Week 4

Striking and fielding games - Two-hand strike

Equipment

Marker cones
Tennis balls
Bats

Download the Week 4 Striking and fielding games - Two-hand strike task card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

FMS focus: Two-hand strike

Learning intention

Students are developing proficiency in the two-hand strike.

Success criteria.

Student has:

Stands side-on to target area.
Eyes focused on the ball throughout the strike.
Hands next to each other, bottom hand matches the front foot.

When proficient in above, student has:

Steps towards target area with front foot.
Hips then shoulders rotate forward.
Ball contact made on front foot with straight arms.
Follows through with bat around the body.

Explicit teaching of the two-hand strike

Model the skill:

Model the two-hand strike to students while explaining the movements needed to effectively strike:

- Stand side-on.
- Keep your eyes on the ball.
- Position your hands so they match your feet.
- Use a big swing.
- Step forward and swing.
- Contact the ball with straight arms.
- Swing and follow through.

Guided practice with immediate teacher feedback:

Students work in groups of four spread out in a defined grass area with three markers, a batting tee, bat and three balls. One person in the group is the batter; the other three are the fielders. The students take turns to hit the three balls off a tee:

for height
for distance
between two markers set up by the fielders.

Skill development games

FMS focus activity - Long ball

Skill focus: Two-hand strike

Equipment: Marker cones, tee, bat, balls

How to play: To hit a ball, off a hitting tee, as far as possible to a designated area.

Mark out a batting line with a batting tee.
Mark out designated areas for the ball to be hit to: marked lines, cones, fence, etc.
Commence hitting.

FMS focus activity - Base to base relay

Skill focus: Skip

Equipment: Base plates (or marker cones)

How to play: For two teams to have a “relay race” against each other around all of the bases.

Set up a baseball diamond with base plates spaced at correct distances apart.
Divide players into two teams.
Place an equal number on each base.
A runner from home skips to 1st base who tags their fellow team member who then repeats the process until the final team member reaches home plate.

Modified small-sided games

It's game time!

Teams play each other in the game outlined below.

Runners v Passers

Equipment: 4 balls per player, hitting tee, marker cones, bats

How to play: A batting team and a fielding team. The first batter hits the ball and the entire team runs around the markers. The fielders gather the ball and pass it to everyone in their team. When all the fielders have touched the ball, they call out “STOP!”