Week 2 - Touch Football
Skill focus: Space and player awareness, passing and catching, team defence and scoring a try.
Session equipment
1 touch football (or similar) per student
40 marker cones
Bibs/braids to differentiate teams
Download Touch Football - Week 2 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.
Fast start - Here, where, there
Equipment
1 touch football per student, 4 marker cones to set up a 25m x 25m playing area
How to play
Students run around the area and change direction by dodging.
On the teacher’s signal, one of three directions will be given:
Here – run to a point near the teacher.
Where – run to another designated point.
There – run in the direction where the teacher points.
CHANGE IT!
Introduce a ball for every player once students are familiar with the game.
Students run with the ball in the direction of the 'here, where, there' signal.
Select the card to download.
Skill development games
Activity 1 - Tricky touchdowns
Equipment: 1 football per player, 6 marker cones to define playing area
How to play: One at a time attacking players with a football enter the playing area and quickly choose one of two possible lines to run over before being tagged by a defender. Players change roles frequently. Play with up to ten players per game.
Organise players into two groups at diagonal points of the playing area.
Attackers line up behind a cone or marker with a football each.
A defender can only enter a playing area once an attacker has entered the area.
One point = attacker runs over a selected line without being touched.
An attacker and defender must quickly move out of the game as soon as the attacker is either touched or runs over the selected line.
Swap roles when all attackers have had a turn.
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 - Back to back
Equipment: 1 touch football per game, marker cones to define score line
How to play: On ‘Go!’ players standing back-to-back run around a marker on their score line. The player who scoops up the ball attempts to score a touchdown without being tagged by their opponent.
Pairs collect one football and four marker cones to create their playing area.
A ball is placed on a scoreline at one end of the area.
Pairs start back-to-back in the middle of the area.
When the player facing the ball calls out ‘Go!’, both players run to opposite ends of their area and around a marker cone.
The player who was facing the ball scoops it up and attempts to score a touchdown.
The play is completed when either a touch or a touchdown has occurred.
Players take turns facing the ball and calling ‘Go!’
The pair observing act as referees and make calls such as, ‘Touchdown’, ‘No touchdown’ or ‘Touch’.
Pairs swap roles.
CHANGE IT!
Increase the area and play with two attackers against one defender.
The attackers can pass or run themselves, or attempt a dummy pass. • Rotate pairs to other games to provided variety and challenge.
Activity 4 - Flying V
Equipment: • 2 touch footballs, 1 marker cone per player; 2 markers to form scoreline
How to play: Two teams in a V formation race to pass a ball diagonally backwards down their line. The last player in each team runs to score a touchdown. Teams repeat passing the ball to score as many touchdowns as they can in 60 seconds
Organise players into teams of six lined up diagonally to form a V as shown.
The top player for each team starts with the football.
On your signal, teams pass the ball down the line to the last player who runs forward to score a touchdown.
After scoring a touchdown, the player with the ball runs to the top position and all other players in the team move down to the next marker cone.
Repeat passing and scoring touchdowns until ‘Time!’ is called.
Teams total their scores to determine the winner.
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.
CHANGE IT!
To create momentum and game flow, allow one pass to go forward at each play for inexperienced players (the coach/referee calls, ‘Play on!’ when this occurs).
Waiting teams practise passing the ball up and down their line.
Game - Team waves
Equipment: 1 touch football, marker cones to define playing area, bibs or sashes to distinguish between teams
How to play: Multiple attacking teams take turns playing a game with a maximum of three touches (chances) to score a touchdown. When their turn as an attacking team is completed, they become the new defending team.
One team starts as the defenders and spreads out across the half way line in line with the coach, facing the attacking teams.
All other teams are attackers and line up behind the start line.
Play starts when the first attacking team performs a rollball on the start line.
The defending team (and the coach/referee) must retreat five metres back after each touch.
A touch will be counted when:
a defending player effects a touch on the football carrier
an error is made by the attacking team.
The attacking team has a maximum of three touches (chances) to score a touchdown.
After three touches, or if a touchdown is scored, the attacking team rotates to become the defending team and the previous defending team becomes attackers and lines up behind the start line.
Reflection
TAG
Ask students to form pairs with a student from their team.
Inform students they are going to give feedback to their partner using 'TAG'.
Tell your partner something they did well in today's session.
Ask your partner the question: How could we have worked together to score more touch downs in 'Team waves?'
Give your partner some feedback on a skill or tactic they could focus on during next week's session.
