Let's get active and try Bat The Ball!
With the Bat The Ball activity you can develop the following skills:
- Aim and accuracy
- Coordination and fluency
- Rhythm and timing
- Focus and concentration
- Teamwork and communication
- Problem solving and creativity
This resource is suitable for Physical Education and activity for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).
Watch this
Learn how to take part in the Bat The Ball activity with help from primary school teacher, Danny Denholm.
DANNY: Hey, I'm Danny, and welcome to let's do this. We will be getting active together.
This activity is called Bat The Ball.
This striking activity will develop your aim and accuracy.
You will need a partner, a hoop, cones, a racket, balls.
You'll need a partner for this. So I've got Hannah and Asher to help show you.
You will need to do this in a large space, so don't do it anywhere you could easily break something.
I don't want you to get into trouble.
Step one. Place a hoop or other target on the ground.
Step two. Line up three cones, so they are in a row.
Step three. Partner one should throw the ball from the first cone, aiming for the hoop.
Partner two should try to strike the ball using a racket.
Step four. This should be repeated from the second cone, then the third.
Now you guys try.
Let's do this.
But remember not to hit the ball too hard.
NARRATOR: Too tough?
DANNY: If the person hitting the ball finds it too tricky, move the cones further away so that there is more time to react.
If the person throwing finds it too hard, move the cones closer to the target so that you don't have to throw it as far.
NARRATOR: Go up a notch?
DANNY: To really challenge yourself: use a smaller ball or a bat with a smaller striking area.
NARATOR: Danny's challenge.
DANNY: For my challenge. You can only move to the next cone when you have managed to strike it successfully and your partner catches it.
Can you see how many you can do in a row?
NARRATOR: Final Thoughts.
DANNY: Striking is a really difficult skill, so I'm really proud of you for giving it a go.
Keep practising and you will get more comfortable with each effort.
NARRATOR: Let's do this!
What you need
| Equipment | Alternatives |
|---|---|
| A ball | A balloon |
| Hoop | Bucket, box or rope used to create a target |
| Cones | Sticks, rope, tins, pieces of paper or socks |
| Racket | Any bat or even your hand |
Try it yourself
Follow these step-by-step instructions and give it a go!
Image caption, Set out your target
Place a hoop or other target on the ground. This is where the striker will stand and where the thrower will aim to hit the ball to.
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Don't have a partner?
Practise throwing a ball into a target from different distances on your own.
How was Bat The Ball for you?
We are all unique and have different strengths and skills. Some of us may find some skills easier than others but we can all develop and improve.
You can adapt the Bat The Ball activity to suit your needs. If we practise our skills regularly, we can improve and progress over time.
Too tough?
If you find Bat the Ball too challenging, don't worry!
Try these tips to make the activity a bit easier.
- If the person throwing finds this too hard, move the cones closer to thetarget, so they don’t have to throw as far.
- If the person hitting the ball finds it too tough, move the cones further away so that there is more time to react.
Go up a notch?
It's great to look at ways to develop our skills and we can do this by challenging ourselves.
If you enjoyed the Bat the Ball but are looking for a bigger challenge, try these tips to make it trickier.
- To make it harder for the person throwing, they can stand further away from the hoop and move the cones further apart from the striker.
- If the person striking the ball is looking for a challenge, use a bat with a smaller striking area.
Danny's challenge
You can only move to the next cone when you have managed to strike the ball successfully and your partner catches it.
Remember not to hit the ball too hard or you partner won't have an opportunity to catch it!
How many strikes and catches can you do in a row?
Time to reflect
Enjoyment
The most important part of physical activity and movement is that you enjoy it. We all need to stay active in our daily lives in order to stay healthy. It’s a lot easier if you’re having fun.
After you’ve taken part in this activity, take some time to think about what you enjoyed and how you might approach the activity differently next time.
- What did you enjoy about this activity? How could you do more of this?
- What did you dislike about this activity? What would make it better?
- What would you do differently next time?
Developing your skills
The skills you’ve worked on in this activity are useful in other parts of your daily life and in sport.
Can you think of any activities or sports where you might use these skills?
The skills you've developed in this activity could help with:
- playing a game of rounders or cricket
- playing tennis or badminton
Physical activity skills. list
Learn more about the different skills you've developed in this activity and how we use them in daily life.
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