Sports and Games in England

The ‘physical room’ in

Our European House.

Comenius Project 2010-2012

 In PE lessons and clubs we learn lots of skills to help us play tennis, hockey, netball, rounders, football, cricket, dodgeball and tag rugby.

Here is the school football team.

                                          

Rugby – in England the main national and league rugby matches tend to be played in winter. Some children from our school do rugby training out of school with local teams. If they are under 8 years old then they take part in a tag Rugby league. Children will go on to play contact rugby when they are older or in secondary school.

Tag rugby - is the non-contact version of rugby that we teach in primary schools during autumn, winter and spring ready for tournaments in the summer months. These are therefore the instructions that we are giving here.

•         The rugby ball is not round

   which makes it easier to catch

   and run with, but more difficult to kick.

•         The players wear a                

   belt with 2 tags attached.

•         The field is about 70 metres long x 50 metres wide, with the goal or try lines at each end.

•         A match has 2 halves of 20 minutes. At the start of the game the referee tosses a coin and the winner of the toss decides whether to kick off or choose an end.

Tag rugby rules and instructions –

2 teams of 7 try to pass the ball between them to score tries by getting the ball over their goal line. Instead of being ‘tackled’, as happens in contact rugby, the passing is stopped by removing a “tag”.

DEFENDING - The 'Tackle'  or Tag 

• Only the player with the ball can be tagged and a tag is simply the removal by a defender of one of the two ribbons from the ball carrier. Ball carriers can run or dodge potential taggers but cannot fend them off, spin around or shield their ribbons in any way.
• The defender then holds the ribbon above their head and shouts 'tag' for all to hear. Defenders must back off at least one metre from the ball carrier, allowing space for them to pass. They are not allowed to snatch the ball from the player's hand.  It is helpful to players if the referee shouts 'pass' as a tag is made. 
• Once tagged, the player in possession of the ball must stop as soon as possible and pass the ball quickly. 

SCORING – The try      

· A try  is worth 1 point.  To score a try a player must carry the ball over the opponents' goal line and press the ball down on the ground. (When playing on hard surfaces, players may score a try by running over the goal line with the ball.)

 ·  After a try is scored the game restarts from the centre of the field with a free pass by the non-scoring team.

·        If no try is scored after the fifth “tag”, the opposing team get possession of the ball.

PASSING -

·     A player may pass the ball to a team mate by throwing or handing the ball sideways or backwards, but not forwards.

No forward passes are allowed and will be penalised by a free pass being awarded to the other team.

 

 Rounders

Rounders - is a bat and ball team game taught in schools in the summer months. It has been played since the 16^th century, and though it is not a national game, and tends not to be taught out of school, is popular for playing on beaches or informal situations. It is similar to cricket and baseball as it involves hitting and fielding.

Rounders equipment – bat or stick, ball and posts.

    

2 teams needed - usually 9 but could be more.

Rounders rules and instructions–

The team captains toss a coin to decide which team bats first. The fielding team consists of a bowler, backstop and 7 outfielders. The batting team must in turn try to strike the ball as far as possible so that they have time to run round the outside of the four posts, complete a “Rounder” and have another turn. The team getting the most Rounders wins. 

• Each batsman receives only one “good” ball to try and hit and they must run even if they miss it. 
• A “good” ball must be bowled underarm and must reach the batsman below head level, above the knee, and within reach of the outstretched rounders stick. 
• A “no ball” may be hit by the batsman if they want, since they cannot be caught out from a “no ball”.  Alternatively, they may ignore the “no ball” and wait for a “good” ball. 
• If the ball is hit into the area behind the batting line, they may only run to first post. 
• If a “Rounder” is completed by a batsman after missing the ball, only a “half-rounder” is counted. 

A batsman is out – (a) if a fielder catches the ball

(b) if the fielder touches the post the batsman is running to with the ball, before they get there,

(c) if the batsman leaves a post before the next batsman has started his run, as they must keep in contact with the post at all times when not actually running and cannot return to a post once they have left it. 

• If the batsman does not have time to complete a “Rounder” before the ball is returned from the outfield, they may stop at posts 1, 2 or 3, and then run on when the next batsman has started running.  When back in line they can then wait to have another turn. 
• When a batsman is out he does not have another turn and the innings continues until all batsmen are out. Some players may have several turns in an innings, and when the last batsman in a side is left, he will have to run complete “Rounders” in order to stay in.

Hopscotch equipment – a stone and a grid 1-10

      

Hopscotch rules and instructions – Play with friends or on your own. Throw the stone onto 1, then hop through the grid, stopping to pick up stone on way back. Due to layout of grid the hopping has to alternate between a 1 foot landing and a 2 feet landing.

Take it in turns to throw the stone so that it lands on each number in turn. If the stone doesn’t land on the number you want then you miss your turn. Winner is the first player to get from 1 to 10.

   

   

In this game of hopscotch, Nola has thrown the stone and it has landed on 4. She has hopped on 1, landed on 2 and 3, hopped on 4 and landed on 5 and 6, and so on until shes turns and gets back to the 4 where she must pick up the stone and get back to the start. On her next turn she has to throw the stone so that it lands on the 5. If she had missed the 5 the she would have to miss her turn.

Skipping equipment –

 

  Length of rope varies,        

with long rope used for group skipping.

Skipping rules and instructions – can be done alone, with a partner or a group. Pass the rope over your head and jump as it swings under your feet. Can be done forwards, backwards, fast, slow, with or without an extra ‘bounce’.

 

If the rope is long then it can be held by 2 people, one at each end, and turned so that the rope swings or rotates.

Various rhymes are sung, as the rope swings, to keep with the rhythm of the rope, to support actions and to invite others in.

  

Popular skipping rhymes at school are –

Teddy Bear, teddy bear turn around,

Teddy Bear, teddy bear touch the ground.

Teddy Bear, teddy bear climb the stairs,

Teddy Bear, teddy bear say your prayers.

Teddy Bear, teddy bear rest your head,

Teddy Bear, teddy bear go to bed.