PPF Games 2024: Day 1 - Let the games begin

At the beginning of April, the PPF Games took place for the second time in their history. The tactical training company PPF was looking for tactical athletes who were willing to compete. Over two competition days with more than ten stages, participants were expected to face not only various shooting tasks but also high physical demands. We were also invited to share our experience here.

The evening before the first official competition day starts with an important briefing. Here, not only the schedule is explained, but also the safety rules and information about medical emergencies are provided. Trained personnel is on site, and a hospital is also only eight minutes away in case something serious happens. Good to know ...

After the important information and a good feeling that you are being taken care of, we receive a Goodie Bag. Sponsored by BROWNELLS, it contains a t-shirt, safety flags, and other small items. Also included was GERMAN OPERATOR with bottle openers in the shape of a 223 casing, as well as 50 BMG, coin, sticker, and patch. PPF also provided a water bottle and a calendar. Not a bad start!

Later, everyone meets for a dinner in a restaurant nearby, where most participants booked their hotel. Pizza, steak, and pasta are ordered, depending on preferences. During relaxed conversations, participants got to know each other, and we found out that the majority were from Germany with a background in authorities. Also represented were participants from France, Switzerland with one participant each, and two from Austria. The evening naturally ends a bit earlier than one might be used to. You can feel the excitement of the participants about what to expect in the coming days. Alcohol is not found on any table of the participants, on the advice of Niklas, the founder of PPF, so that the body is as fit as possible for the next day. And so for many, it's already over by 9 p.m., and it's back to the hotel.

The first day

Already at 8 a.m., everyone meets at the range, which is about 1 hour from Bratislava, Slovakia. The participant number plates are fixed, and then it's time to start. Niklas gives a brief introduction to the day and explains the stages. He demonstrates on some of them what to focus on. When he starts talking about the fitness elements, we had to swallow first because of the requirements.

Before starting the competition, there is a warm-up shooting. Not all participants bring their own equipment and weapons to the competition, like this participant in the picture. Many borrow the gear and are thus not so familiar with the equipment. The warm-up with the weapon allows the organizers to quickly check if the weapon handling is correct and safe for the competition. It also allows participants to familiarize themselves with the weapons and gain experience they will need later on.

Station - Long Range

Since we arrived with our own weapon and equipment, the warm-up is quickly completed, and we are sent to the first station. Long Range on a 400-meter shooting range is the starting point.

The competition starts from inside a vehicle, and then four steel targets must be shot. Once they are hit, the object must be recovered from the driver's side.

The object is a car tire with a 24-kilogram kettlebell. This must now be pulled from barrel to barrel, each distance between 50 and 100 meters.

At each barrel, you have to shoot at the targets, but the ammunition is limited. If you shoot too much, you will run out of rounds. After about 300 meters, you put down the object and must shoot once from a tower and from the roof of a small hut at the end of the track. The last position is about 375 meters away. Very challenging!

Station - Luggage Run

Hardly finished with the first station, we were sent straight to the next one. Luggage run is up next. Equipped with a radio for emergencies and a sandbag weighing approximately 16 kilograms in the backpack, we set off.

Now we had to cover about four kilometers from the quarry to the forest, overcoming quite a few altitude meters. Always follow the signs and the flagging tape to find your way back. Due to the steep incline, we had to take walking breaks uphill, but used the momentum downhill to run. In the forest, you also have to be very careful not to slip, as it had rained the night before.

Station - Barricade

After the luggage run, our legs were already feeling it and we started to feel our thighs. But the next station was already waiting. In a barricade obstacle course, you have to shoot from different barricades and shooting positions at steel targets and finally at a paper target.

The positions and shooting techniques are predetermined and you are only allowed one shot each. Therefore, both shooting positions – right and left – are often required. Additionally, you have to be mindful of your position. If you expose too much of yourself behind cover, you will receive penalty points.

The final challenge is the classic V-Tac barricade. Shoot through the marked openings at the IPSC paper target. Conventionally, you have to run through the obstacle!

Station - Combat Fitness Test

Now comes the most challenging station for us - the Combat Fitness Test. Shoulder the kettlebell and do front squats, burpee broad jumps, kettlebell throws, shuttle runs, and several laps around the marked shooting range to test fitness levels.

When Niklas first listed this in the morning, we thought, well, we wouldn't be able to finish it in the given time. But Niklas blessed us with the answer that there is no timeout for today's stations.

The times are all added up and the points from the shooting scores also contribute to the overall result. Internally, we had somewhat relied on the idea that stations that are too difficult would simply be ended by a timeout, but we were mistaken. So we struggled through the station, accompanied by motivational phrases from the PPF teams. Already during the station, the thought crossed our minds that we should have trained more and more intensively.

PPF, on the other hand, took the opportunity to get an overview of the participants, to estimate how they will manage the second day.

Station - Shooting Booth

Exhausted, we reached the final station called "Shooting Booth." It looks funny, we thought. But even here, PPF had come up with something. At the start, you have to do some burpees first, then solve a math task on a block, and shoot the balloon with the number that comes out. The horizontal row represents the numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. The vertical column displays the numbers 1 to 5.

The more balloons you shoot, the more difficult it becomes to correctly assign the numbers. After solving a task and shooting the balloon, you have to do burpees again. In total, you have to solve 15 math tasks and do 95 burpees. With all those burpees, calculating and aiming become a bit harder.

Stop crying - a good phrase, because this was only day 1. Last year, it was practically over at this point, but this time, another day awaits us.

While some participants are still shooting, the others who have already completed everything gather and chat about their experience. One participant suggests doing some yoga for loosening up and stretching. We naturally join in, thinking it can only help. Already now we feel the strain of the day in our thighs and back.

Since everyone enjoyed the food at the restaurant the day before, there was another appointment for the same place. So we meet again in the evening, freshly showered, for another dinner together, and end the evening. But once again, there is no alcohol on the table, just a lot of water. This evening also ends a bit early - everyone wants to go to the hotel to get as much sleep and rest as possible for the next day.

We will also report on the second day, Part 2 will be coming in the next few days! - PPF-Games Online.

Photos were kindly provided to us by PPF.

PPF Online

BROWNELLS Online

GERMAN OPERATOR Online

NORARM Online