Aro Indio

It's morning in Tuxtla, and I am slightly nervous that we have made it to nearly 8.30 am without someone coming to tell me we have to get up to go and do something today! However, I will take advantage of the opportunity to jot down the rules of a game I have learnt while I have been out here in Mexico. It's a great game and I intend to teach it to as many scouts as possible when I get home! So read up on the rules here, and then when I come to see you in the UK we can play!

The game is called "Aro Indio", meaning (as far as I remember, since Google Translate won't play today), "Indian Ring". The game is played on a court that should be roughly the size of a basketball court, but in practice can be any old stretch of grass. Standard teams are 5: four on the pitch, and one goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is armed with a stick, about 4 feet long, and the players play with a ring. The idea is for each team to try and get the ring onto their goalkeeper's pole to score a point. Simple! In all the games I have seen the ring has actually been made from an old car's fan belt, wrapped around with twine/thin rope and then gaffa taped in place. This shouldn't be too hard for scout groups to get hold of, and a fun part of the activity can be making the playing pieces, but if you are short for time then any ring will do!

Play starts in the centre, with a referee tossing the ring up and two players making a grab for it as in Basketball. Players cannot run with the hoop, though they can slide it along the floor, run to it and pick it up again. Passing obviously happens by throwing the ring to another player. Players of the opposing team can intercept the ring and pass to their own team members when the ring is in the air. If a ring is caught by two members of different teams, then play stops, and the referee throws the ring up at the point where the two players are standing, as at the beginning of the game. If both players catch the ring, then the process is repeated. The referee can choose to throw the ring high or low, so players have to be ready for a big jump, small jump, or even to crouch down to win the ring!

A point is scored when the ring is caught by the goalkeeper; the goalkeeper cannot move from their spot (in one version of the game they stood in a tyre), though they can reach out on one foot if they want to. If they put a foot down outside their area then no point is scored. Also, if the ring falls off the stick then no point is scored! There is also an area in front of the goalkeeper which nobody is allowed into, to stop people from getting too close to the goalkeeper (so they have to throw the ring to score), and if you cross this line the other team gets a penalty. The line is the 'D' in a Basketball court, or whatever semicircle you agree on in your Scout Hall (so you can make it shorter for Cubs and longer for Explorers!)

Once a point has been scored, the ring is given to the team who lost the point and they start from either side of the goal (like a goal kick in Football), and if the ring goes out of play at the side or at the end of the pitch then play continues like in football (the team who threw the ring have to give it to the other team, who then throw it in from the point it left the court). To take a penalty, one team gets a straight shot at their goalkeeper from behind the halfway line.

So those are the rules! I have put up a video of the Caminantes playing, which you can see here to get an idea of how the game is played. If anyone has any questions about the rules then ask away, and if I can't answer then I'm sure one of my Mexican friends can answer for me. And if you give the game a go then be sure to tell me how it went on the blog or on Facebook!