Striker

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Direct group physical movement toward a cooperative team objective under simple game constraints.

Use it when: Use during in-person workshops when a group needs a physical energizer with active movement and low rules overhead.

Skip it when: Skip when the meeting room cannot be cleared of trip hazards, when participants need low-mobility options, or in purely remote sessions.

Group arrangement: Two opposing teams of 3 to 12 players across a marked rectangular space

Timing: Source specifies rounds of 2 to 5 minutes; UWT structures two 4-minute halves plus setup and debrief into a 15-minute block.

Materials and tools

• 1 inflated beach ball (plus 1 spare)
• 4 boundary markers or cones
• 1 digital countdown timer or stopwatch
• 1 flip chart and marker for score tracking

Before participants arrive

1. Clear a rectangular space at least 8 by 12 meters of tables, chairs, and loose cables.
2. Mark two opposite goal lines using cones, wall markings, or tape.
3. Inflate the beach ball and place the flip chart near the center sideline.

Say this to open

We are playing Striker, an active game with two teams and one beach ball. Your team scores by batting the ball past your target goal line. You may hit the ball only with an open palm. Clenched fists, catching, and holding the ball are not allowed. If you prefer not to run, you can serve as goal judge, timekeeper, or scorekeeper.

How to run it

1. Set teams and safety boundaries 3 minutes

   Divide participants into two equal teams. If there is an odd number, assign one participant as referee and scorekeeper. Identify each team's defending end line and attacking goal line. Explain the sole legal hit: an open hand. Example: swatting the ball upward with a flat palm is legal; punching it with a closed fist or catching it with two hands stops play.

2. Play first half 4 minutes

   Toss the beach ball straight up in the center of the court. Both teams move to bat the ball toward their assigned goal line. When the ball crosses a goal line, award one point, record it on the flip chart, and restart with a center toss. Stop play immediately if physical contact occurs or someone holds the ball, restarting at the center. End round when the 4-minute timer sounds.

3. Switch ends and play second half 4 minutes

   Teams switch ends of the court to defend the opposite goal. Re-launch the beach ball in the center. Run another 4-minute round under identical rules. Stop play at the buzzer and announce the final score.

4. Debrief team communication and roles 4 minutes

   Bring both teams to the center. Gather 3 to 4 quick observations from the room using the debrief questions. Focus on how players organized themselves around the moving ball.

Debrief questions

• What tactical adjustments did your team make between the first and second half?
• How did your team communicate when multiple players went for the same ball?
• Where did staying in assigned zones work better than chasing the ball together?

Finished output: A completed two-half physical game with recorded final scores and identified teamwork behaviors.

Remote

This physical ball game cannot be run directly in a virtual format. For online groups needing a quick team energizer, substitute an unranked cooperative word-chain exercise where participants take turns adding one related word via chat without repeating.

Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended. Remote participants cannot track or strike the physical ball fairly. If running for an on-site group with remote observers, assign remote members to run the digital timer, manage the shared score screen, and call out countdown alerts over the room audio.

Access and participation choices

• Offer non-running roles including goal judge, scorekeeper, ball retriever, or timer.
• Allow participants to step out of active play at any moment without explanation by stepping to the sideline.
• Players with upper-limb mobility limits may use any flat, open limb surface to direct the ball.

If the session gets stuck

Players bunch together and collide while lunging for the ball.

Pause play. Instruct each team to divide their half into front, middle, and back zones before restarting.

Players punch the ball with closed fists.

Blow a whistle or call a brief stoppage. Award possession to the opposing team at the spot of the infraction with an open-hand self-pass.

Terms used here

• Open palm hit: Striking the ball using a flat, unclenched hand without trapping, resting, or catching the ball.