Targets Away!

TGfU Category: Zone Games

Locations: gymnasium, outdoor space (e.g., field, tarmac)

Game/Sport Connections

Zone games are activities that involve controlling an object, keeping it away from opponents, and moving it into position to score. Both offensive and defensive players share the same playing area as they work to prevent the other team from scoring. By playing these games, participants develop skills and tactics to play other zone games or games that require the application of similar skills, concepts, and strategies (e.g., soccer, handball, ultimate Frisbee, football, basketball, hockey, goalball, wheelchair basketball, lacrosse).

Activity Overview

Participants learn about and practise applying defensive and offensive strategies when trying to knock down other participants’ targets while defending their own targets.

Key Movement Skills, Concepts, and Strategies

Throughout the activity, consider highlighting the following skills, concepts, and strategies to help participants learn to apply defensive and offensive strategies. Note that this list is not exhaustive and further learning opportunities may arise during the task.

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

• 1 hula hoop per group
• 1 target per participant (e.g., cone, pylon, bowling pin, empty plastic bottle)
• 6 – 8 soft-skinned foam balls of various sizes

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 pairs or triads.
• Instruct groups to set up their target (e.g., cone, pylon, bowling pin, empty plastic bottle) in the centre of their hula hoop at least 2 m from other groups and within the designated playing area.
• Scatter soft-skinned balls throughout the playing area.
• Participants choose their role in the game (e.g., defending their target, knocking down other targets, or both roles).
• All participants start with one foot on their hula hoop.
• On a predetermined start signal, participants pick up a ball and send it underhand at any other group’s target, attempting to knock it over while also defending their target.
• Participants must not step on or inside any other hula hoop while defending their target or attempting to knock down other targets.
• Groups keep track of their scores and receive 1 point for every target they knock down. They must stand the target back up to receive the point. Other participants must wait until the participant has returned the target to standing and is a minimum of an arm’s length away before attempting to knock the target over.
• If a participant hits another participant with their ball or makes body contact with them, they lose a point or receive a 30-second time out by leaving the playing area and returning to play after the 30 seconds has elapsed.
• 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 the fun, inclusion, and participation for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.
• Consider having groups share their variations and select another variation to try with their group.

Image: 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:

• How do you decide when it’s best to play in a defensive role versus an offensive role?
• What strategy do you apply to successfully defend your target from being knocked down?
• How do you prefer to send the ball when you are attempting to knock down another participant’s target?
• What kind of risks do you take in this game?
• How do you decide when it is to your advantage to take a risk?
• How do you work as a group to defend your target while knocking down your opponent’s target? What strategy works well? What strategy might you change?
• Which games or sports have you played or know about that use similar rules and strategies to the ones used in this game?

Variations

• Change the group configuration (e.g., 1 to 1, groups of 4 – 5).
• Change the target (e.g., an object on top of the cone that must be knocked off, beanbag on a floor marker that must be knocked off the spot).
• Change the manipulation skill to rolling the ball toward the target.
• Send the ball in various ways (e.g., non-dominant hand, overhand throw, kicking the ball while keeping it in contact with the ground).
• Add a scoring system with each object knocked off the target worth a different point value (e.g., beach ball = 3 points, large foam ball = 2 points, small foam ball = 1 point).
• Participants/groups begin with a total number of points (e.g., 10). A point is subtracted from their score whenever their target is knocked down. A point is added when they knock down a target.