TGfU Category: Striking/Fielding Games
Locations: gymnasium, outdoor space (e.g., field, tarmac)
Game/Sport Connections
Striking/Fielding games are activities in which players score points by striking an object and move to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. By playing these games, participants develop skills and tactics to play other striking/fielding games or games that require the application of similar skills, concepts, and strategies (e.g., baseball, cricket, rounders, softball).
Activity Overview
Participants learn about and practise sending an object into an open area while attempting to score runs. Participants also learn about and practise fielding an object and preventing their opponent from scoring runs.
Key Movement Skills, Concepts, and Strategies
Throughout the activity, consider highlighting the following skills, concepts, and strategies to send an object into an open area or field an object. Note that this list is not exhaustive and further learning opportunities may arise during the task.
Movement Skills and Concepts
Body awareness: location of self when sending/receiving an object, and the relationship of how the body moves while playing with other participants (e.g., when performing an overhand throw, facing sideways with the body weight on the back foot and the sending arm lengthening down and back behind the body, the foot opposite to the sending arm being forward, rotating the body to face the target, transferring the body weight onto the front foot while straightening the sending arm, keeping the object above ear level, pointing the sending arm toward the target, releasing the object slightly above and in front of the head, the sending arm following through down and across the body).
Movement Strategies
Understanding and developing tactics to send the object into an open space to make it difficult for participants to receive it (e.g., sending the object away from fielders to allow for more time to score) or stopping the batter from scoring runs (e.g., passing the object over-under quickly to another group member).
Considerations
- Incorporate some or all of the variations listed in the “Variations” section while planning the activity. This will help to best meet the diverse backgrounds, identities, needs, and interests of participants and maximize the fun, inclusion, participation, and success of everyone.
- To elevate participant voice and choice, periodically pause the activity and share the variations with participants. Ask them to determine how they would like to change the activity to maximize the fun, inclusion, meaningful participation, and success for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.
Equipment
- 2 rubber chickens
- 8 pylons
Safety
- Inspect the equipment and activity area to identify and remove hazards. Check that the activity surface provides sufficient traction.
- Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area at a safe distance from walls and obstacles. Share the boundaries with participants.
- Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
- Instruct participants to be aware of their surroundings, including the locations of other participants during play.
How to Play
- Divide participants into 4 groups to play 2 games, 2 groups per game.
- Groups set up 4 pylons in a diamond shape in their designated playing area to represent 3 bases and home plate.
- For each game, 1 group starts at-bat, while the other group starts in the field.
- The group at-bat lines up single file behind the first batter at home plate. This will be the order for the game.
- The batter sends the rubber chicken as far as they can.
- The batting group moves together in a single file around the bases as many times as possible while maintaining the order of the line. The group scores a run for each participant who passes home plate.
- Meanwhile, the fielding group retrieves the rubber chicken.
- The first participant to reach the rubber chicken holds it up in the air while the other group members form a line behind.
- Once the entire group is in a line, they pass the rubber chicken down the line. Groups determine how they will pass the rubber chicken (e.g., overhead, underhand, alternate sides or a combination). The established passing pattern continues until the participant at the end of the line receives the rubber chicken.
- The last participant to receive the rubber chicken moves to the front of the line and yells, “Stop!”
- The batting group stops moving and receives 1 point for each person who has crossed home plate.
- The batter who sent the chicken then goes to the back of the line and the next participant becomes the batter.
- The batting group has 3 turns at-bat before they become the fielding group.
- Each time a group becomes the batting group, the participants resume where they had left off their last turn at-bat.
- After a period of play, provide participants with some or all of the variations. Ask them to decide how they might change the game to enhance their fun, challenge, and success. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.
- Consider having groups share their variations and select another variation to try with their group.
Video: Visual Depiction of the Activity Instructions
Pause for Learning
Throughout the activity, ask open-ended questions to help participants refine their movement skills, strategies, and tactical solutions. Examples include:
- Where do you send the object? Why?
- When fielding, what clues help you determine where the batter might send the object?
- What do you do to be successful as the batting group to score as many runs as possible?
- What do you do as the fielding group to reduce the number of runs the batting group might accumulate?
- Which element of the game do you like better, batting or fielding? Why?
- Which games or sports have you played or know about that use similar rules and strategies to the ones used in this game?
Variations
- Add additional objects to the game (e.g., soft-skinned ball, beanbag). Groups choose the object they want to send.
- Position the bases closer together or have groups agree on a new formation for the bases.
- Use different locomotion skills while travelling from base to base (e.g., jumping, skipping).
- Provide implements for striking to send the object. Participants choose the implement (e.g., rubber bat, foam racquet, lollipop foam paddle).
- Change the manipulation to kicking.
- Start in a sitting position when fielding. Participants get up once the batter sends the object.
- Alternate batting and fielding groups, with the fielding group sending the object as soon as they finish passing it down their line.
