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Practice games

Rhythm Feet

Whole-body footwork patterns along your own disc line, changing on a hand sign.

Warm-up 10 min 8 to 12 players Cage Half pitch Hall 2016 to 2018

Moving Well Lift each other

At a glance

  • Each player has a ball and a line of 4 discs a stride apart, like spokes round the coach. Start at the outer end.
  • The coach claps a steady beat and holds up 1, 2 or 3 fingers for the pattern. Travel along your line in that pattern.
  • 1 finger: hop, hop, step, step. 2 fingers: skip, skip, gallop, gallop, and 3 fingers: jump, jump, side, side.
  • At the inner end, bounce and catch your ball and come back. When the fingers change, switch pattern.
  • Progress 1: Dribble the ball along your line instead of carrying it, one touch on each beat.
  • Progress 2: The coach changes the fingers halfway along the line: switch pattern on the next beat.

If it's not working: Slow the beat, or use two-beat patterns.

Rhythm Feet: set-upC1231 one finger up, 2 hop, hop,step, step, 3 bounce, catch.20 m by 20 m
  • players
  • Ccoach
  • run
  • 1in this order

Every child has their own line of four discs, laid like spokes round the coach, and stands at the outer end with a ball in their hands. The coach holds up one finger for the first pattern and a steady beat, and everyone travels along their own line in it, here hop, hop, step, step, then bounces and catches the ball at the inner end and comes back. Four of the lines are shown.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks

Set up

  • Each child lays their own line of 4 discs, about one stride apart.
  • Lines are spread around the area like spokes.
  • Children stand at their own line with a ball.

8 to 12 children, an area about 20 m by 20 m.

How to play

  • The coach claps a steady beat (or plays music) and holds up fingers for the pattern. 1 finger: hop, hop, step, step. 2 fingers: skip, skip, gallop, gallop. 3 fingers: jump, jump, side, side.
  • Children travel along their disc line in the pattern, then bounce and catch their ball at the end, and come back.
  • When the coach changes the fingers, everyone switches pattern.
  • Partner round: pairs invent a 4-beat pattern together and perform it side by side on their lines.
  • Each pattern performed in time together scores a pair beat.

Keeping everyone moving

Every child has their own disc line, and patterns repeat continuously.

Make it easier

  • Slow the beat, or use two-beat patterns.
  • Walk the pattern first.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. Dribble the ball along your line instead of carrying it, one touch on each beat.
  2. The coach changes the fingers halfway along the line, so players switch pattern on the next beat.

Three things to say

  • Stay on the balls of the feet, with arms swinging in time.
  • Eyes up on the coach's hand sign.
  • Smooth changes between patterns.

Words that work: "Brave to lead with your other foot!", "You two were perfectly together, great teamwork.", "Great effort, you kept the beat all the way."

Colts habit

Lifting each other, pairs create and teach patterns.

Both feet

Every pattern is done leading with each foot.

Heads up

Patterns change on a hand sign, not a shout.

For your birth year

Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.

2018
2-part patterns, slow beat.
2016 to 2017
4-part patterns with a ball bounce. Pairs invent and teach a pattern to another pair.

Safety: Flat discs only. Keep disc lines well spaced so hops and gallops do not cross. Check volume if using music near houses.

Keeping score: Each child picks the hardest pattern they can do in time and tries a harder one next week.