Circle Dodgeball | Playworks

To develop eye-hand coordination and strategic thinking skills.

Make a circle approximately 30’ across with chalk.
Place evenly spaced X’s all the way around the circle, enough for each person in the group.
Be prepared to discuss safety rules, especially regarding the ball hitting only from the waist down. Have a consequence ready for throwing above the waist and enforce it.
Remind students that the throwers stay outside of the circle.

The game is played with all the students on X’s on the outside circle attempting to hit players on the inside of the circle from the waist down with the ball.
Choose 1-5 students to start in the center of the circle.
Each player in the middle has a flag or jersey in his/her hand.
If a player on the inside is hit from the waist down, s/he must trade places with the player who rolled or threw the ball.
The player also hands off the flag to the new person in the circle.
Only players with a flag should be inside the circle
The players on the outside can only hit the inside players from the waist down.
The outside players must stay on their X’s while retrieving or throwing the ball.
A player cannot reach in front of another player to retrieve the ball.
If any player strays off of their X to retrieve a ball, they are out and must wait a few minutes before playing again.
If a ball goes outside the circle, only one player at a time should retrieve it. The player closest to where the ball exited the playing area should retrieve a lost ball.
If the players on the outside cannot hit any of the inside players for two full minutes, the round is over and a new round starts with new players on the inside chosen by the leader.

Split the class into two teams.
One team is inside the circle, the other is outside.
Once a player from inside the circle has been hit, they are out.
When a whole team is out, they switch.
Choose 3 players to start inside the circle forming a small snake by having the 2nd and 3rd players holding the shoulders of the person in front of them.
Students on the outside are trying to hit the tail of the snake.
When someone hits the tail s/he becomes the head of the snake and the tail goes to the outside of the circle to become a thrower.