Movement skills/concepts

Underhand striking over a line/net, space awareness, and judging flight path, speed, and direction.

Set-up

• Ropes, elastic, chairs, cones, lightweight balls, tape. Lines are taped on the floor or indicated with ropes.
• Children in pairs, with one line per pair. Partners begin by standing on either side of their line, approximately two of a child’s giant steps away from it and facing each other across the line.

Activity

• practice one-handed strike with your partner – hit the ball with the underhand striking pattern so that it crosses over the line and bounces on the other side, then your partner returns the ball to you so that it bounces on your side of the line
• practice striking with either hand over the line
• see how many times you and your partner can strike the ball back and forth over the line – the ball bounces once each time before you volley it back over
• repeat the activities above, but this time with the bump (two forearms) pattern

With a low net

(The low net could be elastic tied between two chairs, two-pole uprights or two tall cones with a rope drawn between them).

Repeat the sequence of tasks described above, and:

• slant your net from high to low, so that you are practicing volleying the ball over the net at differing heights
• practice varying the force and the angles at which you volley the ball to your partner – let the ball bounce once on each side of the court before contact
• see how many volleys you and your partner can achieve without making a mistake (i.e. without letting the ball bounce twice in a row or hit the ceiling)

Variations

Vary skills and equipment: Use a soccer ball and kicking.