Striking and fielding games - Week 3

Stage 1 - Phase 2

Equipment

Marker cones
Long ropes
Tennis balls
Hitting tees
Bats

Download the Striking and fielding games - Week 3 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

FMS focus: Leap

Learning intention

Students are developing proficiency in the leap.

Success criteria.

Students display:

Eyes focused forward throughout the leap.
Knee of take-off leg bends.
Legs straighten during flight.
Arms held in opposition to the legs.
Trunk leans slightly forward.
Lands on ball of the foot and bends knee to absorb landing.

Explicit teaching of the leap

About the skill

The leap is a locomotor movement characterised by a take-off on one foot, a long flight phase and a landing on the opposite foot. Although it is an extension of the sprint run, it differs in that it is a discrete skill with a clear beginning and end point. It is basic to everyday activities, such as jumping over low obstacles, playground games such as hopscotch, and various team activities. The leap is also used in gymnastics and dance and is specific to events such as hurdling and the triple jump in athletics.

View 'The Get Skilled Get Active - Leap video' to support the explicit teaching of the leap.

Model the skill:

Model the leap to students while explaining the movements needed to effectively leap:

- Look straight ahead.
- Bend knee to take off.
- Scissor legs.
- Stretch your arms out.
- Lean into the leap.
- Land softly.

Guided practice with immediate teacher feedback:

Place two long ropes along the ground at an angle to each other one metre apart at the narrow end and three metres apart at the wide end.
Students begin at the narrow end of the two ropes and perform a crocodile leap.
They attempt to leap across the river to avoid the ‘crocodiles’, progressively moving towards the wider parts of the river.
Students leap over the creek using the following techniques:
- leap and land on left leg;
- leap and land on right leg;
- leap with hands by your side;
- leap using your arms.
Ask questions such as:
- What parts of the body help you to leap? What role do your arms play? How does your arm position change your leap? (arms should be stretched out, opposite arm to leg).
- What are the hard parts about this skill? What are the easy parts of this skill? When would you use the leap?

Skill development games

Choosing teams

In a sport education approach, affiliation is promoted by students being a member of the same team over a period of time. It is intended that students remain in these teams for the duration of each sport program for the skill development and the modified small-sided games, so that they can develop and learn together.

Place students in equal teams, 4 teams is optimal, at the beginning of the skill development session. Strategies for forming groups can be found in the Game-based learning in sport and physical activity e-learning course.
To further promote affiliation students can decide on a team name.

FMS focus activity - Baseball ladder

Skill focus: Leap

Equipment: Marker cones

How to play: Players sit in two lines facing each other, with feet touching. When called, pairs leap over players legs before leaping around cones back to their original position.

Organise players in pairs, sitting in two lines facing each other so that feet are touching the person opposite.
Each pair sits two metres apart.
The coach moves down the line giving each pair a name. The coach then calls out names one at a time.
Named pairs, stand up and down the line, leaping over the other players legs, before leaping around cones placed 5 metres in front of the lines.
Players then leap back down the outside to cones placed at the back of the lines, before returning over other players legs back to their original position before sitting down again

Catching Challenge - Playing for Life Activity Card

FMS consolidation activity - Catching challenge

Skill focus: Catching

Equipment: Tennis balls (or similar), marker cones

How to play: Players try progressively harder catching challenges and tricks on their own, in pairs and in groups of 3.

Players spread around the playing area with their ball.
On your call, issue different catching challenges such as:
- how many times can you clap your hands while the ball is in the air?
- throw the ball between your legs and catch it.
- bowl the ball overarm into the ground and catch it after it bounces.
Ask players to come up with their own challenges.
Form pairs or groups of 3 and create new challenges.

Modified small-sided games

It's game time!

Teams play each other in the game outlined below.

Hit 4 and go

Equipment: A suitable indoor or outdoor playing area as shown, range of bats/rackets and balls (sponge balls, softballs or tennis balls), marker cones (for running and playing area), batting tee(s)

How to play: A batter hits 4 consecutive balls into the field and then leaps between marker cones as many times as possible. When the fielders have returned all 4 balls they call out ‘STOP!’ (4–5 per group).

2 teams – batters and fielders

Batter:

Hits 4 balls, off a tee, one after the other, into the playing space.
When the last ball is hit, the batter leaps between the marker cones as many times as possible.

Fielders:

Fielders leap to return the balls to the home base – balls must be inside the hoop to count.
Fielders call ‘STOP!’ when the last ball reaches home base.