Volleyball Group Keep Up

Skill: Run, Strike
Time Required: 15
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the play area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Equipment: 1 volleyball per group of 6-8 participants.
Cones to divide play areas (if required).
Objective:
For teams to keep the volleyball in the air and get more points than the other team(s).
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Divide participants into groups of 6-8.
Create an area for each group using cones. Each section should be around the size of a quarter or a third of a gym. If there are more goups than space, then groups can sit out and help keep score for the teams and/or do an exercise.
Give each group participating in the volleyball keep up activity, a volleyball.
Step by Step:
1. The goal for each group is to keep the volleyball in the air by bumping and volleying.
2. This activity is ideal for groups and participants that have practiced bumps and volleys in the past.
3. Each group will have 2 minutes (or a different time selected by the leader), to get as many keep ups as they can.
4. Ensure the participants are spread out in their area.
5. Each participant has to touch the volleyball and be involved.
6. For each keep up and hit, they get one point.
7. However, every time a participant catches the ball instead of hitting it, they get 2 points deducted from their total.
8. Every time the volleyball hits the ground, they get 3 points deducted from their total points at the end.
9. The leader or other participants will have to help the groups keep score.
10. At the end of the two minutes, the scores will be tallied.
11. If there is another group on the side, then they can go against the winning team the next round.
12. Could also play that if the volleyball hits the ground, no points are deducted, but the group has to do 5 jumping jacks before continuing to play. If a participant catches the volleyball, then they toss the ball to another participant, and the participant that caught the ball has to do 3 push ups.
Variations:
Could play with a beach ball for younger participants.
Have participants spread out and they create an order in which the volleyball has to be passed along.
Don't keep score.
The team that has the longest streak (without catching the ball or letting it hit the ground), wins.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.