At this moment there is only one place in the world to
experience LazRfit and that is in Los Angeles. So I was L.A. bound early
Saturday morning to get to the class on time. Upon arrival I met Lucie and
Tarzan, owners of this very unique facility. This is way more than laser tag
with a heavy focus on fitness.
I got to go in with a class of eight players.
The first thing we did was get an aerobic workout taught
by Lucie on the exercise mats. It really is like a gym experience!
Then we got some further instruction from Tarzan about
the equipment and the game. LazRfit has their own design of laser tag equipment
that is different from other tag systems in a couple of ways. The vest is very
lightweight and the sensors are on the front and shoulder straps. There is no
sensor on the back.
There is no traditional phaser. Instead you use a hand
grip and the “triggering” (which is not really the right word because you can
keep your thumb on it the entire game) is done when your thumb presses against
the blue lit button.
Then you can target a very narrow point triangulated
between three red points emitted by the hand grip.
You aim the red beams at an opponent’s sensor and try to
hold your hand steady while running around (and yes, safe running is
encouraged). You will know if you made the tag (which is MUCH harder to do than
with a traditional phaser) when their sensor that starts off and neutral lights
up red. It’s the reverse of traditional and more in line with tactical tag in
principle. Now, while most tradition laser tag will reactivate a player
automatically after a few seconds this is not the case with LazRfit. In this
game you must be active to reset. If you stay still you will stay red and will
not be activated for the game again until the equipment registers that you are
moving around…so you MUST run away or at least get your body moving.
There’s plenty of space in the well lit wooden arena to
move around and find cover.
And after our first eight minute round (seriously it was
so intense I could not believe it was only eight minutes!) We learned how to
bounce off the walls parkour style. Unlike in most arenas, here it is
encouraged that you run AND bounce off the walls. There is some grip to the
wall that helps you get some height while using your lower body strength to
push against them.
It is not permitted to climb, but you can use the hand
NOT holding the equipment to pivot yourself over a wall. None of us mastered
the skill, but Tarzan demonstrated what could be done with time and experience.
And at the end of the game you not only see how you rank
on points, but also calories burned, steps taken and efficiency of your
workout.
As you can imagine you really work up a sweat with this
workout. But Tarzan showed me that the fabric case around the equipment can be
removed for laundering so you always have a fresh experience. GENIUS! Let’s
incorporate this into other forms of laser tag please!
If I lived in the area this would be my regular workout
spot for sure.
And if you are in the vicinity of Pico Blvd. in Los
Angeles be sure to stop in!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites:
www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
and www.photonforever.com
