TUG-OF-WAR.ORG.UKTUG-OF-WAR.ORG.UKThis site has been produced to describe how to run an "informal" tug-of-war contest. It is based on my experience in being the Umpire for the Fleet Carnival "Battle of the Pubs" tug-of-war.
The rules that I use are based on the rules of the English Tug of War Association but simplified and less formal. The main point behind the rules that I use is SAFETY: the grip and the footware are both potentially dangerous if not dealt with properly.
Wrapping the rope around the arm can result in a broken bone and loss of blood flow. Wrapping the rope around the wrong part of the body can cause internal injury, and wrapping it around the neck is just ... (yes, people are that stupid).
Spikes and studs in the footware can cause injury when a pull collapses. They can also cause strains and breaks if the feet get stuck in the ground.
When running an informal event it might be tempting to have loops in the rope. I prefer not, due to the risk of someone being unable to release the rope if they need to.
The links below will take you to pages that give some explaination of the rules and describe some of the reasons.
The rope
The ground
The teams
The judges
The tactics
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