Speed Ball

Duration:          30 minutes

Group Size:       Section Level

Resources:  6 tennis-sized balls (or crushed paper) & stop-watch

Purpose:      To solve a problem as a team, learning the importance of adaptability.

Overview:    To figure out, as a team, the quickest way to pass, in a specific sequence, a number of balls from hand to hand.

Conduct:

  1. Participants form a circle. 
  2. Participants must pass one ball around the circle, according to the following rules:
    • the ball cannot be passed to someone directly beside you
    • the ball must be thrown and not handed over to the next person
    • running or diving for the balls is not allowed
  3. Instruct the team to figure out their sequence of passing, and practice it until they are all familiar with it.
  4. Time how long the team takes to pass all the balls to the last person, using the same sequence. The facilitator can stand next to the last person in the sequence, to help free his hands by collecting the balls in a bag or helmet.
  5. Based on the initial timing, get the team to set an optimal timing that the team should attempt to beat.
  6. Challenge the team to modify their positions and technique to beat the timing. The balls must still move from hand to hand in the correct sequence, but they need not stand in a circle any longer.
  7. Once the optimal timing is achieved, set an even shorter timing (e.g. half the timing) to challenge them to think of even faster ways to pass the balls.

Note: Appoint people who have played this activity before as observers or timekeepers.

Debrief Questions:

  1. How did the group perform as a team? [Observable behaviours – effective communication, leadership, sharing of suggestions/ideas, etc.]
  2. Did the team learn well as a unit? What actions helped/didn’t help?

Notes:

Setting stretched targets can challenge teams to find novel and alternative ways to achieve the targets. Merely fine tuning current practices only leads to small incremental changes. In addition, teams need to be receptive to trying new approaches to meet new challenges, despite risk of failure (we can surely learn from our mistakes!).