blink at a dog. The important part about the escaping is that the fighting does not escalate or turn aggressive. Even though, it is a game that is all about fighting, punching, kicking, biting, scratching, etc. is not allowed. Another rule that makes the game a little more interesting is that the single player is not allowed to blink at their neighbouring players since the distance between them is often very short which makes it easy for the dog to escape.

I hope you enjoy this game and have fun playing!