Teaching games for understanding: invasion games

1. DEMONSTRATION OF TEACHING
GAMES FOR UNDERSTANDING IN
INVASION GAMES
SUFFOLK ZONE APHERD 2014
SUFFOLK ZONE, NY
NOVEMBER 4, 2014
Dr. Stephen Harvey
West Virginia University, WV, USA

2. WHAT IS THE BIG IDEA?
Development of Deep Understanding
That can be transferred to other games

3. Content is Focused on Tactical
Problems—Then Technique!

4. Tactical Problems
• Possession
• Progression
• Scoring

5. Questioning as Teaching
• What do you? (TACTICAL AWARENESS)
• How do you? (SKILL & MOVEMENT)
• When is the best time to? (TIME)
• Where is / can? (SPACE)
• Which choice? (RISK/SAFETY)

6. Off-the-ball movement and support
Task 1: Game
Maintaining possession of
the ball
Organization:
15 x 15 meter area
3 x 3 situation
Task:
The game starts in the central square with an attacking
team’s player in possession
Attacking players try to pass the ball among themselves
without defending players intercepting the ball
Players must combine a number of passes between them
to score a point, e.g., 5 successive passes constitute a
point, can use any number
The defending team guards or marks the opposing
team’s players
When a point is scored the teams switch positions
(attackers become defenders and vice versa) Possession
is initiated in the central square as seen in the diagram
Teaching Points:
• Change of direction
• Communication on and off the ball
• Point where you want the ball
• Pass away from the defender

7. Piggy in the Middle:
Off-the-ball movement and support
Poly-spot
Attacker 1
Attacker 2
Teaching Points:
• Move to spot quickly
• Communicate when you want the ball
• Point where you want the ball (use fakes if needs be)
• Pass away from the defender
Task 2: Game Related Task
Maintaining possession of
the ball
Organization:
7 meters x 7meters
3 persons (2 x 1 situation)
Task:
Two players start out on a poly-spot, one with ball
One player is a defender based in the middle (the
Piggy)
Attackers pass the ball between them avoiding the
defender – one a pass is made the attackers need
to decide if they need to move to a new spot
The defending player wins the ball by touching it
Defender can be restricted to one step or a zone
before play being ‘open’ as needed by the teacher
Defender
Ball

8. Off-the-ball movement and support
Organization:
3 players (1 x 2 situation)
Task:
One player is asked to stand in a specific spot
(use a poly spot) and this player starts with the
ball but is not allowed to move with it
The other two players choose to be a second
attacker or a defender
The defender guards the second attacker
The defending player can start in front or
behind the second attacking player
The second attacker attempts to gain
possession of the ball from the first attacker
Attacker 2
Defender
Poly Spot/Hoop
Attacker 1
Teaching Points:
• Change of direction quickly
• Shout when you want the ball
• Point where you want the ball
• Pass away from the defender
Task 3: Game Related Task
Maintaining possession of
the ball
Ball

9. Off-the-ball movement and support
Organization:
15 x 20 meter area
6 players (3 x 3 situation)
Task:
Play 3 x 3 with the aim of the game to score by getting
the ball to a team-mate who receives the ball in the end
zone
Players cannot move with the ball and can only possess
it for 3 seconds – if longer the ball is turned over to the
other team
Defenders can won the ball back by interception like
Ultimate Frisbee by simply knocking the ball to the floor,
but they can also catch to intercept
Players can only stand in the end zone for 3 seconds
An extension task would be to have the players get a
pass back to another team mate after one person
receives it the end zone
End Zone
Teaching Points:
• Change of direction quickly
• Shout when you want the ball
• Point where you want the ball
• Pass away from the defender
Task 4: Game
Maintaining possession of
the ball to score
Ball
End Zone

10. Assessment
Assessment

11. References
Griffin, L., Mitchell, and Oslin. (2006). Teaching
sport concepts and skills: A tactical games
approach (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics, Champaign,
IL.
Slade, D. (2010). Transforming play: Teaching
tactics and game sense. Human Kinetics,
Champaign, IL.