--- title: "Bean Bag Pass" description: "Participants stand in a circle and establish a fixed sequence by tossing a bean bag across the group. They run the sequence forward and in reverse, keeping up to three items moving at once." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/bean-bag/" --- # Bean Bag Pass Participants stand in a circle and establish a fixed sequence by tossing a bean bag across the group. They run the sequence forward and in reverse, keeping up to three items moving at once. **Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested duration fits the 5 to 15 minute energizer band from source evidence. **People:** 6 to 20. Single circle for 6 to 12 people. Split groups of 13 to 20 into two parallel circles of roughly equal size, placing any extra person in one circle. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Demonstrate how handoffs, pacing, and communication habits hold up as workflow volume and directional shifts increase. **Use it when:** Use during in-person training when participants need physical movement, renewed focus, or an active demonstration of workflow coordination. **Skip it when:** Skip when the room lacks open floor space, when participants cannot catch tossed objects safely, or during quiet reflective sessions. ## Materials and tools - 3 soft bean bags, koosh balls, or juggling balls per circle - Scratch paper and pen for optional remote or hybrid observers ## Before participants arrive 1. Clear an open circle on the floor with at least an arm's length between participants. ## Say this to open We are going to build a passing pattern across our circle. Each person will receive the bean bag once and pass it to someone whose hands are still raised. Remember who throws to you and who you throw to. ## How to run it ### 1. Establish the forward pattern (4 minutes) Everyone raises both hands. Person A calls someone with hands raised and tosses the bag underhand. That receiver drops their hands and tosses to another person with hands up. That person becomes their permanent target for all forward passes. Continue until everyone has received the bag once, ending back with Person A. Run the exact same sequence once more so everyone locks in their fixed sender and fixed receiver. ### 2. Reverse the sequence (3 minutes) Explain that Person A will now send the bean bag backwards along the route. Person A tosses the bean bag directly back to the person who handed it to them at the end of the forward round. Each participant tosses it to the person they received it from during Step 1 until it returns to Person A. Complete one full reverse cycle. ### 3. Run multiple objects (5 minutes) Person A starts bean bag 1 forward. When it reaches the fifth receiver in the established pattern, Person A launches bean bag 2 along the exact same path. When bag 2 reaches the fifth receiver, Person A launches bag 3. When bag 1 returns to Person A, Person A immediately sends it in reverse. Other bags continue forward until reaching Person A, who also reverses them. Play stops when all three bags finish both routes and rest with Person A. ### 4. Debrief the handoffs (3 minutes) Gather the group and ask two debrief questions about eye contact, name calling, and pacing under load. Take three or four brief comments from volunteers. ## Debrief questions - What specific adjustments did you make when more than one bean bag entered the circle? - How did eye contact or calling names change your accuracy under pressure? **Finished output:** Completion of a forward and reverse passing loop containing three active items without losing the sequence. ## Remote This physical toss mechanic requires an in-person room. For a fully remote team, run an alternative Verbal Pattern Pass. Step 1: Person A calls Person B, Person B calls Person C, continuing until everyone speaks once, ending back at Person A. Each speaker establishes a fixed forward target. Step 2: Reverse the sequence back to Person A. Step 3: Run three verbal rounds back to back, where Person A triggers a new named topic cycle once the prior round reaches the fifth speaker. For example, use colors: Person A says Red, Person B says Blue, each participant contributing one color along the established order. ## Hybrid Physical tossing across a split hybrid group fails because remote participants cannot catch physical items. In-person participants form the physical toss circle. Remote attendees act as flow observers using scratch paper. Remote observers track two metrics: total floor drops and the time it takes for bag 1 to complete its forward round. During the debrief, the facilitator invites one remote observer to report their recorded drop count and timing before general reflections. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may sit in the circle instead of standing; passes can be adjusted to floor rolls or gentle hand-offs. - Anyone may choose an active observer role to track sequence accuracy, count drops, or monitor bag counts without catching or throwing. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants throw too hard or without checking if the receiver is ready.** Pause the round and require the thrower to make clear eye contact and call the receiver's name before releasing the bag. **A bean bag drops to the floor and breaks the rhythm.** Instruct the person who dropped it to pick it up immediately and continue the established sequence without restarting from the beginning. ## Terms used here - Forward pattern: A fixed sequence of handoffs where each participant receives from and gives to the exact same partner. - Reverse pattern: Running the established sequence backwards, returning the object along the inverse route. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in TrainerBubble training materials and SessionLab activity library as an energizer and communication drill. Retained core rules from TrainerBubble evidence: standing circle, establishing a fixed forward pattern, reversing the sequence upon return, introducing up to three bean bags triggered when the prior bag reaches the fifth receiver, and optional name calling. UWT clarified circle division arithmetic for odd participant numbers, tightened step word counts, fixed pattern-locking instructions, defined stopping criteria for three bags, and added concrete hybrid observer instructions and debrief prompts. [TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/bean-bag/?currency=USD) [SessionLab](https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/bean-bag-game) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/bean-bag/