Outwitting an opponent
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can throw the ball into space on the court to score points.
Key learning points
- Move: it is important to control how far we throw the ball over the net if we want the ball to bounce first.
- Move: standing in the middle of the court in the ready position means we can return the ball after only one bounce.
- Think: carefully choosing where to throw the ball and making our opponent move increases the chance of scoring.
- Feel: continuing to try when our opponent is scoring more points than us shows resilience.
- Connect: playing by the rules when trying to beat our opponent demonstrates excellent trust in one another.
Keywords
Bounce - the ball hits the ground and travels upwards before we hit the ball
Rally - a continuous number of throws and catches completed without stopping
Outwit - to use strategies, skills or tactics to gain an advantage over our opponent
Common misconception
Pupils will often throw the ball from where they have caught it, and then stay in that position. Pupils throw the ball towards their opponent instead of into space.
Pupils should be reminded to always return to the middle of the court after throwing the ball. Pupils should always be looking to throw ito space away from their opponent.
Teacher tip
Find a pair who can demonstrate a competitive rally and are able to throw the ball into space to move their opponent around the court. This will encourage pupils to look for space on the court and avoid throwing the ball to each other cooperatively.
Equipment
1 ball each (may need beanbags as an alternative), 50+ cones of different colours
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is it called when the ball hits the ground and travels upwards?
Q2.If we are honest and play by the rules in a game, what are we demonstrating?
Q3.If we aim to get the ball to the back of the court, what should we use?
Q4.What are we showing when we continue to try even when we sometimes miss the targets?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is the line called at the back of the court area?
Q2.What do we try to do against our opponent in a game?
Q3.If we are able to throw the ball towards different areas on the court, what are we forcing out opponent to do?
Q4.How can we show resilience in a game?
To help you plan your 3 physical education lesson on: Outwitting an opponent, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 physical education lesson on: Outwitting an opponent, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 physical education lessons from the Net and wall games: tactics and strategies to overcome an opponent unit, dive into the full primary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.