How to Play Off Ground He

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Off Ground He is a chasing and evasion game played outdoors by groups of children. One player, designated as 'He', attempts to tag the others, who can claim temporary safety by getting any part of themselves off the ground: standing on a step, sitting on a wall, climbing a frame, or perching on any raised surface counts as refuge.

Its appeal is immediate and obvious. It demands bursts of speed, sharp timing, and quick judgement about when to leave a safe spot and make a run for the next one. Because safe spots are finite and players cannot stay on them indefinitely, the game keeps moving at pace and suits almost any outdoor space with playground equipment, low walls, or natural features.

A little history

Off Ground He belongs to the broad family of tag and chase games that have been played by children across Britain for centuries. The specific variant in which raised surfaces confer safety is documented in collections of children's games from the nineteenth century onward, and similar rules appear in folklore surveys from across England, Scotland, and Wales under a variety of local names. Its precise origins are unclear, but the mechanic of 'off ground' safety is one of the most consistently recorded features of British playground tradition.

Setting up

1. Choose a playing area with several raised surfaces spread around it. The more varied the terrain, the better the game.
2. Establish clear boundaries so all players know the playable space.
3. Agree on any house rules before starting, particularly whether players may stay on a raised surface indefinitely or must keep moving (see Variations).
4. Choose the first 'He' by any agreed method: counting out, volunteering, or the loser of the previous round taking the role.

How to play

1. He closes their eyes and counts to ten aloud while the other players scatter and find starting positions.
2. He then calls 'coming' and begins chasing the other players.
3. Any player who is off the ground, meaning at least one foot or body part is on a raised surface, is safe and cannot legally be tagged.
4. He may only tag a player who is fully on the ground. A tag is a clear touch to any part of the body.
5. The moment He approaches a safe spot, players on it may choose to stay, but if a second player tries to occupy the same spot the first player must leave. Only one player may be off the ground on a single surface at a time unless the group has agreed otherwise.
6. A player who is tagged immediately becomes the new He. The outgoing He rejoins the group as a free player.
7. There is no pause between a tag and the new He beginning to chase. Play is continuous.
8. The game continues until the group agrees to stop or a time limit is reached.

Winning and scoring

Off Ground He is traditionally a social game with no fixed winner. The player who spends the least time as He across the session is generally considered to have played best. If the group wishes to score formally, each player can tally the number of times they are tagged over an agreed period, and the player tagged fewest times wins. Some groups set a target of, say, five tags to eliminate a player, with the last player uneliminated declared the winner.

The fine points

The most common dispute is over whether a tag happened before or after a player left the ground. The standard ruling is simple: if any part of the player was still in contact with the ground at the moment of the tag, the tag counts. If He's hand and the player's foot left the ground at the same instant, the benefit of the doubt goes to the chased player. This must be agreed before the game starts so there is no argument mid-round.

The second frequent dispute concerns how many players may share a raised surface. Most traditional play allows only one player per surface, which forces movement and stops players camping. Where a surface is large enough, the group may agree to allow two, but this must be explicit. He is also not permitted to stand next to a safe spot and simply wait indefinitely: most groups enforce a 'five-second rule', requiring He to move away after counting to five if no one on the surface comes down. This keeps the game flowing and prevents stalling.

How to win more often

• Do not sprint for the nearest safe spot the moment He is tagged: He begins chasing immediately, so picking a spot that is slightly further away but less obvious often buys more time.
• Watch where He is facing before you leave a safe spot. Move when their back is turned or they are committed to chasing someone else.
• If you are He, ignore players already on safe surfaces and focus on players in transit between them. That is when they are most vulnerable.
• Use other players as distractions. If He is chasing someone else across the space, that is the moment to move between safe spots without risk.
• If you are He and a player is holding a safe spot, apply pressure by moving close and counting loudly. Other free players will sometimes panic and move, giving you a better target.

Variations

Timed Safe Spots

Players may not remain on a raised surface for more than five seconds at a time. He counts aloud, and any player still off the ground when He reaches five must immediately come down and run. This removes all possibility of camping and keeps every player moving throughout.

Two He

Two players are designated as He at the start, working independently. Either may tag any free player. The player tagged becomes the new He, and the tagger rejoins the free group. This suits larger groups of ten or more and raises the pressure considerably, as players can no longer rely on He being occupied elsewhere.

Off Ground Chain He

When He tags a player, that player joins He and must hold hands with them, forming a chain. Only the two players at the ends of the chain may make tags. The chain grows until only one free player remains, and that player becomes the new He for the next round. This variant works best in a smaller, well-defined space.

Colour He

Before play begins, He secretly chooses a colour. Players are only safe when touching something of that colour, whether on the ground or raised. He calls the colour at the start of each round. This works without any specialist equipment and can be played in open spaces that have no raised surfaces at all.

Off Ground He: frequently asked questions