Fitness Activities

Activities designed to encourage a healthy life style utilizing fitness components that include cardio-vascular, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. The goal is; students will experience fun, non-threatening activities that develop their fitness, encourage participation and improve specific skills. These activities follow the warm-up and should engage students in 8-12 minutes of MVex per lesson.

  Ten Second Fitness Group Challenge:Purpose: improve muscular strength and endurance -- LITERACY COMPONENT -- groups of three; performer, timer, recorder -- task sheet, clipboard, stop watch -- students rotate positions -- performer does the first muscular strength activity on the list for 10 seconds, his score is recorded and the students switch positions and the activity continues. All students do all jobs and all activities on the list. -- *** Teacher chooses muscular strength component and creates a task sheet focused on specific muscle groups in body. i.e. upper body and jumping strength... activities are a variety of push-ups and jumping activities that can include using a jump- rope. EXAMPLE: list of activities - scissors jumps, crab push-ups, ski jumps, slow motion push-ups, straddle jumps, over-the-line push-ups, X jumps, crab walking around designated markers, bell jumps, push-up juggle...


  Figure 8 Fitness:Purpose: Increase cardio-vascular endurance -- Music for motivation and 8 cones to designate pathways -- Two squares for students to rotate around, one is a walking only and the other is a jogging square. THE OBJECT IS TO STAY AT THE JOGGING SQUARE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE -- set up cones at four corners of two squares, with squares separated by 15-20 feet to create an alley way. Students will travel around one square CW and the other CCW this way they will be going the same direction in the alley and in a figure 8 pattern. As the music starts students start at either square, they may only do one lap around the walking square at a time. Faster runners pass to the right of slower runners.


  Partner Race Track Fitness:Purpose: improve cardio-vascular and muscular strength --Music for motivation, and a fitness task card with several activities on it, a hoop, a polyspot, and or a cone for each pair of students -- As the music starts one partner jogs around the perimeter of activity space and the other partner stays and performs the first fitness activity on the task card. When the jogger gets back they switch roles and continue activity.

Aerobic Games

Modified sport games is the best description for this section. By modifying the size of the field, number of players on a team and the rules students have the advantage of increased participation. This gives every student an equal opportunity to develop their sports skills, social skills and overall confidence of feeling successful in game situations. This modified approach allows for improved cadio-fitness due to the non-elimination and maximum participation format. As well, the complexity and intensity of the game can be modified for appropriate use and value. This period of your lesson lasts any where from 10-20 minutes and is considered the main activity. The warm up and fitness activities should be related to the level of fitness and skill needed in the aerobic games.

  Hit-nRun:Purpose: learning sport related skills, maximize 50% Mvex ( increase kicking skills) Kick-n-Run -- skills practiced: kicking, throwing and catching, running (sprinting), teamwork. Utility ball, two bases, 4-5 players. Group students in five, place bases 30 to 40 feet apart, positions are: kicker, catcher, first base, second base and third base. Kicker gets one try to touch as many bases as possible. Teach and practice different ways to kick, i.e. drop kick, place kick, kick a rolling ball etc... When the kicker kicks the field players retrieve it and throw to the next basemen, all basemen must catch it and touch their base before throwing, the kicker continues running and is stopped when the ball is thrown to the catcher and she has it in control at home plate. Rotate the players and continue. This game can be used to teach and practice; baseball, hockey, throwing for distance, Frisbee throwing, lacrosse, and soccer skills.



  Bucket Brigade:Purpose: teamwork, Fun!, cardio-vascular. Two hula hoops placed 30 yards apart, 5 manipulatives, 4-6 players per group. Place hoops 30 yards apart with the 5 objects ( catchables ) in one hoop. The group lines up, ready to pass one catchable at a time, in front of the empty hoop. On the signal they run to the other hoop and begin passing, in over-under style, the rubber fish. When a student passes the fish he runs to the end of the line and continues passing. As the line gets to the empty hula hoop and one of the players is standing in the hoop with the fish he drops it in and they all run back to do it again. The group is done when all of the catchables are delivered to the other hoop.



  Catch and Tag:Purpose: Improve throwing and catching skills, cardio-vascular, chasing and fleeing. One catchable toy per pair, boundaries marked with cones, music for fun. Pairs scatter throughout the area, playing catch using various methods of throwing and catching, ( previously the teacher has taught the variety of throws and catches), as the music is playing. When the music stops whom ever has the catchable is "IT" and chases the other. When caught the roles reverse. When the music starts again the students play catch again. Use a variety of equipment to throw and have the students change locomotor skills for chasing and fleeing.



  Activity Hunt:Purpose: Improve muscular strength, teamwork, and Fun. One activity task card with a list of fitness skills, one long jump rope. 4-6 students per group. Students must all hold the jump rope as a group and participate in all activities together. Each group starts on a different fitness skill on the list. The members of each group must always being holding the rope and can not go on to the next skill until all have finished. Make the fitness skills match what you are working on at that time. The fitness list can change as your students need other activities.

Grid Activities

This section is designed to be taught in progression. Easy and less complicated activities to more difficult and challenging. This is a great way to teach sport concepts. It allows the teacher to use small groups and to modify sports games so that all students can be successful.

  Four Corner Drill:Purpose: Improve passing and catching, to understand the concept of moving without the ball, teamwork and cardio-vascular fitness. One polyspot per student, one catchable per group of 4 and music for fun. Polyspots arranged in a square about 15 feet apart. Students pass the ball CW, using the desired technique, and then run to the other corner and back to their own in time to catch the pass as it comes around the square. Continue until the group is in coordination.



  5 Catch Keep Away:Purpose: Hand-eye coordination, teamwork, move without the ball, cardio-vascular. One easy catchable ( gator skin ) ball and a 15 feet square grid. This is a progression from 4 Corner Drill. Split class into groups of 4-6. From that make two teams per group. One team wearing pinnies. Vested team starts on defense. Play within a small boundary, the same grid as the 4 Corner Drill works well. Objective: Five complete passes equals one point. Players begin working together as offense and defense. Any incompletion results in a change of possession. Rules: The rule of three -- player with ball can take three steps and then must pivot -- no double teaming when guarding -- player guarding ball must be three feet away, pass must travel three feet.



  Ultimate:Purpose: cardio-vascular, hand-eye-coordination, offense and defensive strategy, teamwork. Field marked with four corners the size of a small soccer field -- one gator skin ball ( may use Frisbee or other catchable ball) 2-3 players per team -- pinnies. Objective: Complete passes down the field and make the catch across the end line in the end zone. Any incomplete pass changes possession and direction of play. The Rule of three. All players must be included during the possession. This a progression of 5 Catch Keep Away.