Sport-Related Activities (Part 1)
BASH BALL (Decision making/ Hitting / Coordination / Reaction Time)
- One large sponge ball per 6 to 10 participants;
Arrange the participants into groups of 6 to 10 and separate each group into two equal teams. Give one participant in each group a ball. Participants in each group stand in a circle. The participants from one team stand side by side, next to each other to make one half of the circle, and participants from the other team do the same to make up the other half of the circle. The circle should be sized so that the participants in the group have their feet approximately 75 centimetres to 1 metre apart. The participants' feet should be touching those standing on either side of them. Participants stand with one hand behind their back and the other hanging in front of them.
To start the game, the participant holding the ball rolls it into the circle. Participants try to stop the ball going through their legs by slapping it away towards their opponents. They must use a flat hand and can use their palms or the back of their hands, while trying to keep the shot low.
The aim of the game is to hit the ball through the legs of one of the opponents. If a participant hits the ball through an opponent's legs, his team gains a point. The game continues for a set time (e.g., 3 minutes) or until one team has scored a set number of points.
- Use soft balls only
- Participants should not hit the ball too hard or too high
- Participants should not play the game for too long because they may get sore back muscles from leaning over. By playing this game regularly, participants should strengthen their back muscles and be able to play for longer periods of time.
- Participants may hit the ball only when it is in front of them. They should not reach across in front of opponents or team-mates to hit a ball.
- Ensure that all participants have an equal distance between their legs.
- Ensure that participants do not catch or punch the ball.
VARIATIONS:
- Easier: Participants can use two hands.
- Easier/harder: Make the circle smaller or bigger so participants have their feet closer together or farther apart to change the level of difficulty.
- Game variation: Play in two teams. If the ball is hit through a participant's legs, he is out and must stand up and fold his arms across his body to show the other players that he is out. If a participant hits the ball through the legs of an opponent who is out, then he is also out. When all the participants from one team are out, the opposing team is awarded a point. Play until one team has scored a set number of points.
- Game variation: Play with similar rules to the previous variation but participants play individually. Participants compete against all other members of their group to be the last player in the game.
- Game variation: Play the individual version of the game, but use a different point system. All the participants start with 10 points. They gain a point if they hit a ball through another participant's legs, but lose one if the ball goes through their own legs. The game continues for a set time or until one participants scores a set number of points.
- Harder: Add a second ball into the circle.
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BEAN BAG SHIFT (Decision Making, Agility, Running, Balance, Reaction time, Speed)
- At least one bean bag per participant
- One hoop per three participants
- Cones
There should be an equal number of the different-coloured bean bags and hoops. For example, for 30 participants there would be 10 blue, 10 green and 10 red bean bags and 5 blue, 5 green and 5 red hoops.
Cone out a playing area. Separate the participants into three equal teams, and name the teams the colours of the beanbags and hoops. For example, if you have blue, green and red beanbags, one team is the blue team, another team is the green team and the remaining team is the red team. The participants stand around the outside of the playing area. Scatter the hoops and the beanbags on the floor in the area. Do not place the beanbags in the hoops.
When the game begins, the participants run into the area and try to place the beanbags of the colour corresponding to their teams into their own hoops. For example, the participants in the blue team pick up the blue beanbags and place them in the blue hoops. Participants may carry only one beanbag at a time. Once teams have placed all of the scattered beanbags in their hoops, they can start taking beanbags from the other teams' hoops. The aim for each team is to have the most correctly coloured beanbags in their own hoops. As opponents take beanbags out of the hoops, participants must return to their hoops.
Participants also try to "mess up" the other teams' beanbags by picking one up and placing it in one of the coloured hoops. After a set time (e.g., 1 minute) stop the game and count the number of beanbags in each hoop to see which team has the most correctly coloured beanbags in their hoop; this team wins the game.
- Warn participants to be careful not to crash heads with other players when they are bending over to pick up or put down beanbags.
- Participants should stay on their feet and not slide on the floor on their knees.
- This can be a very tiring game, so remember to give rest periods between games.
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions of any kind.
- Ensure that participants take only one beanbag at a time.
- Encourage fair play by making sure that participants do not move beanbags after you have stopped the game. If the game is stopped, participants must not pick up any more beanbags, but they can place a beanbag that they have already picked up in one of the hoops.
- Do not allow participants to guard hoops to prevent opponents from picking up beanbags.
- Participants should place, rather than throw, the beanbags into the hoops.
VARIATIONS:
- Game variation: Teams line up on different sides of the area and use a relay system to move the beanbags. Two or three participants from each team run out; they can each move a beanbag and then return to their line so the next teammate can go.
- Game variation: Vary the way the participants can move (e.g., they can only walk, they must skip, or they can move only on hands and feet).
- Small groups: This game can be played with two teams. Use only two different coloured beanbags, but three different coloured hoops. Participants place their own beanbags into their own coloured hoops, but they move opponents' beanbags into the other coloured hoops.
- Sport-specific: This game can be modified for use in soccer sessions, but it is important that you have three types of soccer balls (or two if you are playing the variation that precedes this one). Use coloured cones to mark out areas approximately 1,5 by 1,5 metres instead of using hoops. Players must move the balls by dribbling them.
- Sport-specific: This game can be modified for use in hockey sessions, using hockey balls instead of beanbags. Players must dribble the ball to the hoop and ensure that the ball is stationary inside of it before moving another ball.
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CALL AND CATCH (Throwing/Catching/Coordination/Reaction time/Speed)
- Four cones per four or five participants
- One ball per four or five participants
Arrange the participants into groups of four or five. For each group, use cones to set up an area 10 by 10 metres. One participant stands in the centre of the area with the ball, and the remaining participants each stand by one of the corner cones.
The participant in the centre of the area calls the name of one of the other participants while at the same time throwing the ball up into the air so that it bounces in the centre of the area. After she has thrown the ball, she moves to the corner of the area where no other participant is standing. The participant who has had her name called must run into the centre of the area to catch the ball before it has bounced twice on the ground. The ball must travel above a specified height so that the person running in to catch it has a fair change to do so. The participant who attempts to catch the ball should now stand in the centre of the grid and repeat the process of calling a name, throwing the ball up and moving to an empty corner of the area.
This sequence continues until one participant makes an error such as not catching the ball before it bounces a second time or not throwing it high enough. If a participant makes an error, she loses a point. All participants start with 20 points. Have them play for a set time; the participant who has the most points at the end of this time is the winner.
- Warn participants to avoid collisions when running in and out of the square, especially when there are five players with a player starting beside each of the corner cones.
- Ensure participants have completed a thorough warm-up before carrying out this acvitivy because it involves ballistic movements.
- This can be a very tiring game, so remember to give rest periods between games.
- Try to group the participants according to speed and quickness.
- Ensure that the ball is well inflated and has enough bounce so it will rebound high enough for the game to be viable.
- Play on firm surfaces because it will not be possible to play if the ball does not bounce high enough.
- Once the participants understand the rules, have them call a name out and throw the ball as soon as they catch it so that the game moves faster.
- Ensure the participant throwing the ball in the air calls the next person's name early.
VARIATIONS:
- Easier: When the participants are in the centre, they cannot call out the name of the person who threw the ball up for them to catch.
- Game variation: Play in two teams of three or four. Participants stand in a circlee and call out the name of an opponent when they throw the ball into the air. When a participant makes a mistake, the opposing team gains a point. Have them play for a set time. At the end of this time, the team with the most points wins.
- Sport-specific: This game can be played in netball, rugby and basketball sessions using the relevant ball for each sport.
- Sport-specific: This game can be played in cricket sessions using a tennis ball.
- Sport-specific: This game can be adapted for use in soccer sessions with older or more advanced participants. The participants must kick the ball to send it into the air. They must also call the name of the next participant before they kick the ball.
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CATCH TO COME BACK (Catching/Decision Making/ Dodging/ Throwing/ Agility / Balance / Coordination / Power/ Reaction Time / Speed)
- One bench per six to eight participants
- Cones
- Approximately one large sponge ball per five participants
This game is best played indoors. It is a good activity to play when you have a large group (e.g., 20 to 40 participants) in a small sports hall. Separate the participants into two teams and number them Team 1 and Team 2. Team 1 stands in one half of the playing area or field while Team 2 stands in the other. Team 1 stands in one half of the playing area or field while team 2 stands in the other. Place benches behind each team on the outside of the area. Use cones to mark out a no-man's-land between the two teams. There should be approximately one sponge ball for every five participants and each team should be given half of the balls.
When the game starts, participants throw the balls at the opponents trying to hit them directly below the waist. The ball cannot bounce off the floor, a wall or a teammate before hitting an opponent. If a participant is hit , he is out. Participants try to avoid getting hit by dodging out of the way, or if they have a ball in their hand, using this as a shield. If a player catches a ball thrown by an opponent, the person who threw the ball is out. Participants who are hit (or caught out), stand on the bench behind the opposing team. Teams try to win a game by getting a set number of opponents out of the game.
Participants who are out have a chance of rejoining the game. To do this, they must catch a ball that has been thrown to them by a teammate (usually over the heads of the opponents). For this to be counted as a catch, the person must be standing on the bench when he catches the ball and must not step off until he has fulll control of it.
When playing with a large group, the game continues until one team gets a set number of opponents out (e.g., 10 for teams of 15 to 20). This team scores a point, the team swap sides and the fun begins again. When playing with smaller groups (e.g., teams of 3 to 8), all of the opposing players must be out before a team can win a point. Have participants play until a team has won a set number of points or for a set time.
- Ensure participants have completed a thorough warm-up before carrying out this activity because it involves ballistic movements.
- Do not allow participants to go into a no-man's-land to collect any of the sponge balls. Participants who go into this area are out and must stand on the bench behind the opposing team.
- Have participants use low throws to avoid hitting anyone in the face.
- Use soft balls only.
- Ensure that the participants do not throw the ball too hard.
- Place benches at least 2 metres away from the walls or other obstructions in case participants fall.
- For this game to run smoothly, participants must play fairly,, so encourage honesty.
- Put more balls in to speed up the game.
VARIATIONS:
- Easier/Harder: Use wider or narrower distances between the benches and the no-man's-land to increase or decrease difficulty.
- Game variation: A participant can attempt to free a teammate who is out by running through the opposing team's area and tagging the teammate. Participants who run into the opposing team's area can be hit by a ball thrown at them. The participant running through the opposing team's area can carry a ball with him to use as a shield; he cannot throw this ball at opponents once they have left their own area. If the participant running through manages to tag his teammate without getting hit by a ball, then both can return to their side freely. This means they cannot be hit by the opponents on their walk back. A teammate running through the opposing team's area can free only one teammate at a time. If a participant is hit when running through the opposing team's area, he is out.
Taken from the book, More Fun and Games
