Suggested Grades

Any

Objective

Students will practice the skills of stopping and guiding a ball with their feet.
Note: This is a good lesson to use as an introduction to a soccer unit.

Materials

• balls that don’t mind being kicked (eg: soccer balls)

Method

• As you pass out the balls to the students, have them gently dribble the ball with their feet along the lines on the gym floor.
• Ask students to get into partners and ask them to stand a few feet apart and kick a ball to each other back and forth. Let them do this for a few minutes.
• Tell them to stop and then explain to them that you are going to yell out a certain part of the foot at a time that you would like them to stop the ball with. Have them continue kicking the ball to each other then begin calling out the foot parts: tip, heel, arch, side, left, and right of each,… Wait until the ball stops and is kicked a few more times before calling out another foot part.
• After all the foot parts have been used, ask students to practice changing the speed of the ball.
• Gather students together, have a discussion at what techniques resulted in the ball moving faster, slower…
• Ask students to find another partner and devise a game that involves kicking and stopping the ball. Add other equipment if you’d like.
• When they are finished designing their game, ask students to find another partner group and ask them to try their game out and vice versa.