Why Handicap?

Every Lazer Tag Sportsman is looking for the utmost in competition. No one wants to win easily; only a tough challenge makes victory worth the effort. There is no honor or glory to be gained in defeating less-experienced Lazer Tag players unless these players have some other advantage you don't have. Thus handicapping rules were invented and are widely used wherever Lazer Tag is played.

First Stage Handicapping

In all Lazer Tag contests where the goal is to tag out other players, it is a simple matter to tag the best players' sensors once before the game starts. This leaves them one less tag than everyone else, so they must work harder (tag more often) to get the same result as other contestants.

Second Stage Handicapping

If a particular Lazer Tag player is an unusually good shot, it might be necessary to tag his sensor twice before beginning a game. This should not be done until a Lazer Tag Sportsman has won several games with a first-stage handicap. Starting with two tags cuts a player's safety margin by 33% on Classic Lazer Tag and 20% on Modern Lazer Tag, a severe disadvantage.

Third Stage Handicapping

If a Lazer Tag player is still winning consistently despite a second-stage handicap, place a piece of tape across the electronic LED sight. This handicap forces the player to fire without any aiming aid. If their weapon does not have a sight, consider some other handicap such as requiring sound to be on.

Fourth Stage Handicapping

Players who win constantly in spite of handicaps should finally be required to keep their StarLyte on narrow beam. This is a very severe handicap, however, so it should be counterbalanced by also handicapping the other players or relaxing some of the other handicaps on the expert player, particularly the third-stage handicap.
If the player is using a Modern Lazer Tag weapon without a narrow beam setting, there are few options remaining other than to try tagging the player's sensor again.
Lazer Tag Sportsmen who are this good should serve as models to other players; watch them closely and try to learn their methods and secrets.