Ready, Aim, Fire (Striking)
An excellent activity to introduce children to the teaching cues for striking, the children will love hitting (or destroying!) targets.
Set up interesting targets - either one big one for everyone to aim for together or multiple smaller targets. If you have a wall available in your space, use this as a 'backboard' behind your targets to prevent balls from going too far.
Set targets up at varying distances, you could use soft toys on top of a stack of books, a bucket/box castle, pop-up goals, laminated pictures stuck on the wall, wickets, chalk targets drawn on a wall, or water bottles. Get creative!
Set up a station where your child stands, with a tee, bat, and ball. If you have extra tennis balls, have a bucket of balls behind the striking stations to allow the children to reload.
Note: The teeball tees and teeball bats can be easily changed to cricket bats and hitting a ball along the ground.
Step 1:
- Children position their ball on the tee, ready for the instruction "Ready, Aim, Fire!"
- Ready = step next to the tee with your front foot
- Aim = lift your bat, drawing it up behind you
- Fire = swing and follow through
Step 2:
- Once everyone has hit their ball, they can go and collect it, and attempt to knock the target over again, or try a new target!
Step 3:
- If you have additional balls, place them in a bucket behind the children so they can collect a ball after each hit and have another go. Keep going until the bucket is empty and then everyone collects all the balls
- Move children closer to the target
- Use larger balls
- Multiple targets means more opportunity for success!
- Place targets further away to develop power and accuracy
- Give children specific targets to aim for - "try and hit the teddy this time!"
When teaching striking, be sure to remind children of the teaching cues:
- Hands together
- Ready: stand side on to the ball (use markers to assist)
- Eyes on the ball
- Step & swing – step with the front foot toward the target
Explain the teaching cues, with "Ready, Aim, Fire!" incorporated;
- Ready = step next to the tee with your front foot
- Aim = lift your bat, drawing it up behind you
- Fire = swing and follow through
- Increase success by having everyone attempt to hit the target at the same time
- Let children get creative by building/drawing their own targets!