Trolleys

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Coordinate physical movement and communication across a group to navigate a shared physical apparatus across a boundary.

Use it when: Use during in-person outdoor education or team-building sessions on flat ground when participants want an active, physical coordination challenge.

Skip it when: Skip when working remotely, when participants require low-mobility activities, when footwear lacks grip, or when flat, open outdoor space is unavailable.

Group arrangement: Teams of 4 to 8 people per set of trolleys

Timing: Playmeo suggests up to 20 minutes for completion and debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 set of team trolleys (two wooden 2x4 or 2x6 planks with attached rope handles for each foot position) per team of 4 to 8
• 2 cones or length of boundary rope to mark the start line
• 2 cones or length of boundary rope to mark the finish line (10 to 15 meters away)
• 1 stopwatch or timer

Before participants arrive

1. Measure a flat, unobstructed grassy or indoor area 10 to 15 meters long.
2. Mark a clear start line and finish line using cones or rope.
3. Place each set of trolleys parallel to each other behind the start line.

Say this to open

Your objective is to move your entire team from behind the start line across the finish line using only these wooden trolleys. Everyone on the team must stand on the planks with one foot on each plank, holding the hand ropes. If anyone steps off the wood and touches the ground, your team pauses and resets to the starting line. You are free to step off at any point if you feel unsteady.

How to run it

1. Inspect equipment and set safety rules 3 minutes

   Form teams of 4 to 8 participants. Demonstrate how to stand on the trolleys with left feet on the left plank and right feet on the right plank while holding the rope loops. Confirm that anyone who feels off-balance or uncomfortable may step off immediately without penalty to their personal standing.

2. Plan and test initial movement 4 minutes

   Give teams 4 minutes behind the starting line to choose their standing order, agree on verbal cadence calls (such as 'left, right'), and test taking their first two synchronized steps without crossing the line.

3. Traverse the course 9 minutes

   Signal the start. Teams advance toward the finish line 10 to 15 meters away. Facilitators walk alongside each team to monitor balance and spotting. If any foot touches the turf or floor, the team stops, steps off, walks the trolleys back behind the start line, and restarts. The round ends when all trolleys and team members cross the finish line, or when 9 minutes expire.

4. Group debrief 4 minutes

   Gather the full group near the finish line. Ask two participants from each team to share what coordination method worked and how the team adapted when rhythm broke down.

Debrief questions

• What verbal or physical cues helped your team step at the exact same moment?
• When someone lost balance or rhythm broke down, how did the group regain control?
• What did your group learn about matching pace across people of different strides?

Finished output: The entire team successfully crosses the finish line on the trolleys without stepping on the ground, or reaches a documented forward distance within the time cap.

Remote

Trolleys is an exclusively physical ropes-course element requiring specialized hardware and in-person balance coordination. It cannot be run online. For a remote coordination alternative using verbal cadence, run a rhythm exercise where participants must count to 20 collaboratively without speaking over one another.

Hybrid

Not recommended for hybrid formats. If remote participants are present, assign them real-time roles as timing judges, verbal cadence callers over two-way speaker, or tactical advisors who review video feeds of the team's footwork between attempts.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may opt out of standing on the moving planks and take active roles as spotters, cadence callers, or course marshals.
• Anyone feeling dizzy or unsteady may step off the wood onto the grass at any second without team penalty or personal explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Participants pull ropes in opposite directions, lifting the planks off the ground and creating fall hazards.

Call a freeze. Remind the team that the rope only lifts the board when the foot on that board is unweighted. Have the team practice shifting weight fully to the right foot before lifting the left board.

The team repeatedly steps off the board within the first two meters and grows frustrated.

Pause the timer for 60 seconds. Instruct them to practice a static two-beat chant while standing still on the boards before attempting forward momentum again.

Terms used here

• Trolleys: A team initiative apparatus made of two parallel wooden planks fitted with rope loops that serve as foot straps and hand ropes for several people at once.
• Spotter: A team member who walks closely beside the apparatus with hands ready to assist balance if a participant wobbles.