Honey Thieves
Two teams raid each other's hoop for balls and dribble them home, winning balls off anyone dribbling on the way.
At a glance
- Blue and yellow teams of four in a box 20 m by 15 m. Each team has a hoop (the hive) at its end, with 6 balls in it.
- On Buzz!, run to the other team's hive, take one ball and dribble it home to your own hive. No carrying.
- You can win a ball off anyone who is dribbling one and take it to your own hive. Nobody stands in a hive.
- After 90 seconds, shout Freeze! and count the balls in each hive. Put 6 back in each and go again.
- Progress 1: Each team picks a guard who stays near its hive and tries to win the ball off anyone taking one.
- Progress 2: Keep the guard, and dribble home with the practice foot only.
If it's not working: For the first minute, no winning balls off each other: just raid and dribble home.
- blue team
- yellow team
- run
- dribble
- 1in this order
Two teams of four. Each team has a hoop (hive) at its end with six balls in it. A blue runs up to take a ball from the yellow hive while a teammate dribbles one home to the blue hive and a yellow chases to win it off them. Everyone raids and defends at once.
Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks
Set up
- Mark a 20 m by 15 m box with 4 cones.
- Put a hoop (the hive) in the middle of each short end.
- Put 6 balls in each hive. Give each team of four a bib colour and its own hive.
Teams of four, or up to six with 12 children; 20 m by 15 m.
How to play
- On Buzz!, everyone raids and defends at once.
- Run to the other team's hive, take one ball and dribble it home to your own hive. No carrying.
- You may win a ball off anyone who is dribbling one and take it to your own hive.
- Nobody stands inside a hive.
- After 90 seconds, shout Freeze! and count the balls in each hive. Put 6 back in each and play again.
Keeping everyone moving
Every child is always raiding, guarding or dribbling. Nobody is caught or out.
Make it easier
- For the first minute, no winning balls off each other: just raid and dribble home.
- Put 8 balls in each hive, so there is more to take.
Make it harder, step by step
- Each team picks a guard who stays near its hive and tries to win the ball off anyone taking one.
- Keep the guard, and dribble home with the practice foot only.
Three things to say
- Little touches when dribbling home.
- Heads up to spot a free ball or a thief.
- Going straight for the ball when a thief passes.
Words that work: "Brave steal!", "Keep buzzing!", "Great help for your team!"
Colts habit
Work hard, keep going until Freeze!
Both feet
Bring one ball home with your other foot.
Heads up
Find the hive with the most honey.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2020 to 2021
- Play 60 seconds, and the coach buzzes like a bee.
- 2018 to 2019
- Stop the ball on the hive with your sole.
A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.
Safety: Balls on the ground only. Remind children to look up to avoid bumps. Keep the hoops flat.
Keeping score: Each child counts the balls they brought home and tries to beat their own number next round.