Week 3 - T-Ball
Skill focus: Fielding
Session equipment:
Markers or cones
Bats
Foam / tennis balls (or similar)
Hitting tees
Hoops
Wall
Download T-Ball - Week 3 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.
Fast start - Home base
Equipment: 8 markers per group (to set out each playing area), 1 coloured marker per student.
How to play:
Each student is given a coloured marker to place somewhere in the playing area, which they will call their 'home base'.
On the teacher's signal, students will run around and try to touch five different markers then return to their home base.
CHANGE IT!
Allocate students a higher number of markers to touch.
Allow students to touch as many markers as possible over a set amount of time (e.g. 30 seconds).
Skill development games
Activity 1 - How many beanbags?
Equipment: 15–20 balls of different size, 4 cone markers, chalk or hoop
How to play: Players work in pairs. One player from each pair runs to a central point to collect one ball at a time and throw the ball back to their team-mate at their base and then tag the next player. The aim is to collect the most number of balls.
Form 4 groups of 2.
Teams collect as many balls as possible in the allotted time, e.g. 60 seconds.
Players throw the ball overarm to their partner.
Vary the type of return throw – flyball, underarm, overarm, ground ball.
The fielding player must tag the receiver before they can run for a new ball.
When all the balls have been removed from the centre, the coach calls ‘STOP!’
Activity 2 - Cooperative rolls
Equipment: Marker cones to define distance between players, balls for rolling.
How to play: Partners roll a ball to each other, striving for maximum number without a fumble.
Mark out an appropriate distance for players to stand apart.
Split players into pairs.
Commence rolling with pairs striving for maximum number of rolls without a fumble.
Activity 3 - Competitive rolls
Equipment: Marker cones to define distance between players and goals, balls for rolling.
How to play: Partners attempt to roll a ball past each other through a goal.
Mark out a reasonable distance for players to stand apart (5-15m).
Mark out goals of reasonable width (5-10m) at either end for each player.
Ball must be rolled (must bounce at least twice).
One point for a fumble, two points for allowing a goal, first to 10 points loses.
If ball is caught on the full or one bounce takes then the score is taken back to zero.
Activity 4 - Rebound catch
Equipment: Tennis balls, a large enough wall to conduct the game.
How to play: A group of players field and catch rebounding balls thrown off a wall.
Find a suitable wall large enough to conduct the game (approximately 20m wide at 10m high).
Assign one player from the team to be the thrower.
Locate the group of players 3-4m away from the wall.
One player stands behind group and throws ball into wall so that it rebounds at them.
Group attempts to take rebound catches.
Change thrower after 10 throws.
Modified small-sided games
It's time for competition!
Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the T - Ball draw. as a guide to organise the competition, across the 4 sessions try to ensure each team has a fair number of games.
Allocate 3 points for a win, 2 points for a drawer and 1 point for a loss for each game played. Record results and points in the School sport program results spreadsheet.
Remember, to give students an update of the leader board each week.
Continuous Cricket (adapted)
Equipment: Boundary markers, one bat and ball, (choose to suit ability level of the group) and a batting tee.
How to play: A ball is hit off a batting tee into the field and the batter runs between 2 cones. The fielding team returns the ball to the batting tee. (Play in groups of 6 or more.)
A fielder stands next to the batting tee to feed the ball.
The batter hits the ball off the tee and, if successful, runs between the cones.
Players field the batted ball and return it to the player next to the tee.
The batter is out if:
the ball is caught on the full
they hit a foul ball,
the ball is returned to the feeder before the batter has completed the run.
Adapted from Continuous Cricket - Playing for Life Activity Card
Scoring
Score 1 point for each complete run.
Reflection
2 stars and a wish
Ask students - what are 2 things you feel you did well today?
What are you going to try and improve on next week?
Students can answer reflection questions as a whole class, small group or in pairs.
