Description: Everyone in the group stands in a circle (or a blob, if necessary) and touches (at least) two other players in the group. Contact can and usually is made with both hands, but can be just fingers, or feet, or whatever body part is necessary.
When the coach says "go," all players start moving in any direction as one unit. Contact must be maintained at all times, although the contact point/appendage can be changed as necessary (if you find a hand comes loose, reconnect with a foot).

Tips: Adding dialogue to the group's movement is entirely up to the group, if it helps to justify the group's action.
There is no restriction on how the action may modify during the group's movement. Players may find themselves (if the moment arises) upside down or being carried by others. The entire group should commit to these choices, and offer support - literally - when necessary.
This exercise can get very tiring because of the physical nature of it. Let it go on as long as the group is comfortable.

Variants: Instead of giving the group free reign to move where they want, the coach can instruct them where to move in the room. This may cause the group to make interesting choices when faced with an obstacle (i.e., moving through a doorway, around furniture, etc.).
Sometimes called The Blob or Amoeba.

Description: The entire group stands in a circle, shoulder to shoulder. Players may choose to hold hands or put arms around shoulders to increase the group's connection. One player starts with the count of "one." Whenever the next player "feels" where their place is, they will say "two." The group continues to count one number at a time. If, at any time, two players say the same number at the same time, the group must start over at one. The group continues counting until they get to (or past) twenty. If they pass twenty, they should keep going until they hit a repeated number.

Tips: The group should avoid the rut of the same player starting the count at the same time. The object of the game is not to get to twenty - the object of the game is for every player to feel where they are in the energy of the group.
If the group is having trouble progressing, they should have a coach or a lead player quietly talk them through focusing on the group's common energy. The coach can use a variety of techniques to get the group to focus - visualization of each player's energy being shared with the group; focusing on each players' breathing, presence, mind; etc.

Variants: Although the name of the game is Count to 20, the group can use whatever number they want as a goal.

Description: This is a free association game, with the goal of getting both players to the same association. Players A and B stand and face each other. On the first beat, Player A says "one." On the second beat, Player B says "two." On the third beat, both players together say "three." On the fourth beat, both Player A and Player B say anything at all - a person, a place, an abstract concept, a phrase, etc. Players A and B then one beat to process what was said by their partner, and they repeat - when the fourth beat comes around again, their statement should be informed or influenced by what their partner said last round. The game ends when both Player A and Player B say the same thing on beat four. (The example below has this happening in two rounds; in practice, it will often take many, many more.)
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Player A: One
Player B: Two
Players A and B: Three
Player A: France      |      Player B: monument

Player A: One
Player B: Two
Player A and B: Three
Player A: Eiffel Tower      |      Player B: Eiffel Tower

Tips: Don't mistake the player starting with "one" as the "leader" of the exercise. Both players' fourth beat statements should be equally influenced by the other.
Let the pace of the beats be as slow as necessary for the players to give their fourth beat statements in time, but not too slow as to encourage overthinking them.

Variants: It does not always have to be Player A starting with "one" - that job can switch back and forth, unless that switching makes it more difficult for the players to focus on the game. Keeping it with Player A makes that simpler.

Description: This game can be played by a large number of people. All players stand in a circle, and Players A and B stand in the center of the circle. They each adopt a physical position, and then Player A begins a scene suggested by and justifying these positions. After a short time, another player in the circle (Player C) yells "Freeze!" Players A and B freeze in their current positions. Player C then steps into the circle, tags out either player (C's choice), and adopts that player's same physical position. Player C then says a line to begin an entirely new scene, also suggested by and justifying the players' positions.
This continues until everyone in the circle has joined a freeze at least once.

Tips: Making large, exaggerated actions will help other players be inspired to tag players out.
Players can practice returning to common themes by having characters, situations, etc. recur throughout the game. For example, Superman may recur throughout the game if positions suggest flying, lifting heavy objects, fighting large opponents, etc. (The player playing Superman may then refer to the other as Lois, Jimmy, etc., even if the players are different than when those characters first appeared.)

Variants: Also known as Switch. 

Description: The group of Players stands in a circle. One Player steps into the middle, and begins singing a song of his or her choice. When another Player is inspired to think of another song, that Player steps in, tags out the current Player, and begins singing his or her new song. The game continues until at least all Players have stepped into the circle once.

Tips: Even if the song is enjoyable, the point of the game is not to let one Player stay in the middle too long - and to go with your instinct when inspiration strikes. As soon as a Player thinks of a song, they should step in and sing, trusting that the rest of the group will not leave them in too long. The group is more than welcome to sing along with a Player's song - that only adds to the group energy and camaraderie.

Variants: Also known as Diva.

submitted by mickeyjo

Description: A game used mostly for practice and not performance. The Denial Game features two players, and works as a simple short form scene, except each line for each player must deny the line of the previous player.

Tips: This game is used to catch the habit of denial in new improvisers. It's funny and demonstrates just how jeopardizing denial can be to a scene.

Description: Player A (or the coach, if warming up) is the director, and the rest of the players will line or circle up. The director will get a suggestion for a category - cars, colors, chemical elements, etc., and then point to random players one at a time. Each player must name an item in that category, without repeats. If a player takes too long, or repeats an item, or says an item that is not really in the category, the audience or group yells "Die!" and the player is out. Play until an agreed-upon number of winners remain.

Gimmicks: The director can point back and forth between two players, or point at one player several times in a row.

Variants: Zulu Categories - a category is named, and all players must come up with items that sound like they could be in that category, but are not real. A player "dies" when they cannot come up with a word fast enough, repeats a word, or says a real item in this category. (This variant is an opportunity for improvisers to work on authentic sounding gibberish.)

Description: Players stand in a circle. Player A begins miming an action. Player B (to left or right, group's decision) asks A, "What are you doing?" A answers with any action which isn't what they are actually miming. B then begins miming the action stated by A. Player C then asks B, "What are you doing?" and so on. Continue as many times around the group as desired.

Tips: Don't think of an action that throws your partner under the bus. Give them interesting, but not embarassing, actions.

Skills: Specificity is great in this game, because it gives players a chance to practice how to mime such specificity. For example, do "digging a hole to bury my treasure" and "digging a hole to bury a dead body" look different?
- Physicality is important to practice acting out the details of the action. Players are free to add any physicalizations or characterizations necessary; however, don't let it turn into an entire scene.
- Don't let any one player's actions go on too long; there's some benefit in making players get to the "point" of an action quickly.

Variants: If the group agrees, all actions and characterizations can be done without vocalization or dialogue (except, of course, for the question "What are you doing?" and its answer). This forces more emphasis on Physicality.

Description: The group stands in a circle. Player A starts by pointing at another person (Player B) in the group. B gives A permission by saying "Go;" at that point, A begins walking towards B's position in the circle. Before A arrives, B must point at another person (C); C will give them permission by saying "Go," and the pattern continues.

Tips: New players often get confused about pointing and saying "Go" at the same time. Except for the very first person (who only points), the order of actions for any player is 1) give permission by saying "Go;" 2) get permission to move by pointing.
- Everyone in the group must pay attention during this warmup, to see if permission is being asked of them.

Skills: This is primarily a Focus game. All players must be focused on where the permission is coming from or going to, in case they become the person of whom permission is being asked.

Variants: To take it to the next level: 1) A doesn't point, but rather makes just distinct eye contact with B, and 2) B doesn't say "Go," but just nods acknowledgement. This variant requires a great deal more focus from the group.
- Make it more challenging by adding a second chain of "Go" (two sequences of permission going at once).