Activities

Virtual Team Building Events

Activity Description

Butt them over Ice Breakers Game

This is an energetic bodily exercise, fun game and is meant for small areas. 

This exercise is loads of fun, as the pairs look so clumsy, you will have outbursts of laughter occurring all the time. 

Before we start, just a word of caution, try not to mention the name of the game just yet. There may be certain shy individuals that may take offence.

Now get everybody to form into pairs and try to group each one with someone of the same height. Let each pair turn back to back allowing about 30 cm distance away, from heel to heel. Remember you are not allowed to move your feet at all.

Then at the command “Go” try, with your ‘butt’ as the only contact point, to dislodge your partner so that they lose their balance. You are not allowed to push your partner over, but as soon as their feet move from the original point they started in, they are considered “Off-balance” and the game is over. This can also work if one of the pairs has to stretch out their hand to stop themselves from falling.

There are a number of different variations that you can add to this exercise such as:

  • Hoopla Butt Wars: Put a Hula-Hoop around the paired members of the group on the floor, in this case they will be allowed to move their feet. The first person to get their partner to put a foot outside the Hula-Hoop is the winner
  • Slow-Mo Butt Wars: Try to get the pairs to move in slow motion, this means that they are not allowed to make any quick or irregular moves. This version is very entertaining.
  • Tweak the Challenge: Change the gap between the pair’s heels. The smaller the gap the more difficult it is to get your partner off balance.
  • Team Butt Wars: With this game, you group more than one pair together by joining their elbows. They then stand back to back with another paired group and the game is only over when both of the opposing teams have lost their balance.
  • Consider trying “Butt Charades” as an exercise, this is guaranteed to bring lots of fun and laughter.
  • Also consider “Off-Balance” and “Toe to Toe” as other variations that involve balancing exercise with partners.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Butt them over Ice Breaker Activity 

  • Group into pairs
  • Get each Pair to position themselves back to back, have their heels spaced not more than 30 cm apart
  • When you give the command “Go”, then everyone one must try to get their partners off-balance by only making use of their ‘butts’ as a contact point
  • As soon as anyone’s feet moves from the point they started at, it is considered as being caught “off-balance”
  • The game can be played as many times as you like, you can also change partners.

Facilitating tips for Butt them over Game

It is of vital importance that you prepare your group correctly and properly before you engage with this group exercise. There are many people that get very embarrassed when someone else touches their bodies or concentrates on their ‘butts’. Therefore, careful consideration and thought needs to be given to the particular group involved, before commencing with this exercise.

It would be beneficial to group pairs according to their height, however if this is not possible, it will make little difference if a pair of different heights are grouped together. In fact, it may just give that added entertainment to the exercise.      

You can accept if the toes or heals of the pair are lifted slightly from the floor but ensure that the foot stays in contact with the floor. Just make sure they are in the same position that they were when they started, at all times.  

There might be a pair that becomes over enthusiastic and unintentionally causes their partner to lose their balance and fall to the ground. You need to be on the lookout for this type of conduct and immediately stop the game. Correct this behaviour before continuing any further. 

This exercise is loads of fun, as the pairs look so clumsy, you will have outbursts of laughter occurring all the time. 

Questions, Tips and Reflections

Many of us have stacked dominoes close to each other in a long line, or even turning corners. When the first dominoes are knocked over, it doesn’t take long before the whole line follows suit. This exercise is very entertaining to watch, but there is also a lesson to be learnt.  You will learn that one small action by one person, can result in many other people being affected.

Here are some questions that you could make use of after you have completed the game. These are helpful in order to find out what the experience of the group was when participating in ‘Butt Wars’.

  • What was your first reaction when you realised that you had to touch somebody else’s ‘butt’ when playing this game? How did it make you feel?
  • Did you have to move a lot, or just a quick movement to get your partner to lose their balance?
  • In your mind, what do you think the reason behind the exercise was?
  • Was the member you paired off with and the group prepared for the game?
  • How would you describe or consider harmless bodily touch? 

Butt Them Over

Basic Details
Property Type : Ice Breakers
Listing Type : Placeholder
Activity Type : Ice Breakers
Focus On : Having Fun
Outcome Based : No, just fun
Facilities : Indoor, Outdoor
Duration : 1 - 5 minutes
Exertion Level : Medium
Group Size : 1 - 8, 9 - 16
Age : Children, Youth, Adults