Play Luta De Galo
You’ll need
- Neckers
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.
The World Scout Moot is a global event for Scouts and Guides aged 18 to 25. It's held every four years in different countries, bringing young people together to make new friends, discover new cultures and enjoy exciting adventures.
The next Moot will be held in Portugal in 2025. The event has three parts: a semi-independent expedition, a large camp with Scouts from around the world and a special experience after the main event. Portugal’s a beautiful country in Southern Europe, known for its fascinating history, stunning beaches and warm weather. This year’s participants will have the chance to explore Lisbon’s historic streets, relax by the sea and take part in outdoor activities, such as hiking and surfing.
Learn more about the 16th World Scout Moot.
Running this activity
- Gather everyone together and explain that they’ll be playing a fun game called Luta De Galo, which is played in Portugal. The game originally comes from Brazil and the name means 'fight of the roosters' in Portuguese.
- Everyone needs to get into pairs.
- Each player will need a necker. They should tuck the necker into their waistband, around a belt loop or pocket. There should be enough of it hanging out so someone can grab it.
- Now, each pair should stand opposite each other.
- Everyone should cross their dominant arm (the one they use most, such as the hand they write with) across their chest. They can't use it at all. You could also put it behind your back instead.
- Next, everyone should stand on one leg.
- The aim is to take your opponent’s necker using only your non-dominant hand while hopping.
- While you’re hopping, your opponent will be trying to do the same to you.
- If you put your leg down or if uncross your dominant arm, you’re out of the game.
- When everyone’s ready, let the game begin. You may want to time people.
- The player who takes the other player’s necker first wins!
- Once a round is over, everyone can switch partners and play again. You can try different strategies to see who’s the fastest to win the necker!
Reflection
This activity was all about playing games from other countries. If you did this activity around the 16th World Scout Moot in Portugal, you could reflect on shared themes. While Luta de Galo is a traditional Brazilian game, it shares similar themes of balance and agility found in folk games across Portugal, such as Jogo do Pau. Just as the Galo de Barcelos rooster is a symbol of good luck and resilience in Portuguese culture, this game celebrates the playful spirit of overcoming challenges. At every international camp we celebrate the mix of cultures and encourage everyone to enjoy them, whether from Brazil, Portugal, or beyond!
You had lots to think about. You to hop on one leg to try to grab your opponent's necker and you could only use one arm. What was easy about this game? What was hard? There was lots of balance and coordination needed. How well did you balance or coordinate yourself? You may have needed to think outside the box too. If you managed to take a necker, did you do anything to help you? Did anyone defend their necker really well too? What strategies worked well? And what didn’t work? If we were to do this activity again, what would you do differently?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
- Contact games and activities
Make sure everyone understands what contact is acceptable, and monitor contact throughout the activity.
- To make the game a little easier, you could allow players to jump with their feet together, instead of hopping. You could also let them use their dominant arm/hand and put the other across their chest or behind their back.
- To increase the challenge, you could also make the game more competitive by setting a time limit for how quickly players need to grab the necker. You could also add more players into the game, such as three players, or have one pair play against another pair to be the first pair to grab a necker from the opposing team.
- Make sure there’s a way to include everyone in this game or activity. If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable playing the game or taking part in the activity, let them take on another role instead. Some examples are timing, scorekeeping or refereeing.
- Some people may struggle with balance. Use safety mats or have adult spotters to assist.
- Make sure any movements and actions are things everyone can do. For example, if someone struggles to hop, jump or stand on one leg, you can let them stand on two legs and bounce with their feet together.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
If you enjoyed this activity, you could try our other Moot 2025 activities.