Sports
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Sports
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Contents
INTRODUCTION4
SESSION 1 - target ball
8
SESSION 4 - bean bag hunt
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SESSION 7 - foxes and farmers
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SESSION 20 - cone carnage
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SESSION 22 - cone raider
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SESSION 28 - nudge it
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SESSION 35 - rob the nest
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SESSION 52 - protect the king
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SESSION 60 - protect the egg
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SESSION 65 - powerball
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INTRODUCTION
What are multi-skill sports games?
Multi-skill sports games can be described as
activities, games and practices that are designed
to challenge participants to learn a range of
different skills and techniques that are inclusive,
maintain consistent levels of competition,
and are challenging - while remaining fun and
enjoyable for all participants.
The activities and games in this book aim to
introduce and develop specific physical and
mental skills to help challenge the physical
literacy of young sportspeople through a range
of non-sports-specific activities. This is so they
can increase their general physical ability before
they choose to specialise in any specific sport,
while at the same time developing confidence
and self-esteem, respect for rules and other
people, and the ability to build relationships.
The fundamental principles of multi-skill sports
games include:
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Agility
Balance
Coordination
Speed
Reaction
Problem-solving
Observation
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Throwing and catching
Sending and receiving
Striking and fielding
Kicking
Bouncing
Movement
Creating space
Changing direction
Skipping
Running
Jumping
Hopping
Reaction to commands and signals
Teamwork
Group games
Invasion games
These skills and techniques can then be
applied to a range of sports and physical
activities that the youngster may choose
to participate in. Therefore, any session of
multi-skill sports games needs to be focused
on the development of the basic motor skills
that provide a sound base for continued
involvement in sport and recreation.
This can lead to positive healthy lifestyle choices
and other social benefits, while increasing levels
of exercise and fitness at a young age.
Who is the book aimed at?
As the sessions included here are nonsports-specific, this book can act as an
important resource for sports leaders,
coaches and teachers in the sports education
sector, local community club volunteers,
professional sports coaches, school teachers
and midday assistants.
What type of sessions will it help with?
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Curricular PE sessions
After-school clubs
Community clubs
Breakfast clubs
Lunchtime clubs
In order to help incorporate these games
into any curricular PE scheme of learning
(particularly for Key Stages 1 and 2) we have
included progressions and alternatives for each
activity to demonstrate a way of making each
session sports-specific. So although multiskill sports games are non-sports-specific, the
activities can be adapted to any session you
wish to coach, and to fit the dynamic of any
given scheme of learning.
The principles of this book also support
the key concepts of Long Term Athlete
Development (LTAD) - specifically in the
early stages of Active Start (basic fitness and
movement skills) and FUNdamentals (higher
focus on aspects such as agility, balance,
coordination and speed).Development during
this essential stage will enhance performance
and increase readiness for the Learning
to Train phase, and in turn prepare young
sportspeople for the higher-level competitive
sport phases, Training to Train and Training to
Win, and essentially encourage participants of
all ages to pursue a lifetime of physical activity
and healthy living - Active for Life.
How to use this book
Each session is complemented with a diagram
and a description of ‘how to set up’ your
session, and the ‘what you need’ heading gives
details of any specific equipment you will need
to provide for the players.
The ‘how to play’ section gives full details of
the rules of the game and provides you with
instructions on how to keep a score and/time
limit in order to make each game competitive
and challenging. Although it is beneficial to
keep a score in order to maintain the players’
level of engagement, multi-skill sports games
generally concentrate more on development,
inclusion and the encouragementof fair play not ‘win at all costs’.
Under the ‘key skills’ heading you will see some
illustrated icons; please see below for more
information on what they mean and how to
use them to suit your sessions.
‘Progressions and alternatives’ give you extra
ideas about how to make the sessions either
more or less challenging or age appropriate,
and some examples offer a sport-specific
alternative.
Learning how to plan a session is one of the
most important skills of being an effective
sports leader. Knowing the level of ability, age
range and level of development of the players
you coach will go a long way in knowing what
you can coach, what you need to coach, and
how you are going to coach it. These factors all
come into your plan, and it is essential to know
them when developing the players you are
coaching. Remember, plan your work, and work
your plan!
What do the icons mean?
As part of the description of each game you
will see a selection of icons that relate to
key skills that each session aims to develop.
These cover a wide range of attributes such
as basic physical and mental development to
more in-depth decision-making and tactical
awareness. The icons are separated into the
following six categories:
• Motor skills
• Movement
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork
• Sending and receiving
• Invasion games
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Motor skills
This icon will feature in a large
number of the games, as multi-skill
sports games and activities are
viewed as essential for the development of
basic motor skills.
Problem-solving
This icon is attached to games and
activities that are designed to test
participants on a mental level, and
demands them to develop the ability to find their
own solutions to the problems they encounter.
These skills include aspects such as balance,
agility, coordination, speed and reactions, and
can be challenged in a number of ways.
These games will test memory and observation
skills, require lateral thinking, and encourage
positive decision-making. They will also test a
participant’s speed of thought and reaction to
specific commands and signals given by the
sports leader.
Examples include using benches during an
exercise to test the participant’s balance, and
tag-based games where the participant has to
catch an opponent or pull out a bib to test their
agility, coordination and speed.
This icon also symbolises the need for the
participant to be able to demonstrate body
management and to have increased spatial
awareness - while both stationary and in motion.
Movement
This icon indicates the development
of the player’s movement capabilities
and basic fitness levels.
It highlights that participants will not only be
required to travel from one point to another
in any given direction, but also successfully
manage multiple changes of direction, and will
be asked to make considered movement with
and without an object, such as a ball or a bean
bag. During team games and invasion games
these movement sessions will aid in developing
the ability to create space for team mates.
The movement icon encapsulates any game
where one player may be following or chasing
another, mirroring their actions, and reacting
to their movements. It will also include games
where the players are collecting and moving
objects with different parts of their bodies and
different types of physical movement such as
jumping, skipping and hopping.
All races and relay practices are included as
part of the movement icon and add an extra
competitive edge to a number of games.
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Teamwork
The teamwork icon illustrates
the importance of developing the
confidence of every participant
and the ability to build relationships and work
well with others through social interaction.
These group-based games are centred on
inclusion, group contribution and fair play
through possession and invasion games.
Sending and receiving
The throwing and catching icon
focuses on physical dexterity coupled
with coordination and the ability to
manage a moving object efficiently, such as a
ball or a bean bag.
It covers skills such as throwing and catching
and striking and fielding, which can be
found in a number of published schemes of
Learning, and requires the participant (to
develop the ability to use a variety of sending
and receiving techniques using different
parts of the body - for example, the action
of kicking and controlling/trapping a football
with the feet.
Sport-specific sessions and practices will also
form part of this icon, as wherever a piece of
sports equipment is used and a participant is
required to use his or her manipulative skills to
utilise the piece of equipment to successfully
strike a object, which couLd be either moving or
stationary - for example, using a hockey stick or
a tennis racket to strike a ball.
Invasion games
Following closely on from the
teamwork icon, the invasion games
icon will offer examples of games and
activities where the players aim to develop
a deeper understanding of rules, tactics and
positional sense during small-sided games.
Invasion games will ask participants to make
specific and considered movement to create
space for others, and support team mates
in both attacking and defensive situations,
whiLe encouraging positive decision-making
when in possession. Through games, the
players will not only learn from one another
but also learn through their own mistakes,
while simultaneousLy developing all of the
fundamentaL multi-skills in a competitive but
fun environment.
All of the invasion games in this book provide
challenging progressions and can be based
on team play or small-sided attacking
and defending principles in 1 v 1 and
2 v 2 situations.
And finally ...
For many young sports people, multi-skill
sports games will be their primary involvement
in any type of physical activity - sportsspecific or otherwise. This participation may
be with fellow pupils in PE lessons, during
time in after-school clubs, or with friends in an
extracurricular setting outside of school - such
as a youth centre or community club.
We believe that to be a good coach you need
to let your personality come across in your
sessions. Each page is a guide for you to use:
feel free to adapt any game to allow it to work
best for you.
In most cases the focus of this participation
will be about learning a range of activities and
playing the game for fun and enjoyment rather
than developing more specific sporting skills. It
is important to remember that a high-quality,
challenging and progressive multi-skills
experience led by a positive and inspiring
sports leader is a fantastic starting point for
young people on their journey towards lifelong
participation in sport.
Finally, our biggest hope is that this book
will inspire sports leaders, coaches, teachers,
midday assistants and parents to develop
fresh, entertaining and informative sessions
and that they will always be positive, show
encouragement, and provide examples of fair
play. Keep up the good work, and keep laying
the foundations for the sporting futures of
young players.
Happy coaching!
“For many young sports
people, multi-skill sports
games will be their primary
involvement in any type of
physical activity”
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SESSION 1 - target ball
INTRODUCTION
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 30m area with a small square (5
x 5ml in the centre of each end. Arrange players
into two small-sided teams (4 v 4 or 5 v 51. with
one player in each team standing in the square
at the opposite end to their team.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, ball.
How to play:
Players aim to score a point for their team by
throwing the ball to their target player, who is the
person standing in the small square. Players are
not allowed to move with the ball in their hands
and only the target player is allowed in the small
square. Once a point is scored, the player who
threw the ball becomes the target player.
Key skills:
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Progressions and alternatives:
1. Limit players to a specific type of pass, such
as a bounce pass or only an underarm or
overarm throw.
2. Change the size or shape of the ball.
3. The target player may only catch the ball
with one hand.
SESSION 4 - bean bag hunt
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 20m area with three teams
positioned at one end, standing in a line as this
game is played as a relay. Place the differentcoloured bean bags underneath the cones that
are scattered around the area randomly.
allocated colour wins. At the end of the game, the
players put the bean bags back under the cones,
and then swap places so that for the next round
they are searching for a different colour.
Key skills:
What you need:
Marker cones, bean bags - 8 of each colour [x 3
colours].
How to play:
Players race, one player from each team at a
time, to find a bean bag - each of the three teams
search for one allocated-colour bean bag [one
colour per team!. If the player lifts up a cone and
it is the correct colour bean bag for their team,
they take it back to the starting position. If there
is nothing under the cone, or if they reveal a bean
bag of a colour of a different team, they leave
it there and return empty handed. Players may
only look under one cone each time they search.
The first team to find the eight bean bags of their
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Put a time limit on the game, thus encouraging
the players to make quick decisions.
2. Allow two players to search at once,
working as a pair, or even a whole team at
the same time.
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SESSION 7 - foxes and farmers
INTRODUCTION
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 20m area. Select one player from
the group to be a farmer [VI while the rest are
faxes [X]. Each fox takes a bib and places it into
the waistband of their shorts, hanging down
like a tail.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones.
How to play:
When the sports leader shouts’ go’, the farmer
chases the foxes around the area and tries to pull
the tails off the foxes. If the tail is pulled out, the
fox is out of the game, with the last remaining fox
being the winner.
Key skills:
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Progressions and alternatives:
1. Start the game with two farmers.
2. When a fox loses its tail, it becomes
a farmer.
SESSION 20 - cone carnage
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 20m area, with different-coloured
traffic cones lined up across the centre of the
area [two colours]. Split players into two teams
who start at the baseline of each side of the
area, facing the cones, with three or four balls
per team.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, balls, traffic cones.
How to play:
Players roll or throw the balls, trying to knock
down the traffic cones in the centre. For example,
X players aim for red cones, Y players aim for
yellow cones. Players must stay behind the line
when rolling the balls but may move forward to
collect another ball. The first team to knock down
their allocated-colour cones wins!
Key skills:
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Change the type of throw to practise different
skills, such as a chest pass, overhead throw,
bounce pass, or underarm throw.
2. Increase the distance of the baseline so
players have to throw further.
3. Use balls of different shapes and sizes.
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SESSION 22 - cone raider
INTRODUCTION
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 10m area with five marker
cones scattered in the centre of the area.
Players X and Y take a bib each and put it into
the waistband of their shorts, hanging down
like a tail. Repeat the area for the correct
number of players.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones.
How to play:
On the sports leader’s command, the X and
Y players try to steal a cone from the centre
of the area. The defenders [01 try to defend
the cones,by attempting to pull out the tail of
the X or Y player. If the tail is pulled out, the
attacking player starts again. Play until all the
cones have been collected.
Whichever player IX or YI has the most cones is
the winner.
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Key skills:
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Play with two attackers against one
defender, with ten cones scattered in the
central area.
2. Play with two attackers against two
defenders, with ten cones scattered in the
central area.
3. Play with a time limit, with the winner being
the player who collects the most cones
within the time limit.
SESSION 28 - nudge it
[Game submitted by Foundation Sports coach Craig Lewis)
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 20m area, with one bouncy ball
placed in the centre of the area.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, bouncy ball, tennis balls.
How to play:
Arrange the players into two teams and position
each team behind each baseline of the area.
Players must stay behind their baseline and roll
the tennis balls in order to try to hit the larger
bouncy ball and nudge it forward towards the
other team’s baseline. The first team to nudge
the bouncy ball past the other team’s baseline
wins the game.
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Change the type of pass to practise different
skills, such as a chest pass, overhead throw,
bounce pass, or underarm throw.
2. Decrease the number of tennis balls.
3. Increase the distance of the baselines to make
the roll/throw further.
Key skills:
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SESSION 35 - rob the nest
INTRODUCTION
How to set up:
Set out a 25 x 25m area, with a 5 x 5m square in
the centre of it. On each touch line mark out four
5 x 5m squares and place as many balls as you
can find in the centre square. Put the players
into four teams in each of the outside squares.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, lots of balls - different
shapes and sizes.
How to play:
Like a relay race, when the sports leader shouts
‘go’, the first member of each team runs out of
their square, takes one ball from the centre
and returns, and then a team mate can go and
rob the nest. The team that collects the most
balls after the allocated amount of time wins.
Key skills:
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Progressions and alternatives:
1. Once all the balls are collected from the
centre, allow players to steal a ball from
someone else’s square; players must go
through the middle square on the way there
and the way back.
2. Allow players to go two at a time.
SESSION 52 - protect the king
How to set up:
Set out a 10 x 10m area. Organise the X
players into a circle, facing inwards with arms
linked so that they are huddled together. One
player is named as the king and places a bib
into the waistband of their shorts, hanging
down like a tail. Repeat the area for the
correct number of players.
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Add more X players to make a bigger circle.
2. The Y player dribbles a ball with their feet
or bounces a ballusing their hands as
they move.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, balls.
How to play:
The huddled-together X players have to
protect their ‘king’ player from having the bib
pulled out by the Y player by moving clockwise
and anticlockwise.
Key skills:
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SESSION 60 - protect the egg
How to set up:
Set out a 15 x 15m area, with a ball balanced
on a cone in the centre. Organise players into
groups of five, with four players positioned on
each side of the square [X] and one player in the
middle area who protects the egg [Y]. Repeat
the area for a sufficient number of players.
What you need:
Marker cones, balls.
How to play:
The players pass the ball to each other around
the outside of the area, aiming to create enough
space to take a shot at the egg without
the protector being able to block the shot. After a
successful shot, swap the protector with a player
on the outside.
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Key skills:
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Add a second egg protector.
2. Change the type of pass to practise different
skills, such as a chest pass, overhead throw,
bounce pass, or underarm throw.
3. Allow players to use their feet, or to use
hockey sticks and a ball, to make it a
sports-specific practice.
SESSION 65 - powerball
How to set up:
Set out a 20 x 20m area, with a dividing line
across the centre. Select two teams - one on
either side of the dividing line.
What you need:
Bibs, marker cones, ball, large goal or
traffic cones.
Progressions and alternatives:
1. Change the type of pass to practise different
skills, such as overhead throw, underarm
throw, or roll.
2. Introduce hockey sticks and a smaller ball so
the players are using other sports equipment
to try to score.
How to play:
Each team tries to score by throwing the ball into
the opposition’s goal. Players must stay in their
own half of the area.
Key skills:
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Multi-Skill Sports
Games Sessions
The latest title in this well-known series, 101 Multi Skill Sports Games is
packed with tried and tested drills to teach, test and improve sports
skills for children and young adults aged 5-16. Fun, educational and
challenging, each session contains information on equipment needed,
space required and how to organise the players. Ideal for teachers
or coaches who are looking for a fully planned session, this contains
everything you need to build up the skills of young players and ensure
they have fun and remain safe.
Buy Now at:
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Bloomsbury
Youth Football
Coaching Sessions
The culmination of years of experience, this manual outlines
comprehensive training sessions for young footballers, including warmups, skills training, games and final practice drills. Fun, educational
and challenging, each session contains information on equipment
needed, space required and how to organise the players. Ideal for
teachers or coaches who are looking for a fully planned session, this
contains everything you need to build up the skills of young players
and ensure they have fun and remain safe.
Buy Now at:
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or
A&C Black
Sports
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