Hockey Target Practice

Skill: Strike
Time Required: 15
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space)
Safety Considerations: Remind participants to not stand too close together or too close behind participants with sticks.
There are no slap shots or hard shots allowed.
Equipment: Hockey Sticks
Pylons
Hoops
Beanbags
Pen and paper to keep score
Objective:
Participants try to get their ball to reach different targets.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Divide participants into groups of 3-5 participants. Have each group come up with their own group name.
Have a line at one end of the gym be the shooting line.
Throughout the rest of the activity space, place targets: pylons, hoops and beanbags.
For pylons, place some individually around and others to form nets (different sizes).
Set up the beanbags in rows.
Set up hoops individually.
Step by Step:
1. All participants start behind the shooting line and in a line with their group.
2. One participant from each team will stand at the shooting line with a hockey stick and ball. They can choose where along the line they want to stand. Make sure they are not standing too close to each other.
3. Remind participants to hold the hockey stick with two hands.
4. Ensure the other participants are standing a fair distance behind the participants' with the sticks.
5. In the rest of the activity space will be targets for participant to hit/get to.
6. Individual Pylon Targets: Participants have to hit/knock down these pylons.
7. Net Pylon Targets: Two pylons are close together to form a net (have different sizes throughout the area), and participants have to hit the ball through the nets.
8. Hoops: Participants have to get their ball to go in the hoop, and stay in the hoop.
9. Beanbags: Set up multiple beanbags in a row to form a wall, and participants have to hit the ball so it hits the beanbags and goes over the wall.
10. When the leader says "Shoot" or "Go" or "Aim and hit", the participants at the shooting line can shoot/hit their ball.
11. If a participant hits/knocks over a pylon, gets the ball in a net, gets the ball to stay in a hoop or gets the ball over a beanbag wall, their team gets a point (which the leader can keep track of).
12. However, if the ball goes through a net and then lands in a hoop, they only get a point for the first target.
13. After a target is hit/landed it/went through/went over, the leader or participants will take that target out of play.
14. The next participant from each team will go to the shooting line, choose their spot, wait for the leader's signal and then aim and hit towards another target.
15. If two participants get their ball to the same target, the participant that got there first will get the point.
16. When all the targets are gone, the team with the most points wins.
Variations:
Have different scoring areas and set up pylons or other markers on the side of the activity space to separate the scoring area. The first area targets will be worth one point, the second area will be worth 2 points and so on.
Or have each target be worth different points.
The participants have to say which target they are going for. If they get another target, it will not count.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.