Ball Control: Feet

Grade Level Outcomes	Psychomotor		Cognitive	Affective
	S1.E18.1	S3.E3.1	S2.E2.1b	S4.E4.1
	Approaches a stationary ball and kicks it forward, demonstrating 2 of the 5 critical elements of a mature pattern.	Recognizes that when you move faster, your heart beats faster and you breathe faster.Discusses the benefits of being active and exercising/ playing.	Travels demonstrating a variety of relationships with objects (e.g., over, under, around, through).	Works independently with others in a variety of class environments.

Fitness Focus: Narrow Stance, Fast Feet on the Floor (Stutter Step)

Say to students:

• It’s wonderful to see that so many of you are ready to move to get stronger.
• In our warm up we are going to try to move all around the activity space while marching. 
• We will also try to move faster by using a move I’ll call fast feet on the floor. 
• These are skills that will help you with your footwork.
• Having good coordination with our feet can help to be able to move the ball well with the feet.
• Stand up so that we can try these skills all together!

Procedure:

1. Review/work through proper form for High Knee Marching: Stand strong/tall through your head and torso, Lift the knees up to waist height, while alternating with a medium hard foot placement on the floor, try to keep a rhythm together.
2. Teach/work through proper form for Narrow Stance, Fast Feet on the Floor: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, heels slightly lifted, knees bent, move the feet rapidly from one foot to the other (stuttering).

Warm Up: March, Meet, and Move with Fast Feet

This warm-up activity allows students to begin moving at a moderate pace, using the skill of high knee marching and challenges them to move at a faster pace and use fast/coordinated footwork. It prompts them to focus on working well with others to complete a task together.

Tell students that the warm up is called, March, Meet, and Move with Fast Feet.

• Explain that in the warm-up they will use their high knee marching skill to move safely throughout the activity area.
• Share that when you call aloud, meet and move with fast feet, they should stop marching and turn towards the person/s closest to them.
• Explain that they will then focus on doing the stutter step/fast feet together as quickly as they can, continuing until they hear you call out, move with your march.
• Share that after that cue, they will begin marching and moving around the general space again.
• Tell them this moving pattern will continue for one song.
• Remind them to be aware of their personal space while moving and use safe moving skills so they don’t bump/bang or slip/slide into others.
• Prompt them to work well with others they “meet up” with by cooperating and encouraging each other.

Procedure:

1. Start music to begin movement.
2. Intermittently call aloud, meet and move with fast feet. Move through activity space and encourage lots of movement.
3. Continue activity with intermittent cues for 3-5 minutes or one song.

Transition:

Ask students to place a flat palm over their heart and give a thumb’s up hand signal if they can feel the heart doing its job.

Skill Development: Instep Kick and Foot Trap

This skill development focuses on instruction and exploration of kicking a ball with the dominant foot from a stationary starting position and with a stationary ball. It includes exploration of stopping a ball from moving on the ground by using a foot trap and exploration on moving towards the ball prior to kicking it. The EPEC Classic TLP for instep kick is used for instruction and form corrections, with focus on steps 1 & 4 (Step & kick, Backswing/kick action, posture, arm swing, completion). The first grade GLO is to approach a stationary ball and kick it.

Prepare:

Say to students:

• Now let’s focus on improving our skills using our legs and feet with the ball so that you can participate well in lots of different games.
• In many games you will need to know how to kick a ball and stop it from moving while it is on the ground.
• Knowing these skills will help you feel more confident about joining in to move and play.
• Let’s think about some types of games/activities that use this skill. (e.g., kick ball, types of ball tag, soccer, American football, rugby)
• When we are practicing, please remember that we want to use safe equipment handling, responsibility with the balls and want to work well with partners to have the best practice possible.
• Remember, I might use various cue words as reminders for safety (e.g., freeze please, foot to ball, eyes on me).

Instep Kick

Explain/Demonstrate

• Ask half of the students to move safely to a space spot and stand on it.
• Then ask the other half to stand an arm’s length behind a student who is already on a space spot to be their practice partner.
• Use TLP below to teach and model the ready position (staggered feet, kicking foot in front, eyes focused).
• Teach and model how to use their non-dominant foot to take a big step beside the ball (cone), backswing with their dominant foot toward the bum, and swing their non-dominant arm and extending leg/foot to follow through and tip the cone.
• Remind students that just as they used their favorite hand to complete ball control with their hands, they will try using their favorite foot for ball control with feet.

Practice: Pretend Ball-Kick the Cone

• Ask students to raise their favorite hand high in the air, then place the foot on that same side, out in front of their body.
• Ask them to practice the series:
  • Big step beside cone
  • Backswing their favorite foot towards bum
  • Swing leg/foot toward cone
  • Swing non-dominant arm and extend leg/foot to follow through
  • Kick/tip the cone
• Ask the student practicing the skill to reset the cone then go stand behind their practice partner.
• Call cue words aloud to coach them to use their best body form (e.g., ready, eyes on, favorite foot in front, big step beside, swing back to bum, arm action, point foot & follow through, kick your cone, reset and switch places with your partner).
• Repeat the skill practice 3-5 times with each practice partner.

Explain/Demonstrate: Ball to Wall

• Share that they will now get the chance to try their kick with a ball.
• Demonstrate how they will try to kick their ball to the wall, run to retrieve it using the receive position they practiced last week, then bring it back to the spot and set it in position for their practice partner.
• Explain that to kick the ball they will use their instep on the ball. Show them the shoelace part of the foot and explain that this is called the instep.
• Show how pointing the kicking foot makes the instep of the foot contact the ball, which will help them to give a strong kick.
• Explain that they will continue taking turns and practicing, using your cue words to try to give the best kicks that they can.
• Position a foam ball in place of each cone in front of each student standing on a space spot.

Practice: Ball to Wall

• Direct first practice partners to show readiness.
• Call cue words aloud to coach them to use their best body form (e.g., ready, eyes on, favorite foot in front, big step beside ball, swing back to bum, point foot and follow through, run to retrieve, reset and switch places with your partner).
• Continue skill practice until each student has had 5-8 turns.

Ball Trapping

Explain/Demonstrate: Ball to Ball/Foot Trap

Say to students: Now that you have had some fun trying to kick your ball, we are going to try to stop the ball when it is rolling toward us. To do this you will need to know the proper way to stop the rolling ball.

• Explain that stopping the ball with the foot is called foot trapping.
• Remind students that they practiced this skill the previous year in PE.
• Remind students that the front underside of the foot is called the ball of the foot. Show students where the ball of the foot is located and ask them to point to it.
• Review how to place the ball of their favorite foot on top of the ball, while firmly pressing down to stop the ball and keep it from moving.
• Allow each student an opportunity to practice.
• Tell them that they will now try their kick and foot trap together.

Explain/Demonstrate: Ball to Wall & Ball to Ball

• Share with students that they will get the chance to continue practicing and trying to improve their instep kick.
• Demonstrate how they will kick the ball to the wall, trying to get enough force on their kick that the ball will bounce off the wall and roll back to them.
• Explain that after the kick, they will move toward the ball and try to control/stop their ball with a ball-to-ball foot trap, then pick it up and reset it for their practice partner.
• Tell them they should continue to take turns practicing while the music is on, but if they hear the music pause, they should freeze with a listen and learn position.
• Remind students that they should try to work well together by taking turns, using safe moving/ball handling skills and showing sportsmanship/manners.
• Start music to begin movement.
• Move through activity space and encourage students to use proper form.
• After 2-3 minutes of practice, pause music and ask students to freeze please.

Explain/Demonstrate: Multi-Step Approach

• Show students how to take a multi-step (2-3 steps) approach to the ball before they try to kick it.
• Explain that now they will now move farther back from the ball to try to practice doing multiple steps before they reach the ball.
• Explain that this approach will help the kick go farther and faster.

Practice: Multi-Step Approach

• Direct students to take multiple steps behind their ball.
• Direct them to practice their approach in slow motion first to help them understand how to combine the approach with the flow of the kick.
• Allow students 1-2 minutes of independent practice with their partners using the multi-step approach.

Transition:

Ask students to low-five or pinky shake with their practice partner, return their ball to the designated spot, and sit down in their team position.

Purposeful PLAY: Fun Forest Adventure: Leaping Hot Lava, Stopping Big Boulders, Kicking Prickly Pinecones

This activity allows students the opportunity to continue to practice their dominant foot kick and foot trap combined with previously learned locomotor and non-locomotor skills. It prompts them to use their creativity and imagination while they have fun interacting and cooperating with each other.

Procedure:

1. Tell students that in this activity called Fun Forest Adventure: Leaping Hot Lava, Stopping Big Boulders, Kicking Prickly Pinecones, they will be using a variety of locomotors, including leap, foot trap, and kick, and their favorite foot awareness to have fun, move around, and improve their skills.
2. Share that they are going to pretend they are moving outside in a varied landscape. (e.g., out in a forest with tall trees, big boulders/rocks, erupting volcanos, mountains, pinecones, etc.)
3. Explain to students that when the music is on, they should move around the activity space using all their locomotors.
4. Tell them there are areas of the activity space (forest) that are going to have “boulders,” “prickly pinecones,” or “hot lava” flowing through.
   • If they come to a hot lava lane (jump rope), they should try to leap over it without letting any part of their foot dip into it. (Review with them that when leaping, they should leap from their kicking foot to their non-kicking foot.)
   • If they come to a rolling ball (boulder) they should stop it by trying a balanced foot trap on top of it for ten counts.
   • If they approach a smaller type of ball, they should try to kick it out of the way with their favorite kicking foot because it is a “prickly pinecone”.
5. Share that they should be using all their safe moving skills to move to all areas of the forest without bumping/banging into any other forest friends.
6. Tell students that when the music stops, they should find another forest friend, lock hands with them and try to balance on their favorite kicking foot until the music starts again.
7. Remind them that this will take cooperation, to balance together without causing each other to fall over. Demonstrate with a student.
8. Ask quick recall questions:
   • What skills are we using? (Locomotors, leap, foot trap, favorite foot awareness)
   • Which skill are we using to get us over the hot lava? (Leap)
   • What should you do if you approach a small style of ball? (Kick)
9. Start music to begin activity. (Upbeat sounds of nature music would be motivating)
10. Intermittently pause music and cue for students to find a forest friend and balance on their kicking foot.
11. Move through activity space and call out cue words for skill reminders and encourage best effort and cooperation.

Transition:

When music pauses for the final time, ask students to find a forest friend to hold hands with and try to balance on their favorite foot with them. (Ask clean-up crew to pick up balls that are spread out in activity area)

Cool-Down: Walk Together, Work Together

Procedure:

1. Ask students to walk in pairs for this activity called, Walk Together, Work Together, holding hands, throughout the activity space for 30 counts.
2. Ask them to stop, turn to face each other and reach high to the sky, touching their fingers together at the top and hold for 20 counts. Ask them to place their feet apart and stretch low toward their toes for 20 counts.
3. Ask them to hold hands again and march in place for 20 counts.
4. Ask students to sit down on the ground facing each other, place the bottoms of their feet to their partner’s and stretch toward their toes for 20 counts.
5. Ask students to take two deep breaths, then call aloud, thank you fitness friend, to their partner/classmate.

Transition:

Ask students to use safe moving skills to line up to leave. Ask clean- up crew to collect/organize equipment used.

When students are lined up, quiet, and showing body control:

Check for Understanding:

Call on 3-5 students to answer/demonstrate:

• What are some things we could do to help make our heart, beat faster, to help our heart become stronger?
• Which foot do we usually want to use to kick the ball?
• What can we do to try to kick the ball faster/farther?
• What is one way you can work well with a practice partner during PE?

PLAY at Home:

Find a ball at home that you could practice with. If a ball is not available, roll up some paper or a rag and put tape around it to make a practice ball. Try kicking and trapping the ball.

Celebratory Closure:

Call out in a celebratory voice: Next time we’ll continue trying to improve your ball control with your feet!

Repeat after me:

• Moving to-ge-ther. [repeat]  Moving together!
• Makes us be-tter! [repeat] Makes us better!