Mind or Muscle is simply a computer interface where two people choose a game they will play against each other.

When you play Mind or Muscle you are competing against an individual. Each player gets to influence the choice of which game is played.

One gets to choose Mind or Muscle. The other chooses between Strength and Balance, Speed and Accuracy, or Strategy and Response.

By doing this the competitors end up in one of six types of games.

In Mind or Muscle you play real games at a physical site: a camp, YMCA, a health club, a recreation center, a school, etc. The games that fill these catogries of games depend on the facility. There should be 3-16 games of each type for a full game of Mind or Muscle.

Now the players are offered a table of possible games of the type they agreed on. One will choose a column. The other will choose a row. The intersection of these determines the game they play. (If the intersection says RANDOM a random game of that type will be picked for them.)

At this point you leave the computer and go play a real game: Ping Pong with a real ball to hit, cards with a real deck and shuffling, running on a real track etc. IN GENERAL, THESE GAMES ARE NOT PLAYED ON A COMPUTER.

Some sites need to limit the physical intensity of this game or have constraints based on their facility. These sites can use the Nintendo Wii to simulate physical games. A few of the mind games may be computer based. Still, the idea is to actually move away from the computer and interact with another person in a game environment.

Mind or Muscle can be played for fun, as training, and as a tournament.

Why bother?

The biggest reason is it is fun! Besides this obvious feature, Mind or Muscle is great for exploration of personal abilities. It encourages balanced development between mind and body. It uses competition to develop the ability to perform under pressure. Finally, it encourages the use of logic to make the best choice to face each competitor.