Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 096220b8254dd8bc81c34dc72b38420f969e45150e0e68e090ede752e37e53ba

# Palm Off

Pairs stand facing each other with feet together and try to make their partner shift a foot by tapping palms or pulling their hands away.

**Time:** 5 minutes. Based on the under 5 minutes source listing, structured as a 5-minute warm-up sequence.
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs across open floor space; an extra participant acts as referee and timer.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Re-energize a group through a quick, low-stakes physical test of balance and reaction time.
**Use it when:** Use as a fast physical energizer between sedentary blocks or at the start of a workshop to raise alertness.
**Skip it when:** Skip if participants have joint injuries, balance concerns, or when the room lacks open floor space cleared of tripping hazards.

## Materials and tools

- Chairs (optional, for seated adaptation or observers)

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear chairs and bags to create an open floor space where pairs can stand at least two arm lengths apart from other pairs.

## Say this to open

Find a partner and face each other with your feet together, toes about half a meter apart. Raise your hands to chest height, palms facing forward. Your goal is to make your partner move a foot to recover their balance, using only palm-to-palm contact or by dodging.

## How to run it

### 1. Pair up and review rules (1 minutes)

Participants form pairs and take the stance outlined in the opening script. Check that all players have feet pinned together. Emphasize that contact is palm-to-palm only and that pulling hands back to let an opponent overcommit is legal. If there is an odd number of people, designate one person as official round referee.

### 2. Play first partner round (1 minutes)

Partners play best-of-three points. A point ends as soon as someone lifts, shifts, or slides a foot. Players may push lightly palm-to-palm or pull hands away so the partner pushes empty air. Call stop at the 60-second mark.

### 3. Swap partners and play round two (2 minutes)

Instruct everyone to quickly find a new partner across the room. If an extra participant acted as referee, rotate them into a pair while another person takes the referee role. Have pairs play continuous quick points for 2 minutes.

### 4. Regroup and debrief (1 minutes)

Call the room together. Ask for two quick observations about balance and overcommitting, then transition back to the main agenda.


## Debrief questions

- What strategy worked best: initiating a push, or waiting and pulling your hands away?
- How did pushing forward without knowing your partner's move affect your balance?

**Finished output:** Every pair completes two short rounds of physical balance play, resetting physical energy for the room.

## Remote

This physical balance game requires in-person tactile interaction and cannot work directly online. A related remote alternative with similar reaction mechanics is Reaction Mirror: In gallery view, participants work in pairs in breakout rooms. Player A performs sudden hand movements (for example, tapping index fingers together, holding open palms frozen, or clapping once) in front of their camera, and Player B mirrors them instantly without hesitation. Partners swap roles after 60 seconds.

## Hybrid

In-person attendees play Palm Off in pairs in the room. Remote attendees play the Reaction Mirror alternative in virtual pairs via breakout rooms. Both groups rejoin for the shared debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants who prefer not to make physical contact or who experience balance instability can act as official referees and scorekeepers for nearby pairs.
- Participants may step back or pass without explanation by taking a seat before pairs form.
- Seated version: Two players sit on stable chairs facing each other with feet planted firmly on the floor; a player loses a point if their back touches the backrest or if a foot leaves the floor.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants push too hard, risking falls or wrist strain.**

Remind the room immediately that points come from quick taps and dodging, not hard shoves. Demonstrate a soft palm tap versus a heavy push.

**An odd number of participants leaves one person without a partner.**

Appoint the extra participant as official round referee, or form one trio where two players compete while the third officiates, rotating after each point.


## Terms used here

- Overcommitting: Pushing forward with momentum expecting resistance, which causes a loss of balance if the other person withdraws their hands.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo, where it is listed under energizers and warm-up games and credited to Mark Collard.

Retained the original Playmeo mechanics: feet together, half-meter gap, palm-to-palm contact only, knocking partner off-balance by making them move their feet, and partner swapping. Added seated access options, referee role for odd participant counts, a hybrid/remote alternative, and debrief prompts.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/palm-off/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/palm-off)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-partner-warm-up-game-to-develop-balance-trust-palm-off/