Tweener

1. Form a circle facing in with the feet of each person shoulder-width apart and touching the feet of their neighbours.
2. Announce that the space between each person’s legs is their own ‘goal’ to protect.
3. Challenge each player to prevent goals from being scored through their legs.
4. To start, hit the inflatable ball to the other side of the circle.
5. Explain that all hits of the ball must be with the palm of one’s hand, ie not clenched fists.
6. When a goal is scored – the ball passes between someone’s legs – invite everyone to instantaneously call “GOOOOAAAALLLL” as if watching a World Cup soccer match.
7. As a penalty, every time a person has a goal scored against them, they will put one arm behind their back, ie it cannot be used to defend their goal.
8. A person may continue to play the game with both arms behind their back (but possibly, not for much longer.)
9. When a third goal is scored against a person, they will be invited to turn around and play from a backward stance (although able to use both arms again.)
10. When the ball passes between the bodies of two people (and travels outside of the circle,) this is called a ‘tweener’ and all players regain the use of all arms (or turn around forward) to resume play.
11. Play continues for as long as your group is enjoying the competition.

My first experience of this game was in response to the sudden puncture of a beach ball we were using in another activity. Most people would just dispose of this slowly deflating resource immediately, but not this time.

Now, you don’t need a deflating ball to make this game work, any old inflatable ball will do fine.

Ask your group to form a circle, facing in with each person standing with their legs about shoulder-width apart and their feet touching the closest foot of their two neighbours.

Explain that the area between each person’s legs is their own goal and it needs to be protected. With feet firmly fixed in position, the only other implement one may use to stop a goal from being scored is with one’s hands.

Of course, hands are used also to hit the ball inside the circle in an effort to score a goal. It is at this point you must explain that all hits of the ball must be with one’s open hand, ie using one’s palm and not clenched fists.

Feel free to toss the ball into the circle to give your group an opportunity to hit the ball around for a few moments. Allow the action to continue until a goal is scored.

Announce that when a goal is scored, two things happen:

1. Everyone, in unison, calls out “GOOOAAALLLL” as if they were watching a World Cup soccer match; and
2. The person who had the ball pass through their legs will place one arm behind their back, ie it can no longer be used to hit the ball at any time.

Of course, if a second goal is scored, this person will now have two arms behind their back, rendering their goal hopelessly indefensible. This person will still be in the game, but possibly, not for much longer.

When a third goal is scored against a person, they are now invited to turn around and continue play from a backward stance. While they may not be able to watch the action as easily, they will regain the use of both of their arms to defend their goal.

Now, to explain the name of the game.

Anytime the ball sails through between the bodies of two people (below the height of their heads) and travels outside the circle, this event is called a tweener. This causes everyone to reset which means all arms regain their use and anyone facing backwards is permitted to turn around.

For the record, if the ball sails over the top of the group above their heads, this is not a tweener, it’s just plain annoying. Someone must retrieve the ball, and resume their place in the circle to restart play.

In my experience, there is significant relief when a goal is scored because it provides an opportunity for everyone to stand up straight and stretch their back. This is to say, if no goal is scored for a long period, you may wish to introduce a quick time-out to allow for some stretching.

That said, and other than for obvious safety reasons, encourage your group to keep the ball as low to the ground as possible. Stopping frequently because the ball ends up outside the circle gets old pretty quickly.

Otherwise, play continues at a frenetic pace (often for a good 10 to 15 minutes) until it is no longer frenetic, which means it’s probably time to move on.

If you have more than 15 to 20 people, I recommend splitting them into two or more groups. You see, if participants are situated too far apart, the ball can sometimes get stranded in the middle of the circle out of reach of anyone.

Be sure to use a ball that is soft. A beach ball or fleece ball are ideal because they have sufficient mass but will unlikely harm a person if it strikes them in the face.

Hits with an open palm are required as a safety precaution. A hit to someone’s face or head with an open palm, while regrettable, is less likely to cause as much harm as a clenched fist.

You could integrate Tweener as part of a well-designed SEL program to develop your group’s ability to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Specifically, this activity offers opportunities to explore and practice the following social & interpersonal skills:

Self-Awareness

• Demonstrating Self-Confidence, Honesty & Integrity
• Experiencing Self-Efficacy

Self-Management

• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation
• Setting Personal & Group Goals
• Taking Initiative
• Use Planning & Organisational Skills

Social Awareness

• Demonstrating Empathy & Compassion
• Understanding & Expressing Gratitude
• Recognising Strengths In Others
• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Build Positive Relationships
• Work Collaboratively

Responsible Decision-Making

• Making Reasoned Judgements
• Anticipating & Evaluating the Consequences of One’s Actions
• Promoting Personal & Collective Well-Being

You can learn more about SEL and how it can support character education here.

There is no specific health & wellness perspective to this activity other than promoting the benefits to one’s well-being of enjoying a short dose of physical exercise and a good laugh.

In a small way, you could argue that the focus required to successfully play this energetic game may speak to the benefits of expressing empathy and compassion for others, eg those who are unable to defend their goals with one or both arms – however, this would not be the primary purpose of this activity.

If you can think of more explicit ways in which Tweener could be purposefully integrated into a health and wellness program, please leave a comment at the base of this page.

• Elimination: When a third goal is scored, that person departs the circle, the two neighbours of the eliminated person draw closer to one another and play resumes. When a tweener is scored, you may invite all eliminated people back into the game, or continue with the elimination format.
• Over: When the ball is hit over the heads of the participants, invite your group to call “Ooooovvvveerrrr” and then invite each person to immediately move to a new spot in the circle, standing between two different people. When the circle is reset, and the ball is retrieved, play continues.
• More Balls: Introduce two or three balls into the action. This will produce a lot more action and many more goals. As they say, a fast game’s a good game.
• Tweener on the Move: To ramp up the challenge, invite your group to move around a space as they play rather than stand in a fixed spot. Encourage participants to maintain a fair-sized gap between their legs as they move around.

We are going to play a fast-paced game that involves each person being able to score goals while also having a goal to protect. This can be a lot to manage all at once, so let’s see how you fare…

If you enjoy a little bit of competition, you’ll love this next game. But, this game will also test the empathy and compassion of your group. Your challenge is to consider how this may influence your play…

Coupled with one or more reflection strategies, here are some sample questions you could use to process your group’s experience after playing this energetic circle game:

• Was the game fun? Why or why not?
• Did you enjoy the competitive fervour of the game?
• What strategies did you use to protect your goal?
• What was more difficult – scoring a goal or protecting your own goal?
• How did you feel when you lost the use of one of your arms?
• Did you change the way you played when someone else lost the use of their arm? Why?
• How did compassion or empathy show up in this game?