rhythm exercises

The rhythm exercises include exercises and warm-up games, which contain a rhythmic element.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

In this concentration exercise, the players form a circle. We create a common rhythm by saying in the chorus:"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". Once we have found the common rhythm, person A begins to make a simple movement / gesture - while "Ali Baba..." is being said. At the next "Ali Baba" neighbor B now repeats this movement. Meanwhile, A makes a new movement, which now has to watch and remember B while he is doing the first one, because he has to repeat it with the next "Ali Baba". This continues in turn, i. e. at the end everyone repeats the movement of his neighbour from the previous "Ali Baba". Only when the circle is "closed" does A no longer make a new movement, but has to repeat the movement of his neighbour just like the others.

Pass the Clap Circuit II

This exercise comes from the realm of music, it is a rhythmic game that is not at first quite simple.

The players form a circle with an inward direction. The players standing next to each other are a little less than two forearm lengths apart. Both arms are now angled, the hands are open, it looks as if you are carrying a tray with each hand, but the palm of the right arm is pointing downwards (on the left hand you are carrying a tray), and the lower arms are more to the side than to the front. The palms of the respective neighbours are placed at a small distance from each other. Now here's what happens: the hands are clapped into each other's hands by hitting the palms of their respective neighbours to the right and to the left at the same time, then the forearms move forward and we clap our own hands, the palms of the hands turning into a vertical position, then the forearms move to the side again, the hand of the neighbour is clapped over as described just now. Then clap your hands again. After the third gossip on the side, the most difficult thing comes: Instead of clapping forward, we "just" turn our hands quickly and clap our hands and - remaining in time - clap into the neighbour's hand, then the same as already described, i. e. it is clapped forward into their own hands. This also happens 2 (front clap) or 3 times (side clap), then the hands are turned again and so on. All this is done in the same beat and time. Rhythm!! To achieve a (even and uniform) beat, we count, then we give the commands "Clapping - front - clapping - front - clapping - clapping[-] - clapping - front" etc. Later on, of course, this has to work as fast as possible after the counting of the numbers without announcements (because the spinning has no beat of its own, it cannot actually be announced).

The difficulty can be increased by making side steps (right - left - right - left - side), if necessary. in a beat offset by the clap beat. A further increase in difficulty is when everyone speaks or sings something together.