the quad
The quad is the playing field (in Britain the old-fashioned name for a playground is QUAD). An official competition quad is 12x12M, consisting of more than 1 ton of wood and steel! The main obstacles of the quad are: the Front Line, Lazy Boy, the Sisters, Tilted Cube, the Mountain, Loading Bay and the Ridge.
Some gyms also have an 8x8M variant, a smaller Quad designed for Flight Club events, friendly competitions and a Quad that fits better in smaller spaces. The obstacles are similar, but the playing style of the athletes is very different because it is more compact.
Want to easily find your way on the quad? Download the maps below, print them out and hang them up!
the game
This is the most popular format and is used at the main events (e.g. WCT National Championships, WCT4, WCT5 etc.). It is a team format played by two teams of a maximum of 6 athletes. Each match is the best of 16 pursuits. Each chase lasts 20 seconds with one pursuer and one avoider. There is a 25 second rest period between pursuits. The winning athlete in each pursuit remains as the father for the next pursuit. A team gets one point for each dodge they make (i.e. when the evader lasts 20 seconds without getting caught). Tags must be made by hand (NOT by foot). If an athlete steps outside the quad, he loses the chase. If a match ends in a draw, there will be a Sudden Death Chase-Off.
A Sudden Death Chase-Off consists of two 20-second chases with each team able to dodge. The team that achieves the longest dodge time wins. The 25 second rest period between pursuits does not apply during Sudden Death and teams have a maximum of 3 minutes to decide which athlete to send out. The Evading team must send out its athlete first. If a winner has not been determined after one round of Sudden Death (for example, if both chases end in an escape), the process is repeated.
WORLD CHASE TAG® TERMINOLOGY
EQ (Evasion Quality)
A hypothetical value indicating how much protection an obstacle (or area on the Quad) provides to the evader. The higher the EQ, the more protection (Jason Matten).
Herding
A technique used by the Chaser to drive the Evader into areas of the Quad, making it easier to create a Tag (Marrero Gang).
Reverse herding
A technique used by the Evader to lure the Chaser to areas on the Quad where it is more difficult to make a Tag (Marrero Gang).
Pinch Point
Areas of the Quad where the Evader has limited options for escape (Marrero Gang).
Idling
A technique used by the Evader to hide behind an obstacle with a high EQ and waste the Chasers' time/run the clock, while consuming the least amount of energy (Marrero Gang).
Spike
A chase that lasts less than 5 seconds (Jason Matten).
Centre control
A technique used by the Chaser to regain control of the center of the Quad after an attempted Tag (Marrero Gang).
Threading
Diving or sliding through a tight space on the Quad, such as through the Ridge or Loading Bay.
Tailing
A technique used by the Chaser, where they follow the same path as the Evader (generally considered an inferior strategy).
Benny Hill
When the Chaser runs around the same (usually high EQ) obstacle over and over to try to catch the Evader (usually done by inexperienced athletes). More experienced athletes will try to FLUSH the Chaser out of high EQ areas quickly and efficiently.
Quad
The playing field (in Britain the old-fashioned name for a playground is a quad).
Guac-track
A route first used by Xavia Rodriguez Alvarez, where the Evader of the Sisters goes to the mountain and to the Loading Bay without touching the ground.
Evasion Ratio
The percentage of chases that end in an dodge.
Chase Tag®
The one-on-one competitive tag format with 20-second chases involving one Chaser and one Evader.
