Push Catch
Push Catch is a circle reaction game in which players must do the opposite of the command they hear. A person in the centre throws a soft ball to someone while calling 'push' or 'catch'; the receiver has to catch it on 'push' and bat it back on 'catch'. The game circulates in adventure education and has no confirmed originator.
Facilitation script
- 1
Form the circle, step into the centre with the ball and explain the two commands and the opposite rule. Demonstrate with one volunteer.
2 min - 2
Slow practice round: throw to each person once, alternating calls, and let mistakes pass without consequence.
2 min - 3
Play at rising speed. Hand the centre role to a participant and change the thrower every minute or so.
5 min - 4
Stop at the peak. Ask two questions about what made it hard and where the same automatic reaction shows up in daily work.
3 min
Tips
Use a ball that cannot hurt anyone when it is batted back at close range, and insist on underarm throws at chest height.
For workshop groups, drop the elimination rule: people who are out early stand around for ten minutes, and they are usually the ones who most needed the warm-up.
Rotate the thrower often so the centre role does not become a performance by one person.
Common pitfalls
Playing strict elimination with a workshop group, so that half the room is standing idle after two minutes and the energy you built drains away
Using a hard or heavy ball; a ball batted back from a metre away then hits faces and hands, and people stop playing freely
Throwing fast before the rule has settled, which turns a funny challenge into a string of failures and makes cautious players withdraw
Letting one confident person stay in the centre the whole time, so the game becomes their show and others disengage
Forcing a long debrief on a group that only needed a break; the point about habits lands in two questions or not at all
Variations
Non-elimination: a player who gets it wrong becomes the new thrower. For groups above fifteen, run two circles side by side. With a seated or mobility-limited group, play at a table with a rolled ball or a beanbag. The game is hard to transfer to video calls; for remote groups use a verbal opposite-command game instead.
Where it fits
When to use it
Energy has dropped after lunch or a long presentation and the group needs to stand up and laugh
The next topic is about unlearning habits or changing routines, and you want a shared physical experience to refer back to
A small group has space to stand in a circle and is comfortable with light physical play
You need an energiser that takes one prop and under a minute to explain
When not to use it
The group is larger than about fifteen and cannot be split; Walk & Stop gives the same opposite-command effect for a whole room
Participants have limited mobility, wrist or shoulder problems, or the room is full of glasses and laptops; use a verbal game such as Looking Around instead
The setting is formal and people do not yet know each other; start with a conversational opener before asking them to throw things
The session is online; a ball game does not translate, so pick a remote energiser such as Wikiracing
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Push Catch?▾
Push Catch is a reaction game played in a circle with one soft ball. A thrower in the centre calls 'push' or 'catch' while throwing, and the receiver must do the opposite: catch on 'push' and push the ball back on 'catch'. It takes ten to fifteen minutes and works best with eight to fifteen people.
Do players have to be eliminated?▾
No. Elimination is the traditional rule, but in workshops it leaves people standing out when they should be warming up. A common alternative is that whoever gets it wrong swaps places with the thrower, which keeps everyone in the game.
What kind of ball works best?▾
A soft, light ball about the size of a grapefruit, such as a foam ball or a soft fleece ball. It needs to be easy to catch with two hands and harmless when pushed back at short distance. Avoid tennis balls and anything that bounces hard.
What is the learning point of Push Catch?▾
The game makes people feel the pull of an automatic response: hearing 'catch' and not catching takes real effort. Facilitators use that experience to open conversations about habits, listening and how hard it is to act on new instructions under time pressure. Keep the debrief short and tied to the session topic.
Plan your next workshop with AI
Workshop Weaver helps you combine methods like Push Catch into a complete, timed agenda in minutes.
Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Adventure education practice; originator unknown, published among others by playmeo.