by Neetu | Jun 2, 2020 | Fitness Activity
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).
by Neetu | Jun 2, 2020 | Fitness Activity
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.
by Neetu | Jun 2, 2020 | Fitness Activity
Movement skills/concepts
Striking a ball with a short implement (bat/racquet), underhand serve, and judging distance.
Set-up
- Racquets/bats, balls.
- Teams of four–five, with two rackets and one ball per team.
- In a hard area, each team works within two target areas about 5 meters apart.
Activity
A player stands at each target area, a third player is designated umpire and the other team members wait. The player with the ball drop serves to the opponent’s court and the opponent plays it back on the first bounce. A player who misses the ball and opponent’s court places the bat on the ground and becomes the umpire. The umpire joins the waiting line, and the next waiting player picks up the bat ready to receive a serve.
- quick positioning of feet for forehand or backhand
- eyes on ball
- full backswing and following through
Variations
Extend skills: As skill develops, reduce the size of the targets and/or increase the distance between them.
Vary team organization: Play doubles, taking alternate hits.
Vary equipment and skill: Use a table tennis bat and ball or shuttlecock.
by Neetu | Jun 2, 2020 | Fitness Activity
Movement skills/concepts
Ball control, dribbling with a long implement (hockey stick), varying direction and speed.
Set-up
- Hockey sticks and balls.
- Children, with a hockey stick and ball each, are freely spaced in a grass or hard surface area, with four straight boundaries named ‘north’, ‘south’, ‘east’ and ‘west’.
Activity
When a direction is called, players dribble that way until the next call. Change the call frequently
- seeing the ball, seeing others
- moving to space
- adjusting hands, feet or the stick to push the ball in the direction called
Variations
Vary directions: Use nautical terms – ahead, astern, port and starboard.
Expand directions: Name the corners north-west, south-east, south-west and north-west to increase the number of directions to call.
Change equipment and skill: Try hand/foot dribbling with a large bouncy ball.
by Neetu | Jun 2, 2020 | Fitness Activity
Movement skills/concepts
Trapping and passing with a long implement (hockey stick) and running.
Set-up
- Hockey sticks and small balls.
- Each group of four stands in free formation in a level grass or hard area, each with a stick. One player with a ball.
Activity
In each group, the player with the ball passes it to another player, then follows the ball to that position. The receiver traps the ball, passes it to another player, and follows. This process continues until all players have received a pass. The last player then passes to the first and they continue passing in that pattern.
- eyes on the ball
- moving to the ball
- soft contact
Variations
Vary direction: Pass both ways around the pattern.
Vary equipment: Start a second or third ball.
Vary pattern: After passing, move anywhere to a new position.
