Spider Web

Purpose

The Spider Web is a classic team challenge that requires the group to pass every member through openings in a rope web without touching the strands. It demands collaborative planning, clear communication, physical support, and creative problem-solving. The exercise surfaces group dynamics around leadership, inclusion, and how teams handle constraints.

At a glance

• Group size: 8–20 participants
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Facilitation style: Observational — let the group self-organise
• Setting: Outdoors between two trees or posts; indoors with a portable frame

How to run

1. Set up (before session): String a web of rope or bungee cord between two trees or posts, creating openings of various sizes. Each opening can only be used once. The number of openings should equal the number of participants.
2. Brief the group (5 min): Your task is to get every team member from this side to the other through the web. No one may touch the web. Each opening can only be used once. If anyone touches the web, that person must go back and try again.
3. Planning phase (5 min): Let the team strategise before beginning.
4. Execution (25 min): The team works together. Enforce the rules consistently. Add bells or noise-makers to the web for immediate feedback on touches.
5. Debrief (10 min): How did you decide who went through which opening? Who emerged as leaders? How did you handle setbacks? What would you do differently?

Materials needed

• Rope or bungee cord (15–20 metres)
• Two trees, posts, or a portable frame
• Optional: bells or small noise-makers to attach to the web
• Optional: carabiners for securing the web

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Web openings too small or too high: Ensure at least some openings are accessible without being lifted.
• Not enforcing rules consistently: If touches are ignored for some but not others, trust in the facilitator erodes.
• Allowing unsafe lifting: Brief the group on safe lifting techniques. No one should be flipped upside down.
• Rushing through without planning: Encourage but do not force the planning phase.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Include at least 2–3 openings at ground level or low height that people can step or crawl through.
• For participants who cannot be lifted, designate those ground-level openings.
• Ensure the group discusses how to support each member before starting — this is part of the learning.
• Respect body autonomy: participants must consent to being lifted or carried.

Variations

• Electric Fence: Simplified version — one horizontal rope at chest height that everyone must get over without touching.
• Timed Spider Web: Add a time limit to increase pressure and observe how planning behaviour changes.
• Reverse Spider Web: After completing the crossing, the team must return through the same openings from the other side.

When NOT to use this

• When the group includes people with severe mobility limitations and the web cannot be adapted with sufficient ground-level openings.
• With very large groups (20+) where wait times become excessive and disengagement sets in.
• When team dynamics are highly toxic — the exercise can amplify exclusionary behaviour.

Source & further reading

• Rohnke, K. (1984). Silver Bullets. Project Adventure.
• Cain, J. and Jolliff, B. (1998). Teamwork and Teamplay. Kendall Hunt.