Hip Tag

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Compare competitive versus cooperative behavior under ambiguous instructions and time pressure.

Use it when: Use during a workshop transition when participants need physical movement or when introducing the difference between zero-sum competition and mutual collaboration.

Skip it when: Skip when participants cannot engage in physical contact or prefer not to touch hands, or when open floor space is unavailable.

Group arrangement: Pairs standing side by side; if numbers are odd, one person acts as timekeeper or referee.

Timing: Playmeo describes this as a 10 to 15 second game; UWT allocates 5 minutes to cover consent, two rounds, and a brief reflection.

Materials and tools

• One stopwatch or timer display (facilitator)
• Optional short cloth bands or ribbons (one per pair) for participants who prefer not to hold hands directly

Before participants arrive

1. Clear enough floor space for pairs to stand alongside each other with arm's-length clearance from other pairs.
2. Check that walking surfaces are clear of trip hazards.

Say this to open

Find a partner and stand side by side. If you are comfortable holding hands, take your partner's adjacent hand. If you prefer not to touch hands, hold opposite ends of a cloth ribbon. The goal for each person is to touch the back of your partner's hand against your own hip as many times as possible in fifteen seconds. Each touch scores one point for you. Count your points quietly to yourself. Begin when I say go.

How to run it

1. Form pairs and explain rules 1 minutes

   Ask participants to pair up and stand side by side. Provide ribbons to anyone requesting non-contact grip. State the rule clearly without adding rules about blocking or cooperating: each person scores one point whenever the partner's hand touches their own outside hip. If there is an odd participant, invite them to serve as official timer and score tracker.

2. Run round one 1 minutes

   Start the timer for 15 seconds. Partners attempt to score points. Stop precisely at 15 seconds. Ask everyone to remember their personal score. Survey the room quickly by asking who scored 0 to 5 points, who scored 6 to 15, and if anyone scored over 20.

3. Run round two 1 minutes

   Offer pairs 15 seconds to confer on strategy. Run a second 15-second round under the exact same instructions. Prompt them to notice if their approach changes from resistance to coordination.

4. Debrief collaborative scoring 2 minutes

   Gather attention while remaining with partners. Ask two prompt questions about competition versus cooperation. Take three brief observations from volunteers to conclude.

Debrief questions

• What assumed rule did you bring to the first round that was not actually stated?
• How did your score change if you stopped resisting your partner and moved together quickly back and forth?
• Where in your current daily work do you default to a tug-of-war instead of helping each other score points?

Finished output: A shared direct experience comparing the point total of competitive resistance against cooperative alternation.

Remote

This exact physical activity cannot run online because it depends on physical mechanical advantage between two bodies. For an online equivalent, pair participants in breakout rooms for 30 seconds: partners take turns typing alternating numbers (1, 2, 3...) in the chat, trying to reach the highest cumulative number without typing over each other.

Hybrid

In-person participants pair with other in-person participants to play the physical exercise. Remote participants pair up in breakout rooms using the chat-number alternation alternative. The facilitator collects scores and reflections from both environments together.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can hold ends of a short ribbon or cloth band instead of touching skin directly.
• Participants who prefer to sit can complete the exercise seated side by side touching armrests or thighs instead of hips.
• Any participant may opt out of movement to act as the room timekeeper or score counter without needing to disclose personal reasons.

If the session gets stuck

Participants pull aggressively, risking arm strain.

Remind participants before round one that this is a light touch game, not arm wrestling, and that releasing grip stops the round immediately.

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

Invite that person to co-facilitate as the official timer and scorekeeper, or have the facilitator pair with them if the participant desires to play.

Terms used here

• Zero-sum: A situation where one person's gain is believed to require another person's loss, even when both could gain simultaneously.