playfight xberg

warm-up and mini-workshop

• we activate our body with a set of exercises
• practise to set our own boundaries and to respect the boundaries of our partner
• test a number of ideas about how we can fight
• do some rolling and breakfall exercises
• and of course get to know each other a little bit already.

main part

for fighting, 2 persons meet in the middle of the circle

the fight partners can find each other in a couple of ways. to decline an invitation, simply say or signal „no“, no further explanation is required.

the other participants are sitting in a cycle around the fighters,  and observe the fight, and thus help to provide a safe space.

click the link for our Photo Collection 

most of our pictures also can be found on our  instagram

here are a few selected photos:

Event Room

Dressing Rooms

Coin Operated Showers (50Cent-Coins, rather 2 Coins needed)

Translated excerpts from the newspaper article about playfight xberg by Robert Klages, issued 9th of Jan. 2025  in Berliner Tagesspiegel (paywall) and in  Newsletter Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
(free acces):

„Playfight“ is an intense experience, a mix of fighting and playing. It’s not about winning, but about having fun, about scuffling like children or animals – and about experiencing and testing one owns boundaries.

(…)

Ufuk has a good techique and using it he soon is able push to me down to the ground. Using all my strength I try to escape. „It’s not about winning“ trainer Ulf had explained earlier, and I feel Ufuk letting go so I get my turn to slam him to the ground.

(…)

A fantastic feeling. Not only are my knees sore, but also my muscles are.

(…)

I’m doing a bild fight with Angelo, so with blindfolds. That makes the experience even more intense. The group takes care that we don’t crash into the walls. Angelo soon has me down on the ground, and I have to bring up all my strength to escape, and it’s a very liberating feeling to bring up all powers, and to feel them.

(…)

At the start, to fight with stangers required a bit of willpower for me.

When it’s my turn against Andrea, things get funnier, because she tickles me. „That’s unfair“ I scream, and have to laugh loudly, and tickle her back.

We are scruffling on the ground, are rolling back and forth. Exhausted I’m lying on the mat again, no-one has won.

(…)

Your Host: Ulf Martin Andresen

I’m a private music instructor for piano, saxophone and clarintet.

From 2008 I participated in a lot of playfight-venues by various hosts, and after a good deal of thoughts I founded my own venue,  Playfight Xberg mid of May 2024.

I still find fascinating how many things one rather automatically trains/exercises simultaneousy when  playfighting – physically: strength, endurance, mobility, and coordination – mentally: being present with oneself, feeling one’s boundaries, wishes and needs, and taking them into account, as well as relating to the respective partners.. taking care fore each other, whilst having a lot of freedom for creative ideas, being able to confidentially leave one’s comfort zone in order to grow, because when one’s boundaries are approached one can  always interrupt/stop everything…

furthermore interesting is that one can provoke each other and challenge each other in all friendliness.. and also that we go into body contact..

it´s also great that one automatically develops more awareness for one’s own body..

and yet I believe that the positive side effects are actually only side effects that normally should rather be casually accepted (instead of trying to use them therapeutically) – in my opinion letting the fun stay in playfighting is eminent, among other things because one learns best then 😉

As your playfight host, I want to structure each given evening in a way that grants everybody is physically tuned in optimally, have a lot of ideas available in which other ways one could fight/play, have (re-) practised to react to both „stop“ and to the traffic light code, as well as having practised to use both codes…

so that during the playfight everyone can feel totally comfortable, and at the end of the evening go home (or which place ever) happy and fullfilled.

Assisted by: May

I am Egyptian-Sudanese,  and firstly I think i should mention that after being in Germany for 17 years by now, I understand German well, but am not able to speak it.

I’m in a relationship with Ulf, and went to attend his playfight because he asked several times, although I really tought I would not like it, but then seeing it I also wanted to try, and actually found it to be a lot of fun.

When Ulf told me he could need some help organizing, and also someone to show examples of the many the ways one can playfight, and asked me if I could  assist, I happily agreed.

I am mother of a 13 y.o., and a designer.