Quick Fun Warm Ups for Wrestling

 

Introduction: 

• intro Kimberly, Amanda, Adrienne and Michelle
• point out today’s lesson (wrestling)
• assure that any students who cannot participate are set up with evaluation sheets*

*written sheets for the student with the intention of constructive critisism

 

Bean Pin Game:

Teaching style:  Guided Discovery, Practice, (Reciprocal style used for groups of three)

Learning Domains: 

• Cognitive- anticipation of opposition, scoring,and strategies
• Psychomotor- down low, quick on toes, headup, quick movement
• Affective- learning to play with different skill level (partner switch)

Warm Up Format:  Partner, Fitness Blasts

Equipment:  Bean bags and pins

Instruction: 

• immediate demonstration- choose two nearby students, direct them to a badminton quadrant, instruct student #1 to set the pin up in the middle of the court, instruct student #2 to try to knock the pin down with the bean bag, neither player is allowed to step outside the quadrant boundry
• ask students to try to discover three things: how to score, how to prevent scoring, and how to restart the game
• before students begin, they should be thinking of strategies for the game (students should think about getting low, covering angles, anticipating shots, etc.)
• they should also be considering scoring  (each knock-down of the pin awards a point to the bean-bag holder, students should bring in some rule about defender’s distance from the pin, etc.)
• ask students to get themselves into partners and to label themselves Fred and Barney accordingly
• if there are any groups of three, third student will act as coach/ref and rotate in as a player
• ask Freds to find a quadrant, ask Barneys to grab a pin and a bean bag
• direct students to start game and determine scoring and strategies
• after about a minute, pull students back in (students come to teacher), and ask them methods of scoring, strategies they used in the game, and how they could modify the game for varying skill levels 
• determine cues “get low!”, “head up!”, “on your toes!” ect.
• ask students to coach each other while they play, send them back to play again
• after one minute ask students to stop but stay where they are, ask the Barneys to find new Freds 
• tell them to start again with their new partners for about one minute
• …….and………STOP!
• *to modify difficulty: add bean-bags, increase defender distance from pin, limit dominant hand use for either defender or attacker, etc.  These modifications enable students of different skill levels to play together competitively.

 

Diagram: Bean pin game in a badminton quadrant

 

 

 

Duck Wars:

Teaching style:  Command, Practice, Inclusion

Learning Domains: 

• Cognitive- thinking about how to use opponents movement and weight against them, strategies
• Psychomotor- low, forceful, stable, balance, flexibility
• Affective- learning to push comfort zones, encouraging playful contact

Warm Up Format:  Partner, General Fitness

Equipment:  Mats

Instructions:

• call students in and have them sit down facing the wall while teacher faces them
• demonstration of the first progression of Duck Wars- partners bending down with their hands behind their knees trying to push each other out of the quadrant using their bodies
• ask students to find a partner approximatly the same size as themselves and get a mat and a quadrant
• “every time you are knocked out of the quadrant you get a point”
• pull the students in, ask them how they achieved success, and how the game could be modified for varying skill levels
• students might comment on how weight can be both an advantage and a disadvantage (the bigger they are the harder they fall), students might also notice their body position as they are playing
• give cues- “stay low!”, “be big!”, “anticipate contact!”
• new demo- partners on mats on their hands and knees trying to push each other off the mat using their bodies.
• three rules: “keep contact below shoulders” “point awarded for pushing partner off mat” “have fun”
• ….and……STOP!
• to modify difficulty: limit one player to use of only one side of their body, limit how much of the body must be off the mat to be considered a point, etc.
• groups of three can have all three wrestling together on a larger mat

 

 

 

Wrap Up:

            Pull the students in and ask them to recall the cues involved in the Warm Ups.  How do these cues relate to wrestling?  What other skills are important in wrestling?

 

Diagram: Duck wars on a mat