Imagine yourself at the edge of the field, your opponents staring you down from the other end. Your heart is beating, breathing is hard, muscles tight. Then you hear the call.... 3, 2, 1, JUGGER!!!!!
Jugger is a new field support that is taking the world by storm. Over the last 15-20 years Jugger has spread from a few teams located in Germany and Austrilia to a world wide sporting league. Its a fast paced team sport that anyone can play, but only truly dedicated players will be champions!
The Rules:
Jugger is played by having 2 teams of 8 (5 active players at each time) attempt to take posestion of the "Jugg" or "Dogskull" placed in the middle of the field before each play and score points in the opponents goal. Only One member of the team may handle the Jugg (The Qwik) who is unarmed, while the other 4 defend that player with padded sticks (The enforcers). Each team starts behind their own goal in a line, and a call of 3, 2, 1 Jugger begins the match. Plays are reset each time a score is made. While in play, an audible drum beat or other sound is played for all players to hear, called stones. If you are tapped anywhere on the body EXCEPT the head/neck/face or hands that are holding equipment by a padded stick, you must kneel on one knee and count out 5 (or 8 if hit my the chain) "stones". One stone for each beat playing. If a player lays their padded stick on you while you are counting, you are considered "pinned" and may not be allowed to move until the players stick is removed. Once the count is up, you may resume play. This will continue until one team scores. The stone count will pause between plays. There are 2 halves of 100 "stones" each that make up a full game.
The equipment:
All equipment (called Pompfen) are foam padded sticks covered with a protective tape or cloth layer, with the exception of the chain, which is a soft ball on a plastic chain. With the exception of the chain and short "sword", both hands must be on the pompfen in order for a strike to count.
All equipment is tested for safety and durability before each match.
The Ball and Goals-
The ball is a foam representation of a dog's skull and the goals are a foam mound in which the skull is placed. Only the Qwik, who is UNARMED may handle the skull.
The Field-
The field has varied slightly from country to country, but this is the basic shape.
Teams have developed in The USA, Ireland, Austrailia, Germany, France, Spain, and many many more. Look for matches near you or browse the internet/you tube for videos from all over the world! Thanks for stopping by!