TGfU Category: Zone Games
Locations: gymnasium, multipurpose room, 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 playing a modified game of soccer while moving within designated zones.
Key Movement Skills, Concepts, and Strategies
Throughout the activity, consider highlighting the following skills, concepts, and strategies for moving effectively within a designated space and how to defend within a designated space. Note that this list is not exhaustive and further learning opportunities may arise during the task.
Movement Skills and Concepts
- Locomotion and relationship: travelling/moving within a designated zone among other participants, while supporting the group in advancing into the opponent’s zone to score on the opponent’s net.
- Manipulation skills and effort awareness: applying a controlled force to send/receive the object to/from another participant and/or to a net.
Movement Strategies
Creating and applying tactics to move into the other participants’ zone and to defend their zone (e.g., passing the object across different zones quickly, moving to open spaces without the object).
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 object to send per game (e.g., various sizes and textures of balls, rubber chicken, disc, beanbag)
- 1 set of pinnies per game
- 2 nets per game (e.g., soccer nets, hockey nets, large pylons, benches, garbage cans)
- Floor markers to mark the boundaries of the playing area zones (e.g., pylons, cones, rubber/vinyl spots)
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 equal groups. Two groups play in each game with 1 group wearing pinnies.
- Assign 2 groups to a designated playing area. Groups place a net at each end of their playing area.
- Groups divide their designated playing area into zones using available equipment (e.g., pylons, cones, rubber/vinyl spots) to mark the outer boundaries and zones. There should be enough zones to accommodate 2 participants in each zone, 1 participant from each group. Groups select their object to send (e.g., ball, rubber chicken, disc, beanbag).
- Participants play a modified version of soccer where they are required to stay within their zones.
- Participants work with their group members in other zones to advance their object down the field/activity space to score on their opponent’s net.
- After a goal has been scored, or after a designated time, 1 group rotates 1 zone to the left and the other group rotates 1 zone to the right so that participants are not always defending the same opponents or the same area of the field/space.
- 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:
- When playing offence, how do you keep possession of the object in this game, when you are only allowed to move within a designated zone?
- When playing defence, what strategy do you apply to successfully intercept the object to regain possession?
- What skills do you use to maintain possession of the ball?
- How do you position your body to increase your chance of success at receiving the object?
- What strategies do you use to defend your area?
- How do you best defend your space and make it difficult for your opponents to score?
- How do you work together as a team to successfully defend both your goal and gain possession of the ball?
- Which games or sports have you played or know about that use similar rules and strategies to the ones used in this game?
Variations
- Decrease the number of zones and/or create larger zones.
- Use several objects to maximize participation.
- Begin with throwing an object so that participants get used to the structure of the game and then progress to kicking.
- Have groups devise a similar activity using available equipment to practise transferable skills/strategies/tactics within this game category.
