# Head-Butt Tag

Participants choose a starting team by holding their head or their hips. Players pursue the opposite group, switching postures and allegiances instantly when tagged until everyone joins one side.

**Time:** 10 minutes. UWT suggested 10 minutes (brief setup, 2 to 3 fast rounds, short debrief)
**People:** 6 to 24. Whole group in a single open area

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Re-energize a group and practice fast role-switching through an active, continuous-play tag mechanic.
**Use it when:** Use outdoors or in a large open indoor room when a seated group needs physical movement and quick resets.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the space has obstacles, slick surfaces, tight boundaries, or when participants cannot safely engage in fast physical movement.

## Materials and tools

- 4 boundary cones or visible corner markers to define safe running limits
- 1 whistle or loud audio cue (optional)

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear the floor area of tables, chairs, cords, and loose items.
2. Set boundary markers defining a rectangular field roughly 15 by 15 meters.
3. Check that the surface is dry and free of tripping hazards.

## Say this to open

We are going to play a quick tag game where teams flip back and forth constantly. On the count of three, place both hands either on top of your head or on your hips or lower back. If your hands are on your head, you are on Team Head. If your hands are on your hips, you are on Team Butt. Your job is to gently two-finger tag anyone on the opposite team while keeping your own posture clear. When tagged, switch your hands immediately to join the other team. We play until everyone ends up on the same side.

## How to run it

### 1. Establish boundaries and safety rules (2 minutes)

Walk the perimeter lines with the group. Announce safety rules: no shoving, tags must be soft two-finger touches between shoulders and waist or on the upper arm, and players must keep hands visibly in their chosen pose while running. Offer hips as a comfortable substitute for the lower back or glutes.

### 2. Form initial teams (1 minutes)

Ask players to scatter across the marked zone. Count down: 'Three, two, one, pose!' Each player places their hands on their head or on their hips. Check that both teams have at least two players; if everyone chooses the same pose, recount.

### 3. Play tag and switch teams (5 minutes)

Call 'Go!' Players move to tag opposite-team members. Once tagged, a player must immediately move their hands to the opposite position and begin tagging their former teammates. Continue until the entire field shares one pose, or call time at 3 minutes and reset for a second round.

### 4. Cool down and debrief (2 minutes)

Gather the group to catch their breath. Ask one or two quick reflection questions to connect the dynamic switching to group adaptability. Take two or three quick volunteer responses.


## Debrief questions

- What tactical choices helped your side convert players quickly?
- How did it feel when your role suddenly flipped from hunter to hunted?

**Finished output:** A fully converted single team, or completion of two active rounds with all participants returned to baseline focus.

## Remote

This physical tag mechanic requires shared physical space and cannot run natively online. A related remote warm-up alternative is 'Camera Pose Switch': Participants keep cameras on. Half strike a head pose, half put hands on hips. A designated caller spotlights a pair; whichever player changes poses slower joins the caller's chosen team until the grid matches.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended for running tag. Remote participants cannot participate safely or equitably in physical chasing. Run the remote alternative above for all participants on video instead, or run this live only with the in-person cohort while remote members take a scheduled break.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose speed-walking instead of running; announce a walking-only round to equalize mobility.
- Anyone uncomfortable with touch or physical running can act as a referee, boundary judge, or team counter without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**One team gets wiped out in ten seconds.**

Celebrate the speed, mix up starting positions, and run an immediate second round with players starting back-to-back in pairs.

**Players argue over who tagged whom first.**

Instruct both players to switch teams immediately on a tie, or mandate the honor system where the person who felt the tag switches without debate.


## Terms used here

- Two-finger tag: A gentle touch using only the index and middle fingers, avoiding slaps, grabs, or pushing.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo records, which attribute the activity to Mark Collard.

Retained the core Playmeo mechanic of using head or bottom positions to declare teams and switching teams immediately upon being tagged. UWT clarified touch rules (two-finger contact), added hip placement as an explicit comfortable boundary alternative, set clear physical play dimensions, added a speed-walking modification, and supplied structured timing and debrief questions.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/running-tag-pe-games/head-butt-tag)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/running-tag-pe-games/head-butt-tag/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/super-fun-active-tag-game-for-high-energy-groups-head-butt-tag/