Target Knockout adds the one thing elimination lacks: a reason to attack. Each team guards five foam knockout targets on its back line, and every target you knock down brings one of your eliminated teammates back into the game.
Rounds swing back and forth, nobody sits out for long, and players learn to split their team between attack and defence.
At a glance
| Players | 6 to 20, in two even teams |
| Ages | 9 and up, supervised |
| Field | Birthday-party size or larger |
| Round length | 5 to 8 minutes |
| Gear | The core kit plus 10 foam knockout targets (5 per team) |
Setting up the field
Set up the field as for elimination, then stand five foam knockout targets along each team’s back line, evenly spaced and at least a few paces in front of the base. Targets should be visible from the centre line, but leave room for defenders to stand in front of them.
Setup: five foam targets per team
How to play
1. Defend your targets
Decide who attacks and who defends. Defenders stay between the opponents and their own targets.
2. Hits work as in elimination
A body or limb hit sends a player to their team’s out zone, in order.
3. Knock a target, free a teammate
Each time your team knocks down an opposing target, your first eliminated player returns from your base.
4. Win either way
Knock down all five opposing targets, or eliminate every opposing player.
Knock a target, bring a teammate back
Two ways to win
Rules that keep it fair and safe
- A target counts only when it falls or its face flips, not when an arrow brushes it.
- Defenders may not stand on or touch their own targets.
- Returning players re-enter from their own base, never from the side of the field.
- Don’t fire over a defender’s head to reach a target: aim for gaps, or move.
Variations
Uneven targets. Give the smaller or younger team six targets and the other four.
Last target standing. Each team’s final target needs two hits to fall, which sets up dramatic last stands.
Get the gear for this game
Target Knockout needs the core kit plus foam knockout targets. Any lightweight standing foam target that falls when hit will do. Our complete kits list everything else.
