Tributes each receive three days of training in a variety of skills before entering the Hunger Games Arena.
There are many different training stations inside the gymnasium of the Training Center where tributes could learn and practice skills that helped them survive in the Hunger Games arena. These skills included training with many types of weapons, as well as survival techniques, like setting traps and recognizing unusual sources of food. Each station was staffed by an expert, and assistants were on hand to spar with the tributes if they wished, as they were forbidden to fight with each other before the entering the arena.
Tributes were free to move from station to station according to their own preferences and their mentor's instructions, though some stations - particularly weapons training - were more popular than others.[1] In The Hunger Games film, Atala, the head trainer and overseer, strongly advised the tributes not to ignore the survival skills, as disease and exposure could be just as lethal as armed confrontation.[2]
At the end of the third day of training, each tribute was given a private session with the Gamemakers to show off a particular skill. Afterwards, they were each given a training score on a scale of 1–12 (1 being the worst, 12 being the best), which could help attract potential sponsors during the competition.
Archery[]
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Glimmer at the archery station.
On Haymitch Abernathy’s advice, Katniss Everdeen stayed clear of this station during the initial days of training, saving archery for her private session with the Gamemakers to keep it as a secret weapon.[1] In The Hunger Games film, Glimmer, the female tribute from District 1, is seen practicing with a bow.[2]
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Katniss trained at the archery station, impressing the other tributes and gaining many potential allies. She also gave an archery lesson to Finnick Odair in exchange for lessons with a trident.[3] In the Catching Fire film, Mags is offered archery lessons by Katniss in exchange for learning to make fish hooks.[4]
Axes[]
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Katniss noticed several inexperienced tributes receiving their first lessons in ax-wielding.[1]
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Johanna Mason brushed up on her ax-wielding skills, brutally slamming one into the training platform as a show of intimidation.[4]
Camouflage[]
Peeta at the camouflage station
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Peeta Mellark showed particular aptitude at this station, painting designs on his skin and creating disguises out woodland elements (his artistic talents had been honed by years of decorating the cakes displayed in District 12's bakery windows).[1]
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The morphlings were "attached" to this station.[3]
Edible insects[]
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Katniss interacted with the District 8 tributes - Cecelia and Woof - at this station. Woof seemed disoriented and tried to eat poisonous bugs.[3]
Edible plants[]
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Foxface at pair matching challenge
Katniss easily completed a test at this station due to her years of foraging in the woods outside of District 12.[1]
In The Hunger Games film, Foxface is shown at a large computer touch screen, sorting through a variety of plants.[2] Called the “Pair Matching Challenge” in The Hunger Games Adventures game, this may be the film's version of the edible plants station, or something else entirely, like a memory challenge.
Fire-starting[]
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Beetee, Wiress, and Katniss at the fire-starting station
This was one of several stations Katniss and Peeta visited during their rounds.[1] In The Hunger Games film, the District 3 male and the District 9 male were seen making a fire and backing away when it ignited.[2]
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Katniss visited this station to learn alternate ways of starting fires than with matches, and learned to work with flint, steel, and charred cloth. This was also her first interaction with the District 3 tributes Wiress and Beetee, who were "struggling to start a decent fire with matches".[3]
Fish hooks[]
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Mags at the fish hook station.
Coming from District 4 (the fishing district), Mags was able to make fish hooks out of almost anything. Katniss was highly impressed and eventually ignored the station's instructor, simply copying Mags' techniques.[3]
The Gauntlets[]
The Gauntlet
The gauntlets are daunting obstacle courses used in the Training Center. They consist of ascending platforms that rise up to a landing. Tributes must jump from platform to platform to finish in the fastest time possible. To make it even more difficult, trainers swing padded clubs at the tributes. This station is very popular and all the Careers have a go at this first. The station is not very popular to the tributes who are shy, less able, or want to stay inconspicuous.
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In a deleted scene of the film, the District 3 female fell off the gauntlets and split her lip, which caused her to start bleeding. It also caused the Career tributes to laugh at her. The boy from District 3 seemed a bit concerned about her injury, but laughed at her for the sake of his spot in the Career alliance. [2]
Hammock-making[]
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Katniss tried to "make friends" with Cashmere and Gloss at this station, but none of them wanted to form a three-way-alliance.[3]
Hand-to-hand combat[]
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Due to his great physical strength, Peeta excelled at this station.[1]
Knives[]
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Katniss noticed several inexperienced tributes receiving their first lessons in knife-wielding. She and Peeta also learned some knife-throwing techniques during their rounds.[1]
Clove showed off her highly advanced knife-throwing skills, apparently never missing a target.[5]
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Peeta interacted with a group of knife throwers during his rounds.[3] In Catching Fire film, Cashmere and Gloss practiced knife-throwing, taking down multiple moving targets. Cashmere was also shown balancing the point of a knife on her palm.[4]
Knot-tying[]
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This was the first station Katniss and Peeta visited, and they were taught a snare-like trap that would leave a competitor dangling by the leg. The two of them worked on this skill for an hour until they had mastered it. [1]
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It was also the first station that Katniss visited in the 75th Hunger Games. The trainer was pleased to see that she still remembered that trap she had been previously taught, and they spent time reviewing any type of knot that could come in handy. However, after an hour and a half, Finnick Odair came over and easily finished the complicated knot Katniss had been working on.[3]
Ropes course[]
The Ropes Course
The ropes course consists of a large rope net that stretches across the ceiling of the gym. Only the very nimble can leap around up there. It was not as popular as some of the fighting techniques, but in the film the Careers believed it to be important, as they lined up to try it.
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The Careers laughed at Peeta when he fell from the ropes. Rue used this course it to hide after having nabbed Cato's knife when he wasn't looking. The District 8 boy also fell off the ropes.[2]
Shelter-making[]
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This was one of several stations Katniss and Peeta visited during their rounds.[1]
Slingshots[]
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Rue showed great skill at this station, hitting the target every time.[1]
Spears[]
Brutus preparing to throw a spear
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While she and Peeta were busy at the camouflage station, Katniss saw Cato "send a spear through a dummy's heart from 15 yards". The two of them visited the spear station on the second day of training.[1]
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This was the first station Peeta visited on his rounds, and practiced throwing with Brutus and Chaff.[3] In the Catching Fire film, Brutus was able to take down two targets at once with a well-thrown spear.[4]
Swords[]
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Cato displayed his prowess at this station, hacking heads and limbs off practice dummies with apparent ease.[2]
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Katniss joined Enobaria at sword-training, but neither displayed a strong desire to team up in the arena.[3]
Tridents[]
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Finnick gave Katniss an hour-long lesson at this station in exchange for an hour of archery instruction.[3]
Weight-lifting[]
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On Haymitch's advice, Peeta avoided this station during the initial days of training, saving it for his private session with the Gamemakers.[1] By the time Peeta's turn arrived, the Gamemakers were singing a drinking song and hardly paying attention, so he threw heavy objects around until they said he could leave.[6]
In The Hunger Games film, Peeta fell while attempting the ropes course and nearly injured himself. Realizing that the Careers were now viewing Peeta as an easy target, Katniss ordered him to disregard Haymitch's instructions and throw a large medicine ball. He did so, which crashed into a rack of spears and left the Careers looking mildly impressed.[2]
Wrestling[]
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Johanna prepared for a lesson at this station by stripping naked and covering her body with oil.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 The Hunger Games, Chapter 7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 The Hunger Games (film)
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Catching Fire, Chapter 16
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 11
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 8