Striking (Tee Ball)

how to teach FMS

Striking is the most complex of the fundamental movement skills. Striking can be introduced in the Foundation year and by Year 2 most children should be able to demonstrate a two-handed strike. Most children will not instinctively know how to demonstrate a two-handed strike.

Teaching cues
  1. Grip – Hold the bat with both hands together, your dominant hand (the one you write with) on top.  
  2. Stand - Stand sideways with knees slightly bent and keep the bat near your shoulder. 
  3. Swing – Keep your eyes on the ball and swing the bat smoothly to hit it. 
  4. Follow Through – Let the bat continue swinging around your body after you hit the ball.
Teaching strategies

Body Positioning

  • Stand side-on to the ball, eyes on the ball.

Equipment 

  • Start with hands, hitting balloons or large, soft balls hanging from trees.
  • Use pool noodles as bats to hit large, soft balls. 
  • Progress to using dome cones or tall cones as tees
  • Use foot markers/flat markers to encourage proper stance.
  • Progress to hitting soft balls off small cricket tees.

Focus on Power

  • Emphasise hitting for distance over accuracy.

Fun Games

Striking Progressions

  • Encourage children to step towards the target with their front foot, use markers to help with this (step & squash the cone). 
  • Focus on striking the ball as hard as possible and following through with bat around the body. 

Equipment

  • Use small balls (such as tennis balls).
  • Use a tee ball tee.

Fun Games

Challenges 

  • Try hitting a moving ball (ball is thrown to the striker) 
  • Introduce accuracy targets with games like Precision Strike
  • Place targets further away. 

Fun Games

Skill criteria
  1. Stand side-on to target
  2. Eyes on ball
  3. Hands next to each other, bottom hand matches the front foot
  4. Step towards target with front foot
  5. Hips then shoulders rotate forward
  6. Ball contact made on the front foot with straight arms
  7. Follows through with bat around body
Common errors
  • Incorrect grip – hands apart or the wrong way around
  • Standing front on to the target
  • Not stepping
  • No weight transfer
  • No follow-through
  • Not watching the ball

More activities