Pizza Toss

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Coordinate physical release, catching timing, and communication across a circle through repeated tosses.

Use it when: Use during in-person workshops when a group needs an active, low-stakes physical coordination challenge to explore timing and non-verbal cues.

Skip it when: Skip when participants prefer to avoid overhead reaching, in spaces with ceilings below 3 meters, or in fully virtual meetings.

Group arrangement: Parallel circles of 5 to 8 people. If 9 people participate, they may form one 9-person circle or an 8-person circle with one caller and judge.

Timing: UWT suggested 15 minutes to allow setup, multiple attempts, and debrief within the 5 to 15 minute source band.

Materials and tools

• One 5-meter loop of 1-inch climbing tubular webbing tied with a secure water knot per circle of 5 to 8 participants (up to 3 loops for 24 people)

Before participants arrive

1. Substantial preparation: cut 5-meter lengths of tubular webbing and tie each into a loop using a water knot.
2. Check that ceiling height is at least 3 meters clear of low lights, fans, and sprinkler heads.
3. Clear open floor zones at least 4 meters across for each circle.

Say this to open

Take a spot around your loop and hold the webbing with both hands at waist height. Your team goal is to toss this loop upward like a pizza crust and catch it. The loop needs to stay circular in flight, and every person must catch their section at the exact same instant.

How to run it

1. Form circles and set goals 3 minutes

   Form circles of 5 to 8 people and hand one loop to each team. Have participants space out to hold light tension. Read the opening script. Explain that releasing or catching too early turns the circle into an oval. Remind everyone that stepping out to observe or acting as countdown caller is always an option.

2. Calibrate low tosses 4 minutes

   Direct teams to begin with low tosses about 30 to 60 centimeters overhead. Teams count down aloud to align release and catch. If the loop collapses or catches land unevenly, the attempt resets. Encourage groups to pause after three tries to adjust their grip, stance, and verbal cadence.

3. Increase height and consistency 5 minutes

   Invite teams to increase toss height while keeping the circle round and landing simultaneously. Teams experiment with silent visual cues, rhythmic breathing, or steady counts. The round ends when time expires or a team completes three clean, simultaneous catches in a row.

4. Debrief timing and alignment 3 minutes

   Bring the room together. Ask two debrief questions. Collect two or three brief comments from volunteers about how they adapted personal timing to match the circle.

Debrief questions

• What subtle adjustment in your own stance or grip helped your circle synchronize the catch?
• How did your group communicate when the loop drifted or collapsed mid-air?
• What difference did an audible count make compared to non-verbal cues?

Finished output: Completion of synchronized team toss attempts where participants release and catch a webbing loop together.

Remote

This activity requires shared physical tension on a tied webbing loop and cannot be run online.

Hybrid

Run the physical toss with the in-person cohort. Remote participants act as visual judges and countdown callers via a room camera, offering quick verbal feedback on whether all hands caught the loop at the same instant.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can participate seated if the whole circle adjusts down to chair height.
• Participants may step back freely without explanation and choose to serve as caller or visual judge.
• Anyone may release their grip at any moment if they feel strain.

If the session gets stuck

The webbing collapses into a narrow line or oval during flight.

Remind participants to toss gently upward and slightly outward rather than pulling inward, keeping even outward tension until the exact release.

One or two participants catch earlier than the group, breaking synchrony.

Have the team catch with open palms first, letting the strap land on hands before curling fingers.

Terms used here

• Tubular webbing: Flat, hollow-woven nylon or polyester strap commonly used in climbing, soft on the hands.
• Water knot: A secure ring bend knot used to tie two ends of flat webbing into a continuous loop.