Freeze Tag with a Ball

How to run it

A playful warm-up where everyone has a ball. The children dribble, look up and protect the ball – and help each other by rescuing frozen team-mates.

Set-up

A square of about 12 × 12 m marked with four discs. Every player has a ball and stands somewhere in the square. Two taggers (red bibs, no ball) wait outside.

Instructions

1. 1Six players spread out in the square, each with a ball. The two taggers wait outside until the coach says "go".
2. 2Go! Everyone dribbles around the square with the ball close to the stick. The taggers come in and pick a player each to chase.
3. 3The taggers hunt. The player being chased looks up, turns away and dribbles into free space.
4. 4The first player is tagged and freezes: standing still with the ball under the blade.
5. 5The second tagger catches another player. At the same time a team-mate dribbles over to rescue the first frozen player.
6. 6The rescuer dribbles a lap around the frozen player – the first half of the lap.
7. 7The lap is complete and the player is free again. Another team-mate is on the way to rescue the next frozen player.
8. 8The rescued player dribbles off again. The second rescuer starts a lap around the frozen team-mate.
9. 9Everyone is free and the game goes on. Change taggers after about a minute so everyone gets to chase and to dribble.

Coaching points

• Keep the ball close to the stick – small, soft touches on both the forehand and the backhand.
• Say "look up" often. Players who see the taggers and the free space rarely get caught.
• Praise the players who rescue team-mates – that matters as much as not getting caught.
• Keep the stick down by the ball with the blade on the floor. No high sticks in the game.
• Short rounds and quick changes of tagger keep everyone active.

Variations

Equipment

• 4 × Markers