I love elimination games but one of the biggest problems is the waiting. Waiting is boring. How do we take great games and take the waiting out of the equation? My answer was the "Minute to win it" rule (or sometimes "2-minute to win it"). For any two-sided game (think Dodgeball), I put a time limit on how long kids can sit out. In the Dodgeball example, I'll set a 2 minute Dinger. Every time the sound goes off, everybody that's out can get back in.
It's great for my small space too. I can make the teams smaller by having a third team that sits in the Jail. In the Dodgeball example, whichever team has the fewest people out wins and stays in while the team that lost switches places with the people in the Jail.
To prevent disputes during ties, I designate one side to be the Champion side and the other as the Challenger. If your team wins, you move to the Champion side. If there's a tie, the team on the Champion side is out and goes to the Jail.
Minute to Win it Gaga Ball
As much as I love playing Gaga Ball with a couple of Jails. My favorite way we play is Elimination Style, but they play for less than 2 minutes. I created a countdown timer (see below) that I put up on the screen in my "gym". When they're out, I give them a few choices of other things they can do but most prefer to watch. When the next game starts, the ball is placed in the middle of the pit and all players need to touch a wall. The game begins again on the DING.
I capped the timer at 12 minutes so it only has about 6 games. However, I created a YouTube Playlist that loops the video over and over again so you can play forever.
More Games to Use This Rule With
Fire in the Hole
Golden Eye
Recommended Reading
Well Played Dodgeball - Eliminate the stigma and make dodging games fun for all players, regardless of ability
The Ultimate Sub Plan - A plan so good, it barely matters how good your sub is
Air Pong - Minimize arguments with this instant activity, perfect for spaces of any size.
Ultimate Kickball - Make kickball fun for all players. Cut out the waiting and complex decision making. Everybody knows what to do every play.
