I first learned Tweener with Jerrod Murr at a Project Adventure training with Nate Folan. I instantly moved this activity towards the top of favorite activities list. Tweener is a fun, active, anding Not Necessary!).
Tweener
Number of Participants: 5-25
Time: 5-15 minutes
Activity Level: Moderate
Props: A soft throwable that is about the size of a soccer ball. (Make sure it is soft…it can often hit participants in the head)
Objective: To hit the throwable through the legs of another participant.
Set Up: Arrange the group into a circle and instruct the participants to touch feet with those on both sides of them. Make sure they spread their legs a little, but at a comfortable width.
Description: The objective of this activity is to open-palm slap a soft ball (really soft, like a yarn ball or thumb-ball) between the legs of another participant. Start with the ball on the ground at the beginning of each game. If the ball goes between someone’s legs, it is a goal, and softly say “tweener!” Continue play in this manner until all are tired or too much blood has rushed to the heads of the tweener superstars.
Variations:
- If a participant hits the ball between another person’s legs, the goal scorer gets to share their name, an interesting fact, or any other intriguing detail.
- A debriefing variation is to ask the participants to share something when either a goal is scored or there is a tweener. Use this after an activity or initiative. When a goal is scored, encourage the participants to share their viewpoint of the day or of an activity. When there is a tweener, both participants whose legs split the tweener use one word to describe the activity.
- An active variation can be played by placing two Tweener groups on opposite sides of a gym or field. When a goal is scored, the person who was scored upon runs to the other group and joins their circle. If there is a tweener, the person who hit the tweener runs to the other group. This variation will have people crisscrossing the field or gym.
I encourage you to play this one…use it as an icebreaker and familiar with the debriefing process.
Let me know if you have any questions on how to implement this into your programs!
Ryan Eller
Founder, Paradigm Shift