FOOTBALL

4 IN A ROW

Divide the class into groups of 4. 6 can work, just have teams of three but you may need a bigger space.

Each group needs a football or ball to throw and catch.

Mark off a 10-15 foot X 10-15 foot square for each group (see daigram)

This is a timed event, about 1.5 to 2 minutes per round (can adjust if need be). The players on a team try to complete 4 passes in a row without an interruption (drop, deflection,interception, catch out of the square), while the other team tries to "interrupt" the passes. If a team completes four passes in a row they get a point. They then place the ball on the ground and back off so the other team may take possesion. If the passes are interrupted then the defensive team takes posession. At the end of the game have the teams shake hands. If the game ends in a tie have a player from each team rock/paper/scissors to pick a winner. Then give the teams 15 seconds to find a new game in a new court with another team.

Encourage movement without the ball to make an easy pass for your partner.
No "stripping" the ball from another player, and no contact as a defensive player.

Adjustments: (additional rules you can add if you need)

When you have the ball you cannot walk, pivot is OK.

King's Court rotation (see diagram)

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FOOTBALL MADNESS (HOOPLA)

All of the kids get into partners. Each partnership has a football, or something to throw and catch.

Scattered across the gym are eitehr hoops or polyspots, or both. The object is to get the ball from one end of the gym to the other without touching the ground. If you make it to the other end of the gym into the "end zone" your team gets a "super bowl ring" (a piece of pipe cleaner turned into a ring, I have hundreds), then you go back and do it again. You can stop in the hoops or on the dots along the way to catch a pass, if you catch it there your partner moves across the gym to another hoop and you throw it to them. If they catch it you continue across the gym. (I make them have at least one foot in the hoop to count the catch). If you drop it both partners have to go back to the beginning and start again. All of the kids play at once.

You can also play this with a defense. If you pull about two or three parterships to play defense, it works well. The offense has all of the balls that you own at the beginning. They start as normal, but if they make it to the end of the gym they place the ball into a bucket and it counts as a point for the offense. If a ball gets dropped it gets left and is picked up by a defensive player and placed in a bucket off to the side. If the defense intercepts or deflects a pass that is missed it also goes into the bucket on the side. When all of the balls are in one of the buckets the game is over and you can count to see who won. Then pick new defenders and start over. See diagram

FLAG TAG FOOTBALL

Divide the class into 10-12 groups, 2 to a group is perfect, 3 is good and 4 will work. I try to keep it at no more than 12 as this game could get rough if there were 20 kids playing at once.

Each team needs a football, a pile of flag football flags (or something similar) 1 for each player and a few extra, and a cone (base)

The bases should be around the perimeiter of the basketball court, with the space in the middle open.

When the music starts the first player from each group comes out into the middle space carrying a ball and wearing a flag. The object is to steal a flag from another player who is in the middle (12 players only - 1 from each group) and get back to your team without getting your flag stolen. If you get back you can keep the flag and use it to replace a stolen one.

The football designates who is supposed to be playing. If the football is dropped the player who dropped it is out, and needs to get back to base to switch. I try to avoid throwing the ball back and make them hand it off.

Rules:

Anytime you are not on the base your flag can be stolen, even if you are out and on your way back. If you drop the ball, and are on your way back you cannot steal a flag but yours can be stolen.

If you step out of bounds you must give your flag to the teacher.

I move around the room and take flags from teams with a large pile and give to teams who are running out. I call it "Robin Hood'ing". This way there is no winner but we all get to keep playing.

This game works well in basketball and soccer also, instead of holding the football they must dribble the basketball or soccer ball

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Fire Brigade

· 6 bowling pins (fire) and 6 folding chairs, or 6 whiffle balls (fire) and 6 batting tees

· 6 footballs (buckets of water)

· 6 hula hoops (fire station)

· Cones to divide the gym into lanes

Divide the class into groups of 3-4.

Divide the gym into 6 lanes lengthwise (see diagram)

· Object of the game is to see which team can knock the pin/whiffle ball down off of the chair/tee first. (putting out the fire)

· Mark the fire line 10 ft. back from the chair/tee

· Begin with all teams standing on the fire line.

· On signal, players run to their fire station at the opposite end of the playing area, all players must put their foot in the fire station

· One player picks up the ball and passes it to his teammate who passes it to the next teammate until all of the teammates have touched the ball and they are at the for line. If the ball is dropped or a player walks with the ball the ball must go back to the fire station and the team must relay it to the fire line.

· When they are at the fire line they throw the ball at the pin/whiffle ball and try to knock it over. If the throw id missed the team returns to the fire station and tries again. If it is successful the team returns to the station with the ball, all put their foot in and yell “FIRE”S OUT!” That team gets to stay in the game to take on the next group of teams that is waiting to come in.

· I generally will try to have one less team than double the number of lanes. For example 11 teams with 6 lanes, 7 teams with 4 lanes etc. That way if 6 teams are playing then 5 are waiting to come in. The winning team stays in to challenge the new 5, and the 5 teams that did not win go out.

· If a team continues to win, give them two fires to put out.

Violations: (Causing the team to return to the fire station)

· Walking or Running with the ball

· Missing the fire

· Going out of the lane

· Dropping the ball

*If one player commits the violation the whole team returns

MADAGASCAR -

Split the class in half. One team is the "monkeys" and one team is the "zebras"
The object is to throw the fruit (balls) over the other team to your teammates whao are stranded on an island
When a teammate catches the ball they yell "Hail to the New York Giants" and drop it off in their team's bucket. Then they return to their island to catch more balls.
You can play for a time limit, or until all of the balls are in a bucket and count which team has the most.

Adaptations:

Adjust the distance for the islands, further back for older kids, closer for the younger ones
(For younger kids) Allow fruit to be picked up off of the floor as long as your feet are on the island

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BEAM BALL -

Object: to be the first team to get 7 players on the beam

Equipment: 2-4x4x10's, 4 gym mats, a whole bunch of balls to throw and catch (footballs, gatorskin balls, foam frisbees, foxtail softees) depending on the skill you are working on.

Divide the class in half, one team one one side of the gym one on the other.

Each team needs an inital receiver (this person should switch each game). They need to start on the beam (on the opposite side of the gym.)

The game starts and the teams throw the balls to their receiver from their own side. If a ball is caught and the receiver remains on the beam the player who throws it goes to the beam also. Until there are seven players on the beam then the game is over. ( I make them call to me when they get 7 and I count three seconds where they have to hold the balance to win). Once the game is over I re-set the teams get a new "initial receiver" and start again. I make the team that wins need 8 players on the beam to win the next round.

If anyone falls off the beam or touches the mat they have to return to their side, unless their is one receiver remining, they stay (otherwise there is nobody to catch the balls).

On a catch, the receiver has to hold the ball and balance until the thrower gets onto the beam for it to count

Island Ball ( primary beam ball)

The class should be divided into two groups.
The "islands" (mats) should be laid out flat on each side of the gym. See diagram.
The balls are laid out in the middle of the space, we use a combination of types of balls to throw and catch.
The object of the game is to get your entire team on the mats.
Each mat needs a receiver on it. When the receiver catches the ball, the person who threw it can join them on the mat. If the receiver does not catch it or steps off the mat when they do catch it it does not count. If the receiver steps off of the mat we send them back to their side, unless they are the only one on the mat. Then they stay.
When an entire team is on the mats, we stop the game and congratulate them. Then we add a challenge for them. We fold a third of each mat underneath itself and make the island smaller (Ann tells a story of a hurricane that washed away part of the island). We continue to shrink the mats for the team that wins

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TOUCHDOWN

Divide the class into two teams, one on each side of the gym

Each team needs 3-4 receivers to travel to the end zone on the opposite side of the gym.

A bucket should be set on the sides of teh gym, one for each team. (see diagram)

When the music starts, the kids try to throw the balls to their receivers on the opposite side of the gym (over the other team). If the receiver catches it they yell"touchdown" and put the ball in their bucket on the side and then go back for another catch. Play until all of the balls are in the buckets and then count to see who wins. Start over with new receivers.

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ULTIMATE Football -

Equipment:

A football for each game and cones to seperate the playing area into smaller fields.
Pinneys to seperate teams

Basically the same game as Ultimate Frisbee. Rules can be modified to accomodate the size of your class. Small games 3v3 or 4v4 work very well.

Rock paper scissors to deterrmine possesion.

A point is scored if a pass is completed in the other team's end zone.

Passes may be in any direction

Players cannot walk with the ball

When a pass in not completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception), the defense immediately takes possession of the ball and becomes the offense.

No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.

When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.

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FOOTBALL TIC TAC TOE (Tic Tac Throw)

Equipment:

Targets (Hula Hoops/Tape; Basketball backboards; Tape squares on the wall)
Footballs
Tic Tac Toe boards (Drawn on paper, taped on carpet squares)
Bean bags or some way to mark the baord

Divide the class into teams. Two teams per target. Teams of 2-3 are great, but it can work with 4-5. Each target will have two teams throwing at it. Each team needs a pile of 5 bean bags that are different colors from the team they are playing.

The object is to throw the ball at the target, if you hit it you get to put a marker on the tic tac toe board. The other team is also trying to hit the target and if they hit it they will place a marker also. It is a race, so both teams are throwing at the same time and racing to try to win a tic tac toe game. (The person throwing the football must 1. Retrieve the ball. 2. Hand it to the next person in line 3. Place the marker. In that order)

When the game is over shake hands and either play again or find a different team to play.

KICKING STYLE - Same game except you kick the ball from a tee at the targets, and the targets are much bigger. (For example a field goal post taped on the wall, or just two vertical lines that you try to kick between.

Power Failure

Competitive version:

· Two teams, one on each side of the gym, with the center line dividing them. (Game can be played the long way in the gym as well to shrink the distance for throwing)

· The object of the game is to knock over all of the other teams bowling pins (power boxes) in order to get a “Power Failure”

· Students can throw or roll the balls from their own side of the gym in an attempt to knock the pins down

· Students can “guard” or “block” their pins as long as they do so outside of the “three point arc”

· Once a pin is down it stays down until the game is over

· A “power failure” happens when one team loses all of the pins (the teacher can flip the lights out)

Options:

Take pins from the winning team and give them to the losing team to make it harder for repeat winners

Cooperative Version:

Scatter all of the pins inside of the rectangle (volleyball court in our gym)

Students on the outside with a ball in their hands

Try to knock over all of the pins (power boxes) as fast as possible as a team. Either throwing or rolling the balls

Time each class and put the records on the board

Kids must stay outside the rectangle (Power station), if a ball is stuck inside, it stays inside.

If all of the balls are inside and there are still pins standing, stop the clock for 10 seconds…allow the students to retrieve the balls and start it again before they throw.