New
New
Lesson 3 of 6
  • Year 3

Outwitting an opponent

I can throw the ball into space on the court to score points.

Lesson 3 of 6
New
New
  • Year 3

Outwitting an opponent

I can throw the ball into space on the court to score points.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Move: it is important to control how far we throw the ball over the net if we want the ball to bounce first.
  2. Move: standing in the middle of the court in the ready position means we can return the ball after only one bounce.
  3. Think: carefully choosing where to throw the ball and making our opponent move increases the chance of scoring.
  4. Feel: continuing to try when our opponent is scoring more points than us shows resilience.
  5. 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.


To help you plan your year 3 physical education lesson on: Outwitting an opponent, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

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.
Teacher tip

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

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is it called when the ball hits the ground and travels upwards?

Correct answer: bounce
hop
jump

Q2.
If we are honest and play by the rules in a game, what are we demonstrating?

anger
Correct answer: trust
frustration

Q3.
If we aim to get the ball to the back of the court, what should we use?

Correct answer: power
flexibility
a bigger ball

Q4.
What are we showing when we continue to try even when we sometimes miss the targets?

sadness
fear
Correct answer: resilience

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is the line called at the back of the court area?

Correct answer: baseline
net
racket

Q2.
What do we try to do against our opponent in a game?

Correct Answer: win, try to win, beat them

Q3.
If we are able to throw the ball towards different areas on the court, what are we forcing out opponent to do?

Correct Answer: move, to move

Q4.
How can we show resilience in a game?

Correct Answer: try our best, try your best, keep trying