Australian football league: tactics, strategies and game play
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can develop offensive and defensive plays within a team to play a simplified version of Aussie Rules football.
Key learning points
- Move: holding hands up in a wide Y shape and shuffling side to side during zonal defence helps cover more ground.
- Move: sprinting away from your defender into open space creates clear passing options to maintain possession.
- Think: the oval field has defenders, midfielders and forwards, similar to football.
- Feel: confidence comes from visualising and experimenting with ways to create gaps in the field to attack.
- Connect: defenders communicate and shift together to prevent any gaps forming.
Keywords
Zonal defence - when players defend the space instead of marking an opponent directly
Behind - a score worth one point, awarded when the ball is kicked between the behind post and the goal post or if the ball hits a goal post.
Goal - a score worth six points, achieved when the ball is kicked between the two taller, central goal posts without being touched.
Common misconception
Pupils just stick with one payer on the opposite team and chase them.
The game moves too fast to just stick with 1 player, so it is better to work with teammates to create zonal defence.
Teacher tip
This lesson could be expanded further by adding in contact and tackling rather than tagging, dependent on expereince of the players.
Equipment
1 AFL ball between 2, 1 tag belts/tags per pupil, 30+ cones, 8 tall posts (rounders) and 8 small posts (cones)
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.How many points are awarded for a goal?
Q2.How many points are awarded if you hit the post?
Q3.Which is not a legal way to get the ball to a teammate in Aussie Rules?
Q4.A mark is awarded with a free kick when a player catches a kick over how many metres?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Aussie Rules moves fast, so what is a good tactic to use in defence?
Q2.Which is not a position in Aussie Rules?
Q3.What shape should your arms be in when going in to block the ball from an attacker?
Q4.How does play restart if someone scores a goal?
To help you plan your 10 physical education lesson on: Australian football league: tactics, strategies and game play, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 physical education lesson on: Australian football league: tactics, strategies and game play, 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 4 physical education lessons from the Invasion games: tactics and strategies in world games unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.