Sports from Ash #2

Sports Guide for Classes 4-7

Kia ora tātou

I hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the week ahead. With the loosening of restrictions comes the ability to engage in more varied forms of physical activity, but there are still limits to what we can do. Last week I suggested some activities that will help you in the Cross Country, I’d love to hear how it went. Remember that warming up muscles and stretching them is the key to doing well and not injuring yourself!

Thank you to everyone that has responded with their chosen Winter Sport, it looks like we’ll have a good range of teams competing in different sports.

 I have heard from the organisers and a decision on going ahead this term will be made as soon as possible. In light of you all thinking of what you may be participating in, I’d like you to practice some of the skills that are in your chosen sport. If you don’t have the correct equipment, think of aspects of the sport that can be worked on without it. All these sports require a lot of the same skills, that you need whether you are in possession of the ball or not. Sprinting; changing direction; jumping; stopping; running backwards; shuffling sideways... These are all things that can be done with no equipment. Ideally a parent or sibling will assist and take part.

 If you do have equipment:

Football: Take your ball down to the local park, or your back yard if it is big enough. Practice the basics. Dribbling the ball; passing; shooting and receiving the ball. If you have someone with you it makes it a lot easier, but you can work on your accuracy by putting targets on the ground. Dribble the ball and then pass so that it hits a bag you have put on the ground, for example.

Netball: Catching and passing are the two most important skills in netball. You can’t score if you can’t get it to your shooters. Basic exercises like throwing a ball in the air and catching it; passing to someone else who then passes the ball so you that have to move to receive it; and working on pivoting and passing as well as the 2-step pass.

Hockey: As with Football, practice dribbling and passing. Keeping control of the ball and moving around obstacles. If you can head down to a park, see how far you can sprint while controlling the ball. Have someone roll a ball for you to receive and pass back.

 Rugby: Just like netball, being able to catch and pass the ball while on the move is super important in rugby. Start off slowly and then work up to a fast pace, always keep an eye on the ball. Kick the ball ahead and chase it, the awkward bounce of a rugby ball can be a challenge! I recommend practicing tackling at a slow pace, to get the basics right. Two arms wrapping, aiming for the waist, keeping your head and neck away from harm.

Bonus points for those of you that do a warmup and stretching routine beforehand!

I’m going to make a little video of me doing some warmups this week, with my kids helping. If you’d like to see it, I’ll give your teachers a link when it’s ready.

Have fun, take care and kia kaha

Ashley McCormack 
Sports Coordinator

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