Other names
Inspiration
Frogs will sometimes fight each other to defend their territory. In this game, participants do some silly, frog-inspired “dueling” of their own!
Themes
Balance, Strategy, Silly fun and laughter
Group size
Any # players
Timing
3-5 min/round
Play area
Any clear area
Energy
Low (sitting, standing)
Age range
8+ years
Start formation
Scatter
Equipment
NONE
Hazards/safety
N/A
Instructions
- Each person finds a partner. Partners face each other, standing about three feet apart, then sink into a “deep knee bend” (squatting down, balanced on the balls of the feet, heels NOT touching the ground). In this position, one participant’s knees should end up about one foot away from their opponent’s knees.
- Each person then puts their hands up, palms facing the other person, and tries to cause their opponent to lose their balance. “Losing balance” means: actually falling over, or putting a hand on the ground, moving a foot to another position, or rocking back on the heels to keep from falling.
- Participants can ONLY touch their opponent’s HANDS, and nowhere else on their body.
- Each pair plays to achieve the best of three rounds, then people switch partners and play someone else.
Modifications
- One Hand Challenge: Restrict each person to the use of one hand only.
- Team Challenge: Divide into groups of three or four people, squatting in a triangle- or square-like formation. Now it’s every person for themself.
- Rope Pull Challenge: You’ll need a rope about 10 feet long for each pair. Participants squat down as normal, but in this version they are about 6 feet apart, and each holds the end of a 10-foot rope. They then use the rope, by pulling it or strategically letting rope out, to cause their opponent to either a) lose their balance, or b) completely let go of the rope. For safety, emphasize that participants should hold the rope inside their palm only, and not wrap it around their hands or wrists.