Win your individual battle

Organisation

• Organise the players into four teams, each of which begins in a different corner of the area
• Nominate one team as the tagging team; time them to see how long it takes them to tag all the other players. Once tagged, players have to immediately return to their “home” corner
• Progress to allowing all the players to be taggers; the winning team is the last team with players left in the playing area
• You can also ask the players to try different running or movement styles

Ways to make the exercise easier

• The taggers have to run with a ball in their hands
• Make the area larger

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Make the area smaller
• Some/all non-taggers have to carry or dribble a ball

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you show me how you can change direction quickly?
• Can you escape the taggers by being clever?
• Can you work out, as a team, a way to try to win the game?
• What physical strengths are useful in this activity? (E.g. running fast, quick reactions, dodging people)
• What personal strengths are useful? (E.g. persistence, hard work, bravery)

Safety tips

• Only allow tagging on the back
• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise the players into teams and play 3v3 in three zones
• Start with throw and catch and then progress to use of the feet
• To score a point, teams have to pass the ball to the other end and back
• After a few minutes, rotate the teams to change opposition
• Rotate the players, so they all get a chance to play in the middle

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Give one team an extra player in the middle or in each of the zones

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players

Great questions to ask the players

• If you are in the middle zone, can you try to receive the ball in a sideways position?
• Can you try different types of short passes?
• When it’s 2v1, can you try to use all the space available?
• What physical strengths are useful in this activity? (E.g. arm strength for throwing and catching, fast running)
• What personal strengths are useful? (E.g. bravery, fairness, hard work, kindness)

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play

Organisation

• Organise the players into even teams and create mini-pitches for games of 4v4 or 5v5
• Swap the teams between pitches every five minutes to provide new opposition
• Play winners v. winners and losers v. losers when you rotate them
• Just let the players play but when a team scores, every player in the scoring team has to be in the attacking half of the pitch for the goal to count
• Allow the players to learn through play and the different challenges posed by new opposition
• Let the players referee their own games
• Teams keep count of how many games they win

Ways to make the exercise easier

• A team can have one or more extra players if you have odd numbers or a weaker team

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Limit the number of touches
• Add goalkeepers

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you move into the attacking half quickly when your team has the ball?
• Can you recognise when defence turns into attack?
• Can you communicate as a team to make sure no one forgets to move into the attacking half before you score a goal?
• What physical strengths are useful in this activity? (E.g. dribbling, running, agility)
• What personal strengths are useful? (E.g. bravery, honesty, teamwork)

Safety tips

• Create a safe space to play