Grade Level: 4-8
Equipment: 2 mats, foam soccer balls
Game Description: Longball is another kickball type activity (or baseball activity if you want to use a big oversized plastic bat and a foam ball) that gets more players moving more often. With some important modifications to regular kickball, groups will get more sweaty and active, with lots of laughs and fun. Some strategy is for sure important, but in the end it’s about having a good time as a class or a group. (Thanks to Sabine Crandall for this idea).
I use this activity and call it Cricketball (reminds me of going down and back in Cricket). I play w/ 5 outs and students can run down and back x3. For a total of 6 pts. per player.
I loved this game, but I made a few modifications due to my students getting overly competitive and emotional about the score. I had the same basic principle, but I added cones in the playing area. The students can elect to know over a cone with a hand (10 points), foot (14 points), or knock over the cone by kicking the ball (49 points). Also I had the backboards around the gym worth 12 points, a swish in the hoop worth 77 points, and if the ball hit the rim worth 48 points. The points are impossible to remember so they can't keep score and contribute to the team. It ended up working out really well and the kiddos loved it.
Says 4th Grade and Up...
Gonna try it out with K-2nd grade as a lead up game to Matball (indoor kickball). Thoughts?
Could give it a go and see how it goes, always depends on the strength of the group. I'd think it's normally a bit advanced for the earlier grades, but why not try it out! Challenge is always good.
This was fun and a great indoor game! Thanks again for all the game ideas!
Quick question 3 outs = switch innings or do you just allow the people that got out to try again until everyone is running and is tagged out? Hope that question makes sense...
Either go until everyone has had a turn to kick, or could implement an "out" rule (3,4,5, etc outs and switch). If implementing the "out" rule, make sure that when that team gets back to kicking inning that the order was kept the same, and the next person in line who was supposed to kick last time gets to kick first.
When there are 2 or more players on a mat, can only 1 player run to the next mat, or can all players attempt to run? If only 1 player can run, does that player have to be the one that kicked and reached base before their teammate? In other words, do they have to run in order of which they "batted"?
Thoughts on 7th and 8th graders playing this on half a middle school gym (not a full bball court)? I share the gym and have class sizes ranging from 12 to 32. I like the idea of making point values worth outrageous points... and giving different point values for what the ball hits. Just worried about the space constraint. Thanks!
Just a quick question, are the fielders moving? On the video it looks like the fielders stay in their spots unless they go to get the ball