Dodgeball: The 4-Week
Lesson Plan
This 4-week lesson plan has been devised to help people through the basic skills of
Dodgeball, these are:
- Throwing over arm
- Throwing underarm
- Catching
- Dodging
- Tactical Play
The 4-week lesson plan will be as follows:
- Week 1 - Throwing
- Week 2 - Catching
- Week 3 - Dodging and Tactics
- Week 4 - Tournament week
WEEK 1
WARM UP:
Team 1
Jog around the court:




Normal jog
Side step
Back ward
Normal jog
Team 2
RULES:
Sit the group down and go through the basic rules and the area of the court, you may
use demonstrations if need be. Explain today’s main theme is throwing – what different
types of throw are there? When should they be used?
OVER ARM THROW:
Set target on wall, 1m from floor and 1m square. Thrower stands 4-5m away from wall.
In pairs, one throws at target and the other retrieves or catches it off of the wall and
passes back to thrower.
Coaching Point – have arm cocked back before throwing (makes it harder for opposition
to know where you’ll be throwing to).
UNDERARM THROW:
As above, but must hit immediately below marked square but not on the floor.
Coaching Point – step into throw, bowling ball action.
SNATCH THROW:
Players start 10m from wall with ball on floor 5m away. On the whistle, all players (one
from each pair) run and grab the ball and throw it at or below the square on the wall.
They are not allowed to run past where the ball was placed.
LONG THROW:
How far back can you accurately throw?
Start from the 5m line and make as many attempts as you can to hit above or below the
square (but not on the floor) if you hit it then move back 1m. Who can get to the half
way line first?
GAME:
Stop after 10 minutes and discuss throwing tactics
WEEK 2
WARM UP:
Jog around the court:




Normal jog
Side step
Backwards
Normal jog
CHEST CATCH:
In pairs standing 5m apart, throw to partner at chest height to catch.
Coaching Point – get hands behind the ball for the catch and keep your eye on the ball.
LOW CATCH:
In pairs standing 5m apart throw to partner below the waist to catch.
Coaching Point – get hands behind the ball for the catch, keep your eye on the ball and
bend down low.
HOT POTATO:
In pairs standing 5m apart, throw the ball to your partner at chest height to catch. Slowly
move in closer to each other so as to throw and catch as quickly as possible. This
exercise is to try and get as many catches working in a pair so as not to get the other
out.
POTATO JUGGLING:
In two groups of 8, stand in a circle facing one another and throw the ball to a player
opposite. They in turn throw to another player who hasn’t been thrown to. Do this until
all players have caught the ball. Remember who you threw it to and who you caught it
from then set the ball going again and bring in a second ball, when the group have
mastered this, bring in a third and fourth. If the balls collide then stop and start with one
ball again.
GAME:
Stop after 10 minutes and discuss throwing tactics.
WEEK 3
WARM UP:
Divide into two teams with different sets of bibs on.
Both teams must jog in formation down the middle of the court to the centre, then one
team turns right to the side and the other turns left to the side, to the top and then to the
middle and back down to the centre, (one team forming a ‘p’ and the other a ‘q’).
Before doing this, each team has 1 minute to decide what their team chant/team
name/arm movement etc. is e.g. the New Zealand Rugby Team’s haka.
TABLE FOOTBALL:
Object of the exercise is to stay in formation – imagine being in a giant table football
game; there is a pole through each of the team and you cannot change position relative
to the person at the front or either side of you.
Players stand in two rows facing the coach and more than an arms width apart. Starting
in a star shape, players follow the coach’s actions. Coach takes 3 jumps back, then
ducks, then jumps high, then goes into press up position and so on.
ONE ON ONE LOW DODGE:
One player stands 3m from the wall and the other with the ball stands 5m from them,
the player with the ball throws below knee height and the other player jumps to avoid it.
A no ball is a bad throw, 1 good throw if hit is a point to the thrower and a point to the
other player if dodged out of the way.
ONE ON ONE CHEST DODGE:
One player stands 3m from the wall and the other with the ball stands 5m from him.
Player with the ball throws at chest height and other player moves to avoid. 1 good
throw if hit is a point to the thrower and a point to the other player if dodged out of the
way.
THREE ON ONE:
One ball - play dodge ball in half a badminton court area. As soon as a player is out
then swap them with another person.
FOUR ON TWO:
Four on two people with two balls using whole badminton court. Discuss the tactics of
throwing two balls at the same time.
DEFLECTION:
3 players on one side with middle player holding a ball – the deflector. One other player
stands 5m away and throws a second ball at chest height at the other. The deflector
holding the ball must deflect the incoming ball up so that one of his two catchers can
catch it. Practice this slowly at first.
GAME:
Play for 20 minutes and discusses dodging tactics at the end.
WEEK 4
Tournament week - 6 vs. 6
Split into teams of 2 on 2 and rest for 2 minutes.
Scores are kept by players that are not involved in the match at the time.
GAME VARIATIONS:
LARGE BALL GAME:
Use a large ball e.g. aerobics ball, acting as a normal ball.
LAST MAN STANDING:
One player on each team wears a different coloured bib to their team mates, if they are
out then the whole team is out.
LAST PLAYER RULE:
When down to one player, if they remain on court for 20 seconds without getting hit then
their whole team comes back on. Only be done one game in a match.