Rollerball
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Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Evasion, peripheral vision, rolling, agility and spatial awareness.
Equipment Needed: One playground ball or soft dodgeball.
- The dodgers will stand with their backs against the wall or fence.
- The pitcher faces them, approximately five feet away.
- Mark clearly where the pitcher stands, the play area is for the active dodgers and where dodgers go when they are tagged by the ball.
- Be prepared to explain the boundaries and different roles in the game to the children.
- Be prepared with consequences if the pitcher hits the dodgers above the waist.
Set Up:
Use a play area with clear boundaries and a wall or fence.
How To Play:
- The point of the game is to avoid being hit with the ball.
- The pitcher tries to roll the ball to hit the dodgers from the waist down.
- Tell students where the players should stand to dodge the ball and point out where the pitcher stands.
- Pick a pitcher and line the rest of the children against the fence or wall as dodgers.
- When a dodger is hit by the ball from the waist down, they step off the wall and join you in cheering.
- The last dodger to be hit by the ball is the new pitcher.
Variations:
- When a dodger is hit s/he also becomes a pitcher. As the game progresses there are more pitchers and fewer dodgers. This requires adding a few more balls. It also must be clear how pitchers will share the balls.
- After dodgers are tagged, they need to perform a task, like jumping jacks, in order to get back into the game.
