Suggested Grades

Any

Objective

Students will learn and practice stopping and guiding a ball with a hockey stick.
Note: This is a good lesson to use as an introduction to floor hockey.

Materials

• hockey sticks
• balls (tennis, wiffle)

Method

• As you pass the balls and hockey sticks to each student, ask them to guide the ball without lifting the blade off the floor as they follow the lines on the gym floor.
• Once the equipment has been handed out ask students to run faster along the lines.
• Stop, and gather the class. Discuss the techniques that students used to keep control of the ball and what they had to change when they ran faster. Give students a few minutes to try these techniques.
• Ask students to take their balls and sticks and stand a few feet away from a wall. Explain that you would like them to pass the ball against the wall and try to bring the ball to a dead stop when it reaches them. Continue for a few minutes
• Stop the class and discuss the techniques that students used to encourage the ball to stop (body weight transferred to back foot and at the same time, when ball comes to you, move stick back slightly with the ball)
• Ask students to try these techniques. Once they get the hang of it, encourage them to try to stop the ball with a backhand.
• Now ask students to try working will the same skills using their weaker hand.
• While students are practicing, set up an obstacle course that would use the skills of stopping and guiding with a hockey stick.
• Split the class into teams and have students go through the course in a relay format.