Having Fun with Hockey
Movement skills/concepts
Controlling a ball with a hockey stick, pushing and hitting a stationary ball, space awareness, body awareness, time and energy, and relationships (with others).
Set-up
- Small balls, (e.g. soft/tennis balls), hockey sticks, markers/cones.
- Children are spread out in a defined level grass or hard area, each with a stick and ball.
Activity
- push the ball a short distance, follow and stop it
- push the ball to space, stop it, then push it to another space in a different direction
- push the ball as softly/firmly/quickly as you can
- push the ball in different pathways (forwards, backward, in a straight line, in a circle)
- push the ball with jerky/smooth movements
- hit the ball with everyone else, when all are facing the same way
In pairs with a stick each and one ball, can you …?
- push the ball gently to each other
- move back, approximately 5 meters apart, and see how many pushes you can do in 30 seconds
- hit the ball to each other
- put a marker between you and push/hit the ball at the marker
- push/hit the ball to your partner, then move to a new place to receive the return
Hitting
- hands together with left hand on top
- eyes on the ball and easy swing
- left shoulder pointing in direction of the ball
- hitting the bottom half of ball and follow-through
Variations
Vary equipment: Use different implements, (e.g. golf club or cricket bat).
Accuracy: Include a variety of stationary targets for the children to aim for by either pushing or hitting the ball.
