Week 3 - Squash

Skill focus: Rallying and hitting

Session equipment:

Markers or cones
1 racquet per player
Balls
Chalk
Benches / tables
Skittles
Rebound wall
Volleyballs
Hoops

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

Fast start - Alarm

Equipment: 8 markers (to set out playing area), 1 braid or similar for each tagger.

How to play:

Students stand at one end of the playing area. Students are numbered 1,2,3 or 4. The three taggers stand in the centre of the playing area.
The taggers call out 'Number 1 alarm', signaling the students numbered 1 to skip to the opposite end of the playing area.
The taggers attempt to tag the students skipping. If tagged, these students join the taggers. Taggers call out another number for example, Number 4 alarm’.
The last three students who are not tagged, become the next taggers.

CHANGE IT!

Vary the size of the playing area.
Tagged players can perform movements to return to play. (for example, jumping jacks, tuck jumps, high knees running in place).

Skill development games

Activity 1 - Rally Around

Equipment: Parallel playing areas and sufficient space between courts, 1 racquet per player, 1 ball per pair, markers or cones, chalk, benches, tables.

How to play: Playing in pairs, players complete a hit-and-rally circuit. Pairs move from station to station on a signal.

Form pairs of similar ability
Set up a circuit of five stations (duplicate circuit to maximise participation). Rebound walls can be included in the circuit.
Players rally for specified time, eg. 60 seconds, with their partner.
When time is up, players leave their equipment at the station and move to the next one.

Rally Around - Playing for Life Activity Card

Skittle and Wall - Playing for Life Activity Card

Activity 2 - Skittle and wall

Equipment: 6-8 skittles, 4 cones per group 1 racquet, 1 ball per group, rebound wall

How to play: Players attempt to knock over skittles by hitting the ball to the wall and using the rebound to hit the ball to the targets. Play in small groups (3-4 per group).

Players have a set number of hits.
Targets knocked over are re-set before next hit.
The player who knocks over the most skittles with 3 balls wins.

Activity 3 - Wall ball

Equipment: 1 volleyball per pair, cones, rebound wall

How to play: Two players face a wall. The server throws the ball to the wall above the line to start play. The receiver tries to catch the ball after one bounce or on the full. A rally of alternating throw/catch continues until one player cannot return the ball onto the wall above the line before it bounces a second time.

Players can stay in their half court initially, then use the full court.
Encourage ‘friendly’ serves.
A point is scored by the player who wins the rally.
Encourage players to place ball out of reach of their opponent.

Activity 4 - Hit and run

Equipment: Hoops/balls for stations, wall target, cone/marker, 1 racquet per player 1 racquet & balls for coach.

How to play: Players line up along the side of the basketball court, taking turns to hit the coaches feed and then run to the remaining corners of the court to complete the ball skills activities at each station before joining the end of the line.

Demonstrate activities for each station eg: bat tapping variations.
Form a line, well spaced.
Waiting players line up behind the cone.

Modified small-sided games

It's time for competition!

Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the Squash 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.

King / Queen of the court

Equipment: 1 ball per group, 1 racquet per player, cones, rebound wall

How to play: Two teams play against each other, with one player from each team rallying at a time. The first players (one from each team) have a full shared court rally, started by a bounce serve. The winner of the rally stays on the court and becomes the King/Queen. The losing player leaves the court and is replaced by the next challenger, from their team, who serves.