Athletic Team-Building Exercises

Getting involved in team athletics is a fun and active way to build confidence. But for coaches and players alike, instilling a sense of team spirit and pride can be difficult. Team-building activities are designed to help a team become a cohesive unit, made up of individuals supporting one another. Whether the athletes are children or adults, these lessons improve the team and build character for its members.

  1. Minefield

    • Minefield is a game that is all about trust. This game is ideal for a new team, or for a team that has just lost some key players and has gained some new ones. A "minefield" is created somewhere safe, like a gym or a field. The mines are foam pool noodles, cones or some other prop without sharp corners. The team is split into pairs. One member of the pair is blindfolded and cannot speak. She must negotiate the minefield with the help of her partner, who can see and speak to guide her, but cannot touch her. Points can be accumulated for each pair as they "hit" a mine. The pair with the least amount of points wins. This game forces the participants to communicate clearly with each other and rely on each other.

    Ball Relay

    • In Ball Relay, the group is split into two teams, each getting 15 balls of various sizes. The balls are stacked inside a hula hoop, from the largest on the bottom of the pile, to the smallest balls on top. Each member of the team must grab one ball and race it across the field to a waiting bag. He must place the ball in the bag, run back and tag the next player. That player grabs the next ball. When all the balls are in the bag, the last player must bring the bag back, and the team must work together to restack the balls again in the hula hoop. The first team done wins. Ball Relay encourages the team to succeed together, through teamwork. It places the win of the team over individual success.

    Multi-Way Tug of War

    • A Multi-Way Tug of War is a fun and energetic contest like a traditional tug of war, but it forces the teams to use cooperative tactics, not just brute strength. Four ropes are connected to a center steel ring, and the team is divided into four groups. Each group takes a rope, ready to pull. The teams stand equally distant at north, south, east and west. Lines are drawn in the field directly in front of only two of the teams. The center ring must cross one of those lines to determine a winner. Teams must not only pull, but fight to pivot and swivel the the whole contraption to gain a spot in front of a line. This game should be played in several rounds, allowing the teams to strategize together between attempts. Strategy and cooperation are the name of the game here.