Week 1 - Touch Football

Skill focus: Running with the ball, play the ball, effecting a touch, scoring a try

Session equipment

1 touch football (or similar) per student
40 markers
Bibs/braids to differentiate teams

Download Touch Football - Week 1 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

Fast start - Defensive demons

Equipment

8 markers
1 touch football (or similar) per student

How to play

Students work in pairs, one is the designated attacker and the other is the defender.
Both students start one metre apart and facing each other.
When a nominated player says ‘go’ (players take turns), the attacker must attempt to get past the defender without being tagged to score a point.
Allow 30 seconds, then players swap roles.

CHANGE it!

Introduce a ball to each pair once students are familiar with the game.
Both students start one metre apart and facing each other.
When a nominated player says ‘go’ (players take turns), the attacker must attempt to run with the ball past the defender without the defender touching them.
Allow 30 seconds, then players swap roles

Select the card to download.

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.
Once the teams are determined you can add the team and student names to the Touch Football draw template.

Activity 1 - Ball runner

Equipment: 1 football per pair, 8 marker cones to define playing area

How to play: Players in pairs pass a football back and forth in the centre of a playing field. When the coach calls ‘Ball!’, the player who has the ball must run to their end and score a touchdown.

Organise players into pairs with one football per pair.
Pairs line up side-by-side two meters apart in the centre of the playing field and pass the ball back and forth to their partner.
When nominated student calls ‘Ball!’, the player with the ball (or about to receive the ball) must run with it and score a touchdown.
After scoring a touchdown they return to the centre and resume passing.

Activity 2 - Spare square

Equipment: 1 football, 4 marker cones

How to play: Three attacking players on a square pass a football back and forth while a player in the centre of the square attempts to intercept the ball. Attacking players can move to the spare marker cone to receive the ball. Play in groups of four.

Separate players into groups of four with one football, and set up a 3 metre by 3 metre square using marker cones.
The three attacking players stand at a marker and can only pass the ball to players on each side of the square (not diagonally across the square).
To receive the ball attacking players can move to the spare marker cone — they cannot run while holding the ball.
A fourth player in the centre attempts to intercept the ball or cause a fumble.
When the ball is intercepted, the attacking player who touched it last changes place with the interceptor.

Activity 3 - Boundary pass

Equipment: 1 touch football per pair, marker cones to define boundary line

How to play: In pairs, players try to make as many passes to each other as they can in 60 seconds. To add a challenge, the pass has to be across a different boundary line.

Pairs, with a football, are dispersed over four boundary lines 8 metres by 8 metres.
On designated students signal, all pairs jog in the same direction and pass their ball.
Passes can only be made across a boundary line.
Each pass has to be over a different boundary line.
Encourage players to pass backwards to their partner.
Pairs count how many passes they made in 60 seconds.
Pairs repeat in the opposite direction and attempt to beat their previous score.

Activity 4 - Giant's treasure

** Teacher needed at this station

Equipment: 20 footballs as the giants treasure, 4 marker cones, 1 bib or sash to identify the giant, 1 hoop

How to play: Teams try to collect the most footballs from the giant’s treasure before ‘Time!’ is called or before they are tagged by the giant who is protecting the treasure.

Organise team into four groups.
An additional player is designated as the giant to guard the treasure.
The giant roams the space around the treasure.
All footballs are placed in the centre of the playing area.
When you call ‘Go!’, one player from each group attempts to steal one ball at a time and pass it back to their group.
Players tagged by the giant must stop and place their ball on the ground, step over it (perform a rollball) and return to their group.
When all balls in the centre are gone, players may attempt to take a ball from other groups, but must perform a rollball if tagged by the giant.

Modified small-sided games

It's time for competition!

Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the 'Touch Football 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.

Game - Guard the castle

Equipment: 15 touch footballs, 8 marker cones (4 colours)

How to play: Guards in a line move sideways as they try to protect the castle from invasion. Invaders attempt to slip through gaps in the guards’ defence to leave as many footballs as they can inside the castle within 5 minutes.

Organise players into even teams of invaders and castle guards.
The castle guards stand three metres apart and can only move sideways on their line.
The invaders have two minutes to attempt to get past the guards and into the castle without being touched.
Once in the castle, the invader places their football on the ground then returns to their position around the boundary lines to collect a new ball.
The guards attempt to effect a touch on the invaders to send them to the dungeon.
To be released from the dungeon, invaders must throw their ball in the air, clap and catch it five times, then return to their starting position.
When ‘Time!’ is called, the invaders add up how many balls they left in the castle.
Once both teams have had a turn as invaders, the team with the highest score of balls in the castle wins.