BASKETBALL AND NETBALL GAMES
ON THE BENCH (Attacking/defending/passing/receiving/agility/balance/coordination/endurance/power/reaction time/speed)
- One netball and two benches per 8 to 14 participants
- One bib per two participants
- Cones
Arrange the participants into groups of 8 to 14; then separate each group into two teams. Participants from one of the teams put bibs on. For each group, cone out a large rectangular area. At each of the two shorter sides of the rectangle, place a bench. Teams attacks ends, towards one of the benches, and you should tell each team which bench it is attacking. A target player from each team stands on the bench at the end that the team is attacking.
When the teams are set up, throw the ball into the area. The team that gains possession of the ball tries to make a set number of passes (e.g., five). Once they do, they try to pass the ball to their target player. If this is achieved, the participant who passed the ball to the target player joins that player on the bench. Players are not allowed to dribble the ball, travel (basketball rule) or violate the footwork rule (netball).
The opposing team works to stop the set number of passes from being made by trying to intercept a ball passed between participants from the other team. If the team in possession of the ball has made the set number of passes, the opposing team tries to stop the ball from being passed to the target player. If team member gains possession of the ball from their opponents, they must try to make the set number of passes and then pass the ball to their own target player. If a pass is made to the target player, the game is stopped until the passer moves onto the bench to become another target player. the game is restarted by the target player (who caught the ball) giving it to a member of the opposing team. The opposing team's player should be given the ball next to the bench that the target player is standing on.
The game continues until all of the members of one team are on the bench. When one participant is left on the field, she must bounce the ball five times continuously on the floor (i.e., dribble the ball) before she can pass it to one of the target players. Once all of its participants are on the bench, the team wins a point. Have them play for a set time (e.g., 10 minutes) or until one team has scored a set number of points (e.g., 5)
- Ensure participants have completed a thorough warm-up before carrying out this activity because it involves ballistic movements.
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions.
- Place benches at least 2 metres away from walls or other obstructions in case target players fall off benches.
- Encourage the target player to move along the bench to make it easier for her teammates to pass to her.
- At the start of each new game, change the target player on each bench.
- This is a good activity to use to teach participants about the tactics of defending and attacking.
EASIER/HARDER: Change the number of passes teams must make before passing the ball to the target player depending on the age or ability of the participants or the number on each team.
GAME VARIATION: Instead of becoming an extra target player, when a participant has passed to her teammate on the bench, she switches roles so she now becomes the target player. A point is scored each time the ball is passed to a target player. Teams play for a set time (e.g., 3 to 5 minutes) or until one team scores a set number of points (e.g., 11).
LARGER GROUPS: It is possible to play the game with larger groups or teams. However, it is best to put two benches at each end, in the corners of the court, so teams can attack two areas rather than one.
- This game can be adapted for use in netball sessions using similar rules.
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BLOCK SHOT (Shooting/coordination/power/reaction time)
- One basketball per two participants
- One basket per four participants
- Cones
Arrange the participants into groups of four; then separate the groups into teams of two. There should be one group per basket. Number the teams 1 and 2. Team 1 starts as the shooting team, and teammates line up behind the free-throw line. The shooter at the front of the line has a basketball. Team 2 starts as the blocking team. One blocker stands to the side of the basket, outside of the key, with a ball, and his partner stands on the other side of the basket (without a ball).
The shooter with the ball takes a shot. The first blocker shoots his ball at the shooter's ball to try to hit it to prevent a basket being scored. The blocker should throw the ball so it hits the shooter's ball late in the shot, just before it goes into the hoop. If the shooter scores, he gains a point for his team, and he shoots again. If he misses the shot or the ball is deflected by the blocker's ball, the shooter moves back of the line. After a shot, the shooter should rebound or collect the ball and give it to his partner. The shooter can score only two baskets in a row, after which he passes the ball to his partner, who takes the next shot. The blocker passes the ball to his teammate regardless of whether the shooter's shot goes in, so blockers always alternate shooting. Shooters try to score as many baskets as they can in a set time (e.g., 2 minutes). The teams then swap roles. When both teams have shot, the team with the most points wins.
- Blockers should not shoot the ball too early; they should wait until the shooter's ball is close to the basket.
- Participants should try hard to stop balls from bouncing into other groups' areas.
- The shooter can fake a shot to try to get the blocker to throw his ball. He can then take the shot safely.
EASIER/HARDER: Change the level of difficulty of the game by varying the distances the blockers and shooters have to shoot from.
GAME VARIATION: Participants play individually against the other members in their groups. They all have a ball and rotate positions to take turns as shooters. When they are not shooting, participants are blockers. The first participant to score a set number of points (e.g., 5) wins the game.
GAME VARIATION: Participants play individually against the other members in their groups. The participants all start as shooters and try to score three baskets. Four points are awarded for scoring the set number of baskets first. Three points are awarded for finishing second, two for finishing third, and one point is awarded to the participant who does not score three baskets. Once they have scored three baskets, participants can be blockers. The first participant to score a set number of points (e.g., 20) wins the game.
NETBALL: Play with the same rules as basketball, but use cones to mark the shooting position in front of the hoop.
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CIRCLE PASS OUT (Attacking, defending, passing, receiving, agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, speed)
- One basketball per 12 participants
- One bib per two participants
- Cones
Arrange the participants into groups of 12; then separate each group into two teams of six. Number the teams 1 and 2. Cone out a playing area. This should be a small circle surrounded by a larger circle. If possible, use the centre circle of a basketball court or the circle at the top of each shooting area, or key, for smaller inner circle. One participant from Team 1 stands in the small circle, while her teammates stand outside the larger circle. The participant who is standing in the inner circle has the ball. Participants from Team 2 stand inside the larger circle, but they are not allowed to stand in the smaller circle.
When the game begins, the participant with the ball tries to pass it to one of her teammates. When in possession of the ball, participants cannot move (except for pivoting) but they can move when they are not in possession. The passer must send the ball so it travels below a specified height (e.g., lower than the height of the tallest player). If she manages to pass the ball to a teammate standing outside the outer circle, she scores a point. The participant who receives the pass can pass it back to the centre participant or to the teammates around the outer circle. If the ball is passed back to the participant in the smaller circle, then a point is scored. Team 2 tries to prevent passes going from the outer to the inner circle, or vice-versa. If team 2 manages to do this, Team 1 loses a point. After intercepting a ball, the participants from Team 2 passes it bacl to the opponent standing in the inner circle to continue the game.
Have participants play for a set time (e.g., 2 minutes); then swap roles so that Team 1 is trying to score points by passing into and out of the inner circle and Team 1 is trying to stop them. Once both teams have taken a turn scoring points, the team with the most points wins the game.
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions.
- Inform participants to keep their eyes on the ball to prevent being hit by stray shots.
- The passing team should move quickly into a position where they can receive a pass.
- If the passing team is struggling to pass the ball back to the inner circle, tell them to pass the ball quickly around the outer circle until there is a space to pass the ball through.
- Do not allow the defending team to guard the inner circle. Defenders must not all stand too close to this circle. A minimum distance of 1 metre is recommended.
EASIER: Reduce the number of participants who are defending. The defenders take turns to stop the team passing into and out of the inner circle. For example, three participants defend for the first minute, then their teammates defend for the second minute.
GAME VARIATION: If the defending team intercepts the ball, the two teams switch roles. After a set time, the team with the most points wins the game.
HARDER: Participants must pass the ball using a certain passing technique (e.g., bounce pass).
SPORT-SPECIFIC: This game can be adapted for use in other passing and receiving sports using relevant rules (e.g., soccer, hockey, cricket, netball, rugby)
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TEAM BALL TAG (Defending, support play, passing, receiving, agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, speed)
- One bib per two participants
- One basketball per 14 participants
- Cones
Arrange the participants into groups of 14; then separate each group into teams of sevem. Number the teams 1 and 2, and have one team out bibs on. Cone out an area of approximately 20 by 20 metres for each group. Team 1 start as chasers, give one team member of this team a basketball.
When the game begins the participants from Team 1 work together to try to tag all of the participants from team 2. To tag an opponent, chasers touch them with the basketball while they are holding it, A tag counts only if a chaser tags an opponent with the ball on her back or arms. It should not be pushed into the front of the body; at an opponent's head or in her face. Participants who are tagged out stand on the perimeter of the area. Chasers are not allowed to move if they have possession of the basketball. They can move if they do not have the ball, so they should support their teammates by moving next to opponents.
Team 2 can intercept a pass to gain possession of the ball, at which point they become chasers and try to tag all of the participants from Team 1. However, if they drop the ball when they are trying to intercept it, they are out. Participants can pass to the teammates who are out, but these participants are not allowed to tag opponents. Tagged participants must also stand in the same place and cannot move around the perimeter. The game continues until one team has tagged all of its opponents. Of the game hasn't finished after a set time (e.g., 5 minutes), the team that has the fewest participants out wins.
- Leave a 2-metre gap beween playing areas. This should reduce the risk of dropped basketballs rolling into another group's area.
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions.
- Chasers should not tag too hard with the basketball.
- Chasers may tag an opponent only on the arms or back.
- Chasers may not throw the basketball to make a tag. The ball must be in the chaser's hand to touch an opponent.
- Ask questions to check for understanding.
- Once the participants have grasped the game, you may notice that they use different types of passing techniques. Encourage them to use correct basketball passing techniques, such as chest, bounce, and overhead passes.
- Remind participants that they must move to the perimeter and are out if they drop the ball while trying to intercept it.
GAME VARIATION: Allow participants to dribble the basketball.
GAME VARIATION: Participants who are out can rejoin the game if they are tagged by a teammate who is not out. To tag a teammate who is out, a participant must first receive the pass from another participant who is still in the game. He may not pass the ball to a teammate who is out and then receive the ball from that teammate close enough to tag him.
GAME VARIATION: Participants who are out are not allowed to receive the ball to help their team when the game is going on, but they can rejoin the game if they are tagged by a teammate.
SPORT-SPECIFIC: This game is suitable for use in a netball session because no dribbling is allowed. Play with the same rules as basketballs.
SPORT-SPECIFIC: This game can be adapted for other sports that involve passing and receiving skiils (e.g., soccer or rugby) or throwing and catching (e.g,, cricket or rounders). If playing cricket or rounders sessions use a tennis ball as a cricket or rounders ball is too hard to be tagging with.
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THREE-TEAM BASKETBALL
(All attacking and defending skills/ agility/balance/coordination/power/reaction time/speed)
- One bib each (there should be five bibs in three different colors per group)
- One basketball per 15 participants
This is a team version of basketball that can be good to play when you have a large group and few basketball courts. Arrange the participants into groups of 15; then separate each group into three teams of 5. Each group plays on a basketball court. Number the teams 1, 2, and 3, and have each team put on a different colored bib. For example, Team 1 could put on blue bibs, Team 2 could put on red bibs and Team 3 could put on yellow bibs. Team 1 starts halfway, or half-court, line. Team 2 starts in one half of the court, and Team 3 stands in the other half of the court.
Give one of the participants from Team 1 a ball. Team 1 becomes the attacking team and tries to score into the basket that Team 2 is defending. Team 2 defends its basket, trying to stop Team 1 from scoring. After scoring, Team 1 moves back to the centre of the court and then attacks the other basket where Team 3 is defending. If team 2 gains possesion, the players move to the halfway line and attack against Team 3. In this instance, Team 1 switches roles and becomes a defending team in the half where Team 2 started. This continues with teams swapping between attacking and defending when possession changes over. Have teams play for a set time (e.g., 10 to 15 minutes) or until one team has scored a set number of points (e.g., 20)
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions.
- Ensure participants have completed a thorough warm-up before this activity because it involves ballistic movements.
- Ask questions to check understanding after explaining the rules.
- The continuous variation of this game is quicker and has more involvement, so is recommended. However, with most groups, it is best to play the version described ealier first because it is easier to understand and play.
GAME VARIATION: Participants are not allowed to dribble the basketball. This variation places more emphasis on passing and receiving and support play.
GAME VARIATION: Have teams play a continuous version of this game. After scoring, the team has to attack the other basket, but players must first pass or dribble the ball out of the half in which they were attacking. They start with an in-bound pass (throw-in) from under the basket where they just scored, and after the ball is in play, they try to pass or dribble the ball into the other half. The team that has just conceded its basket continues to defend, but this time as though the players were defending the other basket. If the defending team regains possession, the players try to score in the basket they were just defending.
NETBALL: Play with the same rules as basketball.
SPORT-SPECIFIC: This game can be adapted for use in other invasion sports such as hockey, rughy and soccer using similar rules but relevant scoring methods.
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ROLL, GO, PASS AND SHOOT (Attacking, defending,lay-ups,rebounding, shooting,agility,balance, coordination,power, reaction time, speed)
- One bib per two participants
- Two baskets and two basketball per 10 participants
- Two cones per 10 participants
Arrange the participants into groups of 10; then separate each group into teams of five. Each group plays on their own basketball court. Number the teams 1 and 2, and have one team put bibs on. Have teams line up at the half-court line of the basketball court they are using, and give the front participant in each team a ball. Team 1 lines up in one half of the court behind the half-court line, facing one direction, and Team 2 lines up facing the other direction, standing in the other half of the court behind the half-court line. Place cones on the floor approximately 10 metres from the first participant in each line.
When the game begins, the teams try to score in the basket that is in the half of the court where they are standing (but facing away from). The game starts with the participants rolling their balls in front of them. They should roll them gently along the floor. Once the team's ball has rolled past the cone, the front participant chases after it, picks it up and passes it to his teammates, who continue passing it until each team member has touched it. At this point, the team members try to score in their basket (the one they started the game facing away from). The first team to score in their basket is awarded a point.
Participants can work together to score or they can work defensively to stop the opposing team from scoring. After gaining possession of the opponent's ball, a team can make five passes and then try to score in their basket. After a basket has been scored, participants line up at the halfway line ready to start the game again. They should line up in the same order, but the participan who started the last round moves to the back so a new teammate can roll the ball. Have them play for a set time (e.g., 5 to 10 minutes) or until one team has scored a set number of passes (e.g., 10)
- Warn participants to be careful of collisions.
- Ensure participants have completed a thorough warm-up before carrying out this activity because it involves ballistic actions.
- Participants may not run after their ball until the ball has passed the cone.
- Ask questions to check understanding after explaining the rules.
- Participants can use a variety of tactics to outwit their opponents. Ask them to experiment with the number of participants in their team who defend, and which members of their team should defend. For example, once they have passed the ball, the team may choose two participants to defend. The other three participants attack and try to score in their own basket. Remind participants that everyone on their team must touch the ball before they can score.
GAME VARIATION: The team continue playing until both balls have been shot through the basket. The participant who scores with the first ball places the ball to the side of the court so it will not roll back onto it and then helps his team score with the second ball. Two points are awarded for scoring first, and one point is awarded for scoring second. Therefore, a team that scores with its own ball and then gains possession of its opponents' ball and scores with this, gains 3 points.
GAME VARIATION: Create three teams of three or four participants. The team line up at the halfway line (similar to the original version), but face the same direction. They roll their balls away from the basket, and all the teams will try to score in, after making the set number of passes. The first team to score and move off the court are awarded 2 points (for scoring the first basket). The two teams who remain on court try to score in the other basket first, so they must stop trying to score in the original basket and pass the ball down to the other basket. After the second basket has been scored, the teams set up at the centre to start the game again. Play for a set time (e.g., 5 minutes) with the team scoring the most points winning.
GAME VARIATION: This is a modified way of playing the preceding variation. Start with the same set-up. The teams try to make the set number of passes and then score in the first basket to gain 2 points. However, the team that scores into this basket is allowed to score into the other basket too, so all three teams compete to score into the second basket. Two points are awarded for scoring the second basket.
LARGE GROUPS: It is possible to play this game into one basket. The teams shoot into the same basket and start the game in their lines, beside the basket. The balls are rolled out, and when they are past the free-throw line, participants can run after them.
NETBALL: Play with the same rules as basketball.
From the book, More Fun and Games: 100 new sport-related activities (Anthony Dowson)
