Movement skills/concepts

Striking off a tee, running, and fielding a small ball.

Set-up

• Batting tees, small balls, choice of implement (hockey stick/cricket or softball bat), markers, hoops.
• Each group of four has a bat, ball, tee, hoop, and marker; one batter and three fielders, including one bass player, who is standing inside a hoop.

Activity

The batter hits the ball forward of the tee and then must run around the marker and back before the base player holds the ball with a foot in the hoop and calls ‘Stop’.

If the batter cannot score a run or hit the ball, the next player has a turn at batting. If the batter scores a run, they have another turn but now must score two runs.

Continue to add a run each turn until the batter is unsuccessful.

• gripping with hands together
• standing side on to tee, feet apart, relaxed
• step and swing
• following through

Variations

Include underarm pitch: As skill develops, batters may toss the ball up and hit it, or hit a slow-moving ball, (e.g. slow pitch, roll, or bowl).