bats, balls, nets and walls - sportsengine · 2015-04-26 · bats, balls, nets and walls games and...

Bats, Balls, Nets and Walls

Games and Activities that focus on Teaching Games for Understanding

By Robert Matheson, CIRA Ontario

Background There is a fundamental shift in thinking about Physical Education in Canada. The ultimate goal is to

stop teaching sports as the end goal. Instead the focus should be on the students. We should be helping them develop an interest in a healthy, active life. This is done by teaching a variety of games and sports and focusing on the strategies of the game not on mastery of the skills and winning the game. The Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach has been around since the 1980s. It was recently used as the foundation of the new Ontario H&PE curriculum.

One of the main benefits of this approach is that students get active quickly by playing the game instead of practicing skills. Students will naturally develop skills and strategic knowledge from playing the game. Games can be played in smaller groups of students with similar abilities.

A strength of this approach is that games often have tactics, rules, and skills that are transferable. Due to that, TGfU games have been categorized into four main groups (the top four listed below). Some Physical Educators have proposed a fifth group that covers games that involve mostly running and evading. This workshop will focus on the first two categories:

Net and Wall Games

Players generally score points by

propelling an object over a net or

off a wall. The goal is to make it

difficult for the opponent to

return the object.

Striking and Fielding Games

The offensive team scores by

striking an object into the playing

area, trying to make it difficult for

the defensive team to field it.

Territorial Games

Teammates work together to

control an object as they advance

into the other team’s zone. This

gives them the opportunity to

score.

Target Games

Players propel an object at a

target, attempting to score as

many points as possible.

Racing Games

Participants focus on moving around a course, attempting to complete it in the shortest amount of time. There may be tasks to complete along the way. Games might also involve evading other players. There are a lot of transferable skills.

http://www.gophersport.com/

https://ciraontario.com/

Ontario Curriculum Links Strand A: Active Living

A1. Active Participation – Regular participation, variety, lifelong activity; Enjoyment, motivation A2. Physical Fitness – Fitness development though daily physical activity

Strand B: Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts, and Strategies B1. Movement Skills and Concepts - Movement skills – stability, locomotion, manipulation; Movement concepts – body awareness, effort, spatial awareness, relationships; Movement principles; B2. Movement Strategies - Components of physical activities; Strategies and tactics in all physical activities

Living Skills Strand B: Personal Skills – Self-awareness and self-monitoring skills; Interpersonal Skills – Communication skills, relationship and social skills; Critical and Creative Thinking – Planning, processing, reflecting/evaluating “To accommodate different developmental levels and abilities and to maximize participation, it is desirable to give students an opportunity to learn and apply skills within the context of a modified game or activity. Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) is a particularly useful child-centred approach of this kind. Through developmentally appropriate sequencing of activities that are representative of a variety of game elements, students learn to apply increasingly complex skills and strategies. The learning connected to movement strategies gives students opportunities to experience versions of activities that are appropriate to their age and abilities, so that they can recognize the basic concepts in the games or activities, appreciate their challenges and rules, understand their tactical aspects, and identify movement skills and concepts that they can apply to many other games and physical activities. This experiential approach gives responsibility to the teacher to act as facilitator and to maximize participation and fun by making adaptations that optimize the level of challenge for all participants and by giving students opportunities to make their own adaptations to the activities. Teachers are encouraged to use open-ended questions to help students explore, discover, create, and experiment with movement and tactical solutions. Because of its focus on student autonomy, critical thinking, and learning, this approach gives students valuable preparation for lifelong participation in physical activities.”

The Ontario Curriculum: Grades 1-8 – Health and Physical Education (2010)

The Games

For the purposes of this presentation, I have chosen to focus on two of the following games from each

category:

Net and Wall Games

Five Lives

Love or Money

Slamball Volleyball

Beat Your Neighbour

High Ball Throw-Catch-Throw Relay Hand Ball Sides

Striking and Fielding Games Who’s Faster? Tennis Baseball Whack a Zoo Catchers vs. Runners French Cricket Caterpillar Cricket

An expanded version of this presentation based on Ontario curriculum is available by email from [email protected] or the books in the TGfU series can be purchased from CIRA Ontario.

mailto:[email protected]

Net and Wall Games

Players generally score points by propelling an object over a net or off a wall. The goal is to

make it difficult for the opponent to return the object. These games are build-up games to net

sports, including tennis, badminton and volleyball. They also lead to more traditional wall

sports such as squash, racquetball and handball. There are strategies and tactics that are similar

in all of these games and the sports that they lead to.

Five Lives

Game Objective - To throw the ball over the net onto the opponent’s side, trying to force the

opponent to lose a life

Strategies and Tactics

Place an object over the net away from the opponent

Vary the types of throws (long, short, fast, slow) to make it more difficult for the

opponent

Cover the space defensively

Equipment – A net (actual net, bench, or mat) and a ball or other object (Gopher ball, utility ball

tennis ball, rubber chicken) for each group of two

Set Up

Nets are placed in the middle of the gym, forming a long line

Establish side lines (two paces wide) and end lines (2-4 paces deep)

Players pair up to and stand on opposite sides of the net

Instructions

The rally begins with an underhand throw over the net

If the opponent catches the ball before it hits the ground, she underhand throws it back

and the rally continues

The ball must be throw within the confined areas

A player loses a life, if:

1. The ball hits the net

2. The ball is thrown overhand

3. The ball is not caught before it hits the floor

The winner is the player that gets her opponent to lose all five lives

Variations

Use a higher net

Players must throw the ball from where they catch it

Allow underhand or overhand throws

Use racquets or paddles

Questions for Understanding

What height of throw was the most difficult for your opponent to catch?

What speed of throw was the most effective?

Why is it important to vary your throws?

How do you get your opponent to lose a life?

Love or Money

Game Objective – Love – Two players work cooperatively to rally back-and-forth over a net; or

Money – Two players rally competitively, trying to make it difficult for an opponent to return

the object over the net


Look for open space on the opponent’s side of the net

Defend space on your side of the net

Make it difficult for your opponent to return the object over the net

Equipment – An object that can be thrown (Gopher ball, tennis ball, rubber chicken) or struck;

nets; pickle ball, badminton or tennis racquets

Set Up

Divide the courts in half, using a net

One person from each pair on either side of the net

Instructions

Play starts when the teacher blows the whistle and yells, “Love!” – all the players play

cooperatively and try to sustain the rally

One player starts the rally by serving it over the net

The rally continues until the teacher blows the whistle again and yells out, “Money!”

Now the players try to win the rally

The rally ends when the object lands outside the boundaries, bounces too many times

or fails to clear the net

Players can then start over, playing for “Love!” until the teacher signals a change in

game again

Variations

Use racquets and balls instead of throwing an object back-and-forth

Allow overhand or underhand throws except on serve

Bump the ball back-and-forth over the net

Play with two players on each side of the net


How did your strategy change between playing for “love” and playing for “money”?

What did you do to try to win the rally?

Where is the open space on the court?

How do you try to defend the most space possible?

How does one throw/hit help you set up the next one?

Slamball Volleyball

Game Objective – To defend your side of the net and keep the ball from landing on your side


Defend your space

Hit the ball to open space on the other side of the net

Work with your teammates to set up the point

Equipment – Volleyball or other bouncy ball; a net

Set Up

Set up a regular volleyball court with 6-9 players on each side

Players will follow a regular volleyball rotation

Instructions

Play begins when a player serves the ball to the other team

The player who catches the ball may not move with the ball and has two seconds to

pass it to a teammate (maximum of two passes)

The ball eventually must be played over the net by spiking it, slamming it or throwing it

so that it hits on the team’s own side and then bounces over the net

Play continues this way until a team loses the point because the ball landed on its side

or it was unable to successfully play the ball into the other team’s side

The team that was scored upon starts off the next point

Players rotate positions on the floor after every point

Play until one team scores 10 points

Variations

Play on a badminton court with four players on each side of the net

Use two balls at the same time


How do you prepare to catch the ball?

How do you work as a team to score points?

How to you catch the other team off guard?

Beat Your Neighbour

Game Objective – To defend your quadrant of the court against your three opponents


Defend your space

Place an object in an area that is difficult for your opponents to defend

Know your playing boundaries

Equipment – Nets (actual ones or mats/benches); class set of racquets; safety googles as

required; one object per court;

Set Up

Divide the courts in half, using a net

Four players per court, two per side as in doubles

Establish clear boundary lines (badminton court), including between players on the

same side of the net

Instructions

Play begins with someone serving the badminton shuttle underhand over the net

The rally continues until someone loses the rally, earning a point

The rally is lost when the following occurs:

1. The object lands on the floor inside a player’s quadrant

2. The player hits the object outside the boundaries of the court

3. The object is not hit over the net

The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins

Variations

Play without racquets, allowing players to throw a ball over the net into the other

quadrants

Use the service box on the badminton court as the quadrants, forcing players to hit the

shuttle deep (no drop shots)

Allow players to hit the shuttle into the quadrant of the player on the same side of the

net


Where can you place the object to create confusion on the other side of the net?

What depth is the most difficult for other players to return?

How do you decide when you need to play the object to defend your area?

High Ball

Game Objective – To toss and catch a ball of a wall and over a space as many times as possible


Throw a ball off the wall to a specific area

Throw the ball above a certain height on the wall

Equipment – Tennis ball or other object that will bounce off the wall

Set Up

Define a space near the wall with three areas: Player A’s court, a neutral middle court,

and Play B’s court

Two players stand in their respective courts

Instructions

Player A throws the ball off the wall so that it goes over the neutral space and Player B

can catch it without the ball hitting the floor

Player B returns the favour, throwing the ball of the wall back to Player A

Count how many successful throws each pair can complete in a certain amount of time

Variations

Use racquets and allow the ball to bounce once before it is hit back

Add a third player (when throwing only) in the neutral space, who tries to intercept any

of the passes

Have each player toss a ball off the wall at the same time into the other player’s court


What angle or trajectory is needed to get the ball to the other court?

How do you prepare to catch the ball off the wall?

Throw-Catch-Throw Relay

Game Objective – To see how quickly a team can throw a ball off the wall and get out of the

way so that the next player can move in to catch it


Move toward the ball and prepare to catch it

Toss the ball to an area that makes it as easy as possible for a teammate to catch it

Equipment – An object that can be thrown (Gopher ball, tennis ball, utility ball) off the wall and

a pylon or other marker for each group

Set Up

Place a pylon or other marker four to seven paces from the wall

Three to four players form a team and line up behind the pylon, the front player holding

the ball

Instructions

The front player throws the ball so that it bounces against the floor and then off the wall

and then goes to the end of the line

The second player then moves to the front of the line and tries to catch the ball

The ball must be caught off the wall with no bounce

Once the next player catches the ball, she throws it off the floor and against the wall

The goal is to catch as many passes in a minute

Variations

Measure how long players can throw the ball of the wall without making an error

Instead of throwing and catching the ball, have the players strike the ball with an open

hand allowing one bounce before and after it is struck

Move the line further away from the wall


What are some of the strategies to increase your team’s success?

How do you communicate with each other to ensure success?

Hand Ball

Game Objective – Hit a ball with a hand so that it bounces off the floor and then off the wall so

that it cannot be played by an opponent


Strike a ball off the floor so that it hits the wall

Strike it so that it is difficult for an opponent to play the ball

Defend your space on the court by preparing for the next shot

Move an opponent around the court

Equipment – A ball that bounces well (tennis ball or utility ball)

Set Up

Define a playing court that has a wall at the front and two sidelines that are about four

to eight paces wide

Create an end line that is four to eight paces from the wall

Two players are on the court at a time, other players can wait in line

Make a line on the wall about one metre up the wall

Instructions

Player A hits the ball off the floor and off the wall above the 1-metre line so that Player

B can play it

Player B hits the ball so that it bounces off the floor and off the wall (above the 1-metre

line)

Play continues this way until someone makes an error (fails to hit the ball, hits it so it

lands outside the boundaries, hits it so it hits the wall too low). When this happens the

other player scores a point

Play until someone scores 10 points

Variations

Play doubles with two players against two other players


How do you make it more difficult for your opponent to return the ball?

As a defender, how do best position yourself each time?

Sides

Game Objective – To successfully return a ball against the wall and to a specific court without

the opponent being able to hit the ball back into your court


Execute a variety of cross-court shots

Hit drop shots, lobs, and down the line

Improve the ability to hit forehand and backhand

Equipment – Tennis balls or small Gopher balls; paddles or racquets

Set Up

Define lines on the floor neat the wall to form two distinct side-by-side courts

One player stands in each of these courts

Instructions

Player A in square 1 starts by serving the ball off the wall and into square 2

Player B tries to hit the ball back into square 1 after no more than one bounce

Play continues this way until one of the players makes an error, such as:

1. Hitting the ball after a second bounce

2. Not hitting the ball so that it strikes the wall directly

3. Failing to hit the ball so that it lands in the opponent’s square

Players score points when the opponent makes an error and start the next point by

serving

Play until someone earns seven points

Switch squares after every two points, allowing players to work on backhands and

forehands

Variations

Play without racquets, players throw the ball or strike the ball into the other court

Play cooperatively to see how many consecutive hits can be made

Play doubles with two players alternating turns in each square


Where do you try to hit the ball to give yourself an advantage?

When is it best to hit it deep as opposed to short?

Where should you stand to be in the best position to hit the ball as it comes off the

wall?

Which side of the court is easier for you to play on?

Striking and Fielding Games

Generally these games are played by two opposing teams. One is on offence and one is on

defence at a time. The offensive team scores by striking an object into the playing area, trying

to make it difficult for the defensive team to field it. The defensive team tries to cover as much

of the field as possible to make it difficult for the batting team to score.

Who’s Faster?

Game Objective – The striking team kicks a ball into the field, trying to score a point by running

a lap of the gym before the fielding team returns the ball home


Striking Team: Kick to open space, run around bases

Fielding Team: Cover the field, retrieve the ball, work together with teammates,

communicate together

Equipment – Gopher Ball or indoor soccer ball, four pylons or bases

Set Up

Put the pylons on each corner of a volleyball court if playing in a gym

Divide the players into teams of 5-6

The strikers line up along the wall at one end of the gym, each will bat once

The fielders spread out around the gym

Instructions

The fielding team (or the teacher) rolls the ball to the striker

The striker kicks the ball forward (fair territory) to an open space and runs either

direction around the pylons

The fielding team retrieves the kicked ball and all of the players get in a line and pass the

ball over/under to the end of the line.

If the runner completes the lap before the fielders finish over/under, the team scores a

run. Otherwise the batter is out.

Variations

Do not switch after three outs, let all players bat before having teams switch

The fielding team has to kick a ball into a net near home plate to record the out

Have the batter kick a stationary ball into play

Allow players to stop at second base and wait to score when the next batter kicks the

ball into play


As a striker, where is the best place to kick the ball?

Does it change depending on where the fielding team is standing?

How does the fielding team adjust depending on the batter?

What are some strategies to complete the over/under as quickly as possible?

Tennis Baseball

Game Objective – The striking team hits a ball into play and tries to score runs by rounding the

bases.


Striking Team: Hit the ball into open space, run around bases


communicate together, record outs

Equipment – Small Gopher Ball or whiffle ball, four pylons or bases, tennis racquet, batting tee

Set Up

The main field is set up just like a baseball diamond

The fielders can spread out in traditional positions in the infield and outfield

The batting team comes to bat one at a time

Instructions

Divide the players into two teams: striking and fielding teams

The pitcher throws the ball so that the batter can hit it into play with a tennis racquet

The batter has three chances (strikes or fouls) to hit the ball into play

Once the ball is hit, the striker runs around the bases, avoiding being tagged by the

fielding team

Same rules as baseball apply, the batter can strike out, get thrown out, get tagged out,

or is out when the ball is caught in the air

Variations

Do not switch after three outs, let all players bat before having teams switch

Have the batter strike the ball off a tee into play


As a striker, where is the best place to hit the ball?

As a fielder, how do you communicate with teammates to avoid confusion or collisions?

As a runner, how do decide when to stop to avoid running into an out?

As a fielder, how do you get the runners to stop at a base or try to get an out?

Whack a Zoo

Game Objective – To hit a ball with a bat and then run across the gym and back, trying to score

a point for the team, while the fielding team tries to tag the striker out


Striking Team: Hit the ball into open space, run to score runs



Equipment – Three Gopher Balls, foam baseball bat, a baseball-sized Gopher Ball, home plate,

hula hoop, batting tee

Set Up

Set up home plate and one end of the gym

Put the hula hoop with the three balls or beanbags or rubber creatures at the other end

of the gym

The fielders can spread out in the playing field

The batting team comes to bat one at a time

Instructions


The pitcher throws the ball so that the batter can hit it into play with the foam bat

The batter has three chances (strikes or fouls) to hit the ball into play

Once the ball is hit, the striker runs to the end of the gym to retrieve one of the balls

from the hula hoop and brings it back to home plate

The batter continues to run back-and-forth, trying to retrieve all three balls until she is

out

The fielding team retrieves the hit ball and tries to get the batter out by touching the

batter with the ball or hitting the batter below the waist with the ball

Everyone on the striking team gets a turn to hit and bring back balls back to try to score

as many runs as possible before the teams switch sides

Every ball that is brought back to home plate counts as a run for the batting team

Variations

Switch after three outs

Have the batter strike the ball off a tee into play

Allow a striker to stop in the hula hoop and wait for the next batter




What works best as a fielder, trying to throw the ball at the striker or to a closer

teammate?

How do you decide when it is safe to run back or not?

Catchers vs. Runners

Game Objective – To improve the catching and running skills of the players in a cricket-style

relay game


Striking Team: Crease the bat (a cricket-specific skill)

Fielding Team: Stay low to field the catch from a teammate, make accurate throws

Equipment – One baseball-sized ball, two cricket bats, and four cones or lines

Set Up

Establish two batting creases 15 steps apart using the cones

The running team lines up in the corner with two bat at the front of the line

The fielding team forms a circle (10-step diameter) in a different part of the playing area

with each player at least two steps apart

Instructions

One of the fielders starts with the ball and will count all of the successful catches

Fielders throw the ball to each other in a clockwise direction around the circle. Each

clean catch counts as one point

Runners must “crease” the bat by lowering it and touching the ground beyond the

crease at the other end and then turning and returning back to the starting crease

When the runner creases the bat back at the starting end, the next runner goes

When all of the runners have gone, they shout “stop” and the fielding team adds up all

of their catches

The teams switch roles and the highest scoring team wins

Variations

Have multiple games going on at the same time by making smaller teams


How do you make sure you “crease” the bat properly?

What do you do with your hands and body to make sure that you catch the ball?

French Cricket

Game Objective – Players work on defensive batting to avoid LBW (Leg Before Wicket) by

blocking the ball with the bat while the fielders work strategically to try to hit the batter’s legs

below the knees


Striking Team: Block the ball with the bat, protect your legs

Fielding Team: Good footwork, proper throwing technique, working together with

teammates, communicating together

Equipment – Small Gopher Ball, cricket bat

Set Up

Each group of six players will need its own open space of eight steps by eight steps

Five players form a circle around the batter

The batter is in the middle of the circle with a cricket bat

Instructions

The batter uses the cricket bat to prevent others in the group from hitting her leg below

the knee with the ball

The batter cannot dodge the ball, she can only block it with the bat. No aggressive

swinging of the bat

The fielder with the ball cannot move, but can pass to other fielders

The other fielders can move slightly to get better angles to throw at the batter, but must

stay at least five steps from the batter

The players try to throw the ball so that it hits the batter in the legs

A fielder who hits the batter in the legs or catches a blocked ball in the air becomes the

new batter

Variations

Increase the size of the circle

Decrease the size of the ball

Have two batters in the circle and more balls on the outside

Have batters rotate after a certain number of throws or set a time limit


How do you decide to position yourself as a fielder?

What do you do to prevent a LBW?

Caterpillar Cricket

Game Objective – The striking team hits a ball into play and tries to score as many runs as

possible while the fielding team tries to limit the runs scored


Striking Team: Hit the ball into open space, run around bases



Equipment – Small Gopher Ball or tennis ball, five pylons, a short batting tee (pylon), a cricket

bat, one wicket

Set Up

See diagram

Instructions


The batting team lines up in the designated area (see diagram)

The fielding team spreads out behind the target line

Batters take turns striking the ball off a short tee past the target line

The batter then runs through the starting gate and is followed in a line by the whole

batting team

After returning to the line, the batter will go to the end of the line and the next batter

comes up

The batting team does not run if the ball does not cross the target line or the ball is

caught in the air

Once the ball crosses the target line, it is fielded by a player and the fielding team forms

a line behind the first fielder. The ball is passed overhead in a straight line to the fifth

player, who then runs to touch the ball against the wicket

The number of batters who make it through the scoring gate before the ball is touched

on the wicket determines the number of runs that score for that turn

Variations

Increase or decrease the number of fielders who must touch the ball

Increase the distance to be run by moving the box

Regularly involve all of the fielders by naming specific players who must touch the ball

on a particular turn

Instead of hitting from a tee, the teacher tosses the ball to the batter so that it bounces

once before reaching the batter




Where did you decide to position yourself in the field?

How is this type of swing different than with a baseball bat?

bats, balls, nets and walls - sportsengine · 2015-04-26 · bats, balls, nets and walls games and...

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