Tap Ball
Grades 3-5
Balls
Development Goal
To reinforce basketball, soccer, and football skills. This activity involves the shooting of soccer, the passing of football and the concept of dribbling in basketball.
Before You Start
Skills Practiced: Running, accuracy, hand, foot, eye coordination and spatial awareness.
Equipment Needed: Two nets or cones to mark goal area and a soft foam ball.
- Split group into two teams.
- Use cones or lines to delineate boundaries.
- Go over safety zone and safety shooting line.
Set Up
Designate a large play area with clear boundaries that has room for everyone to run. Create a safety shooting line that offensive players cannot cross to score.
How to Play
- The game begins with a jump ball or tip-off, like in basketball.
- The player who gets the ball can run with it, however, if they choose to run they have to tap the ball up and down in their hand as they run.
- It is called a travel if the player runs with the ball without tapping it, just like in basketball.
- Opposing players may steal the ball.
- Players may pass the ball by throwing.
- Players may not pick up the ball off the ground with their hands. They must use their legs and jump up and catch it or kick it up in the air to be caught.
- Players must make at least three passes before scoring a goal.
- The goalie on each team may use their hands to pick the ball up within the designated safety zone, past the shooting line.
- Players may throw or kick the ball into the goal.
Variations
- Depending on the space available you can have many games going on at the same time. With this variation it works best when teams are five on five, not including the goalie.
- Add an additional ball.
- Alternate Names of the Game: Tap Speedball