Basic Motor Movement Throwing and Catching

1. Basic Information

Title of Activity: Throwing and catching
Sport/Game Type: Indoor sport, Outdoor sport, Adapted sport
Grade/ Age Group: 8-9 years old
Duration: As per the progress of the child (multiple sessions of 40 minutes each)
Number of Students: 1, 2, or more (Up to thirty children divided into teams of 5 to 7 children each).

2. Activity Description/ Instructions (Step-by-Step)

2.1 THROWING:

• Hold the ball firmly with fingers spread in front of the chest, stand with knees bent slightly, visually locate the target and look towards the target.
• Swing the throwing hand behind the body to gain force to throw and twist the upper body.
• Take one step forward (right-handers to keep the left leg forward, left-handers to keep the right leg forward) and balance your body. Do not wobble.
• The arm and eye should be focused on the target.
• Bring the throwing hand forward and throw the ball with force.
• Keep an eye on where the ball goes; the action of throwing continues. The other leg comes forward to maintain the body’s balance.

Picture – Throwing Ball

2.1.1 UNDERARM and OVERHEAD THROW
Underarm throw
1. Hold the ball with your dominant arm, with the opposite foot placed firmly forward, standing with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
2. Swing the dominant arm back to gain force for the throw and swing it forward to release the ball at waist level towards the target.
3. Follow through. After the throw, the action continues and the rear leg comes forward to maintain the body’s balance.

Picture – Underarm throw using both hands

Picture – Underarm throw using one hand.

Overhead throw

• Stand straight with shoulder width apart, hold the ball with both hands and look towards the target. 
• Raise both arms above the head and bend arms and upper body little backwards, stepping forward with one foot for stable posture. 
• Release the ball from hands and throw towards the target. 
• After releasing the ball, the arm continues downwards across the body.

Picture – Overhead throw using both hands

Picture – Overhead throw using one hand

2.2 CATCHING

• Stand facing the thrower with knees slightly bent, like you are getting ready to jump. The feet should be placed shoulder-width apart for better balance.
• Watch and track the ball as it comes towards you. Judge its direction, speed and distance.
• Join your palms with the small fingers together to catch the ball. If the ball is bigger, spread your palms to catch it. Keep your eyes on the ball.
• Catch the ball gently at eye level and close your palms.
• Hold the ball firmly with your elbows close to your body to absorb the force of the throw.
• Maintain balance by keeping both feet on the ground after catching the ball.

 Picture – Catching

2.3 Catch and Throw (Basic Motor Movement 1 – BM1)

Number of players: Children play in pairs.
Materials required: Balls of different types and sizes.
How to play: The basic steps for catching and throwing the ball are already mentioned in 2.1 and 2.2.
Variations:Different types of throws and catches can be practiced as given below:
The video/picture illustrations for the same can be found in sections 2.1 & 2.2.
1. Underarm throw using both hands.
2. Underarm throw using one hand.
3. Overhead throw using both hands.
4. Overhead throw using one hand.
5. Pass the ball with one bounce to the partner.
6. Throw and catch the ball between the partners as many times as possible without dropping the ball.
7. More variations in play can be introduced by the teacher, like
* Increasing the distance between the partners if they get comfortable catching the ball at a short distance.
* Changing the type/size of the ball.
* Alternating the throwing hand between left and right.

Picture – Catch and Throw

Video-Throw and Catch

2.4 Pick up and Throw (Basic Motor Movement 2 – BM2)

Number of players: Children play in teams of two (teams of 5 to 7 children)
Materials required: Paper balls of different sizes and types.
How to play::
1. Form two teams and draw a court with a dividing line across the center.
2. Make paper balls (crush paper of different sizes to make a ball that is hard enough to throw) and scatter them equally across the court.
3. At the blow of the whistle, the children start throwing the paper balls into the opponent’s side of the court.
4. The children stop throwing once the whistle sounds again. (In case of children with auditory impairment, placards with start and stop signs are shown along with a whistle.)
5. The team having fewer balls on its side of the court wins.
Variations
1. Switch the throwing arm after each round.
2. Alternate between overhead throwing and underarm throwing.

Picture – Pick up and Throw

2.5 Hit the Target (Basic Motor Movement 3 – BM3)

Number of players: Teams of 5 children each, teams can be divided as per number of children in class.
Materials required: Sock balls or soft sponge balls, Chalk piece or marker
How to play:
1. Draw a circle on the wall/board/surface as a target and a throwing line on the ground some distance away from the target.
2. Each team player should aim to throw the ball within the circle. The child should not cross the throwing line drawn while doing so.
3. The team with the maximum number of hits in the circle wins.
Variations
1. The distance from the wall can be increased to increase the difficulty level.
2. Draw a circle on the ground and play the game.

Picture – Hit the Target

2.6 Knock the cones (Basic Motor Movement 4 – BM4)

Number of players: Teams of 5 to 6 children, each based on the number of children in the class.
Materials required: Soft balls, cones or any other similar equipment.
How to play:
1. Place an odd number of cones in the Centre and let the two teams stand equidistant from it on either side.
2. The game starts with the whistle. Both teams try to hit the cones with soft balls.
3. The team that knocks down the most cones in the allotted time wins the game.
Variations
1. Ask children to use their non-dominant arm to throw.
2. Replace the cones with cricket stumps.

Picture – Knock the cones

2.7 Relay Catching (Basic Motor Movement 5 – BM5)

Number of players: Teams of 5 children each, teams can be divided as per the number of children in the class. A leader is designated for each team.
Materials required: Softballs or tennis balls
How to play:
1. Team members stand in a line and their respective leaders stand at some distance, facing them.
2. At the sound of the whistle, the leader throws the ball to the first player in the line. The first player catches the ball, throws it back to the leader, and runs to the end of the queue.
3. The next player moves into the first player’s position and the line moves forward in one place. The leader then throws the ball at the front of the line and the game continues.
4. After everyone completes their turn, the team with the greatest number of catches wins the game. Participation and team play should be encouraged more than winning.
Variations
1. The leaders can be appointed by rotation.
2. The overarm and underarm throw can be used to play the game.
3. The distance between the leader and team members can be increased

Picture – Relay Catching

2.8 Ball on the wall (Basic Motor Movement 6 – BM6)

Number of players: Divide the total number of children into two teams; each team can be 5-7 children
Materials required: Handball or tennis ball.
How to play:
1. Let the two teams stand in a line, each facing a wall.
2. Each member of the first team bounces the ball off the wall and catches it on rebound. The second team repeats the same.
3. The team with the maximum catches wins the game.
Variations
1. The distance between the team members and the wall can be increased.
2. The next player in the queue can catch the ball after it rebounds, instead of the person who threw it.

 Picture – Ball on the Wall (Visually Challenged Student)

 2.9 Adaptations for Children with Special Needs (CWSN)

The following adaptations are suggested to make the games inclusive.

• Visually challenged individuals or children with low vision can be given auditory balls. Bright coloured balls may be used for children with low vision. If required, especially when the child is new to the activity, a sighted guide can provide elbow guidance to help the visually challenged child move safely around the play area. This support may be used initially until the child becomes familiar with the game rules, boundaries, equipment, and play area layout. As confidence and independence increase, the level of assistance can be gradually reduced.
• A bell should be sounded beside the target location to help the visually challenged child hit the ball.
• Give clear instructions while facing the child with auditory challenges to enable lip-reading. Use short sentences.
• Verbal/physical prompts, i.e., 1:1 guidance, may be given to those who require them or appear less motivated.
• Learning cards for each step of the activity can be shown. A visual schedule can be shown as a reminder of the sequence of activities. Learning cards and visual schedules are effective visual supports for children with autism, intellectual disabilities, ADHD, speech, and language difficulties, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and other special educational needs. They help children understand instructions, follow instructions, communicate effectively, and participate more independently in physical education activities.”
• Floor markers can be placed to guide the children.
  • A child with locomotor challenges can be helped with the necessary adaptations:
    • Children in wheelchairs can be included in the game with or without peer buddy support.
    • The child can sit on the floor with legs apart to roll the ball across the floor or slide it down a ramp. Provide an appropriate seating mechanism. Assistive devices such as ball release mechanisms, adapted trays or switch operated equipment could also be provided.
    • A soft ball or toy can be given for throwing.
    • Balloons, beach balls, or lightweight balls can be used, as they move slowly and make it easy to catch and throw. This will improve their throwing and catching abilities.
    • Children can use bowls, hats, or buckets to catch balls if grabbing with their hands is challenging. Velcro tennis balls and mitts aid successful catching for those without full hand coordination.
    • Support from a chair/table or by leaning against a wall, may be allowed to improve balance while throwing the ball.
  • Children with sensory challenges can be given the necessary adaptations:
    • Noise level in the playing area should be reduced.
    • Earplugs/headphones can be used if required.
    • Children sensitive to light can wear sunglasses.
    • Children should be given adequate breaks during the activity and may be sent to the calming corner or a quieter area as required.
    • A Social narrative or video of the game may be shown to the children
      •  For explaining the rules of the game.
      • For explaining the process and steps of the game.
      • For making them familiar with the environment or the play area.
  • For children on the autism spectrum or ADHD, participation in a team activity may be    challenging.
    • Start with a one-to-one session and gradually progress to team play.
    • Adequate preparation in the form of social narratives, visual schedules, Picture cards, Video modelling and demonstrations by teachers or peers will help children perform better.

Picture – Catching with Mitt

Picture – Visually challenged child throws with the help of bell sound

 Picture – Visually challenged child catches an auditory ball.

Video-Throwing and Catching For Visually Challenged

2.10 Circle Time

• All children are made to sit in a circle to share their experiences of the activity. Everyone is encouraged to listen when others talk.Nonverbal children can communicate using response cards, cue cards, picture cards, or assistive devices.
• Star and Wish: Star is something the child has enjoyed during the session. E.g., hitting the target, participating in the game, and helping another child. Wish is something the child wished had happened in the session. E.g., the child wished that he had hit the target and won or wished for more chances to throw. CWSN can express this through gestures, cue cards, or response cards. ( E.g., I can throw better, I can catch better, I want to play longer.)
• Despite the precautions taken, the teacher could identify any physical injury or discomfort the child might have experienced. Example: A child is dehydrated, restless or has an internal injury. The PE teacher should refer the child to the school nurse/doctor.
• Review the activity and give a demonstration and a hand-on-hand demo on how to improve it. Example: How to have a better stance, better grip, better throw, etc.

Picture – CWSN uses a flash card to express his feelings

Picture – A child communicates in Circle time

3. Skills Developed

Throwing and Catching

• Gross motor development and fine motor development.
  • Throwing and catching a ball- the act of throwing and impact of catching the ball will give strength to their wrist, arms and shoulders, build strength in core muscles, build hand-eye coordination, which will help them in ADL(Activities of Daily Living) like feeding, handwriting, carrying the bag, body posture, reading, and copying from the blackboard.
  • Holding a ball: This improves the fine motor skills of the child, hence the child’s grasp. This enables holding a pencil, writing with control, using a toothbrush, picking up an object from the ground, and much more.
• Hand-eye-leg coordination
• Physical fitness and Strength
• Dynamic body balance, spatial awareness
• Using both sides of the body
•  Focus, Visual tracking of the ball
• Predicting the trajectories, i.e., the path of the ball. (Timing, direction, speed, and anticipation)
• Social interaction, communication, and group play
• Cooperation
• Waiting for their turn
• Emotional control
• Team spirit
• Confidence
• Progress in PE, along with skill development, should be reviewed as part of the child’s IEP. The review should include the class teacher, special education teacher, PE teacher and the parents/caregiver.

4.Instructional Strategies

• Verbal explanation: The PE teacher must explain while sitting or standing at the children’s eye level to facilitate mindful interaction (a non-threatening, open system of interaction).
  • The steps in the activity for the students.
  • Rules of the game.
  • Dos and don’ts of the game.
  • Awareness about the area of play/ground.
• Visual demonstration:
  • Physical demonstration of the activity by the class teacher/PE teacher/Peer buddy.
  • Videos of the activity can be shown.
• Picture cards:
  • The different steps of the activity or game can be shown
  • Adaptations of the game can be shown to the child.
  • Rules of the game can be explained.
  • Do’s and don’ts can be explained.

Hand-over-hand: The PE teacher provides physical prompting to help children with developmental challenges feel the motion and build motor memory. The teacher/peer buddy/caregiver places their hands directly over the child’s hands (1:1) to guide them through the steps of throwing and catching the ball.

Forward chaining: Here, the process of playing, catching and throwing a game is broken into smaller steps and taught in chronological order. The child masters the first step and then the subsequent steps are taught.

Backward chaining: Here, the last step in the throw-and-catch game is taught to the child first. The teacher/peer buddy performs the initial steps and the child is allowed to complete the final steps, which gives a sense of success and, hence, motivation.

Modelling – A classmate or teacher may model how the game is to be played and the CWSN could imitate. Furthermore, they may be made to act as a co-player/buddy to boost the CWSN’s confidence.

Picture – Hand Over Hand technique

5. Participation Roles (For students who cannot be fully involved)

• Based on the child’s level of challenge, the throwing or catching activity can be modified. Adaptation: a) A child can catch with a tub. b) The child can hold the ball using oversized gloves/Velcro gloves. c) Use of alternative throwing styles (for children with CP).
• The child may throw the ball using equipment such as a plunger.
• The child may be given the role of the referee or umpire.
• The child may be asked to count and display the score card.
• They can be commentators.

Annexure 1 – Transition Management

Annexure 2 – Warm up and Pre Sensory Exercise

Annexure 3 – Adaptations

Annexure 4 – Safety Considerations, Review and Fatigue Monitoring

 Annexure 5 – Observation and Assessment