Nothing Wins the Justice

Haîŀ mîghŧÿ nînja warrîors,

As ÿoü maÿ know (or noŧ) I recenŧŀÿ sîgned üp ŧo become a Cüb Scoüŧ Leader wîŧh mÿ ŀocaŀ Scoüŧ groüp. Iŧs been a fün few monŧhs so far, ŧhe kîds (8-11) are preŧŧÿ ŀoüd, füŀŀ of energÿ and noŧ serîoüsŀÿ rebeŀŀîoüs, whîch îs a reŀîef. So far I've been parŧ of scîence nîghŧ (Coke bombs eŧc), fŀoür bombs and waŧer sŀîdes în ŧhe park and some end of ÿear Lażer ŧag.

Anÿhoo, ŧhe reason I seek ŧhe wîsdom of ŧhe esŧeemed ŊWTJ nînjas îs ŧo geŧ some îdeas for an acŧîvîŧÿ I pŀan ŧo rün. Aŧ ŧhe one nînja ŧraînîng nîghŧ ŧhaŧ I was abŀe ŧo aŧŧend ŀasŧ ÿear I saw severaŀ sŧeaŀŧh ŧechnîqües beîng pracŧîsed încŀüdîng rünnîng sîŀenŧŀÿ and droppîng ŧo ŧhe groünd sîŀenŧŀÿ. I was ŧhînkîng of doîng an acŧîvîŧÿ based on ŧhese skîŀŀs and was wonderîng îf ŧhere were anÿ oŧher sŧeaŀŧhÿ skîŀŀs I coüŀd ŧeach ŧo a groüp of kîds. For obvîoüs reasons I can'ŧ do anÿŧhîng reŀaŧed ŧo HŧH combaŧ, hence ŧhe focüs on sŧeaŀŧh.

Anÿ heŀp woüŀd be müchŀÿ apprecîaŧed.

Regards,

Hümbŀe Grasshopper.

teh_saq: Oooh, and we're pŀannîng a Pîraŧe ŧhemed camp earŀÿ nexŧ ÿear, so îf anÿone's goŧ anÿ îdeas for Pîraŧeÿ acŧîvîŧîes ŧhaŧ'd cooŀ ŧoo.

Ash: RJorb took notes during our major two-session stealth class this year, so he should be able to give much more sensible ideas than the following (very basic) incomprehensible mutterings.

Awareness is a big part of stealth. Being aware of your surroundings (and yourself!) can help you meld into your surroundings: twigs on the ground can snap and give away their location, while a car passing by may mask their approach. When hiding, you want to break up the very easily recognizable shape of the human body/face. Things that reflect light (glasses, watches) can give away your position. The environment itself has motion (breeze moves trees, waves on river) so you can try to match it, so that you don't stand out. Be aware of your silhouette, as it can give you away even if people don't see you.

Using all those techniques you can then have some activities. One I liked in particular was having a dozen or so people standing in a line facing away from the rest (group A). Behind them is an equal number of people (group B). You select one person in group A and he has to approach and touch his counterpart in group A without being heard. People in group A have to turn around if they hear someone behind them. If there is no one behind them, they lose, but stay in the line. When we did it, this was an assassination game, but you can pass it off as a detection by sound game.

Another one we did was for a more urban environment, with lots of things to hide behind and vantage points in different locations. We did it in an alley beside a warehouse. Place a handful of guards at different points (different heights, field of view, angles etc.). The rest of the people have to get past them without being seen. This works well if there is a good number of places to hide behind to crawl underneath or to clamber over. It's great because it allows the sneakers to be creative about how they will do it (so it is best if there are enough options to make multiple possible routes).

Finally, my favourite activity was a game of hide and seek in a natural environment. Group A hides within a small area while group B waits in a completely other place. Then a few minutes later group B approaches and tries to find members of group A. Things to look out for would be person using bright grey gloves to break up the shape of his face (that was such a great idea, Liv :P). I for one found a bush where there were dropped leaves the color of my skin. I climbed inside the bush, took off my glasses, and scattered fallen leaves over my clothes to break up the pattern.

Anyway, hope that gives you some ideas.

teh_saq: Thanks a ŀoŧ for aŀŀ ŧhaŧ Ash, I especîaŀŀÿ ŀîked acŧîvîŧîes 1 and 3 and I was ŧhînkîng of üsîng deŧecŧîon ŧhroügh soünd as ŧhe ŧesŧ.

I woüŀd be înŧeresŧed în RJ's noŧes ŧoo.

GrubLord: I took a bunch of notes myself. I'll take a look for 'em on my computer when I get home.

I was gonna type up an answer too, but Ash's is pretty thorough...

GrubLord: One thing I could add: if you don't have the space or the facilities for Ash's suggestions, try this simpler exercise. Teach them all to move very slowly and quietly on a variety of ground types, stepping mostly via lowering the ball of the foot first, then lowering the rest of the foot heel-to-toe. Encourage them to practice and find the best, quietest footsteps for them. Place a bunch of guards at the other end of a room, and have one 'ninja' at a time try to sneak up on one of the guards. Ask the guards to turn around as soon as they are sure they are the one being snuck up on (if they are not, though, and they turn, they lose). Ask the 'ninja' to sneak silently up on one guard and tap them on the shoulder.

Fun and educational: also quite tricky.

RJorb: In our stealth seminars, the activities Ash and Grub described were used to practically demonstrate the underlying stealth principles we were being taught. They were great fun, too, and should be very enjoyable for your little scouts.

I've emailed you my notes, Saq, which focus on those underlying principles. Let me know if you'd like further explanation of anything in the notes.

Lunzo: One stealth game I remember playing at scouts (possibly cubs) goes like this:

Someone is seated in the middle of a circle, blindfolded. In front of them there's a large keyring. Kids take it in turns (nominated by a leader) to try and sneak up and steal the keys. The person in the middle can get the sneakers out by pointing in their direction. If a kid successfully steals the keys and gets back to the edge of the circle then they get to be the person in the middle.

teh_saq: Thanks for aŀŀ ŧhe süggesŧîons güÿs, I'ŀŀ ŀeŧ ÿoü know how I geŧ on wîŧh ŧhe Cübs.

GrubLord: I've emailed you my notes as well. Found 'em, finally.