Movement skills/concepts

Striking a ball up in the air, judging flight path, and moving to receive a ball.

Set-up

• Bats/racquets, small balls.
• Children in groups of five, with one bat each and one ball per group, form a circle in a hard or grass area.

Activity

One person stands in the middle of a circle, hits the ball straight up in the air and calls out the name of another person in that group.

The named person runs to the middle, hits the ball up in the air before it touches the ground, and calls out another person’s name. Meanwhile, the caller moves to the outside of the circle, taking the place of this named person.

How many hits in a row can your group do?

• eyes on the ball
• keeping bat flat – flat surface
• moving quickly to get in position

Variations

Vary skill: Use striking with hand(s).

Vary difficulty level: Increase or decrease, the size of the circle.