Castle Siege: Knock Down Cones and Rebuild

Two teams guard a castle of cones inside a no-go circle and attack the other castle by throwing foam balls. Knocked-down cones don't eliminate anyone: the attacked team can rebuild them by completing an effort run.

How to play

1. Setup: each castle is ten standing cones inside a 3 m circle at the back of each half; nobody enters the circle (3 min).
2. Explanation and throwing practice: underhand and overhand throws at the cones from the center line (4 min).
3. Game 1: throw from your own half; defenders block with their hands without entering the circle (6 min).
4. Timeout and rebuild rule: to stand a cone back up, a player must touch the hoop at the back of the other half and return untagged; the team assigns throwers, defenders and builders (2 min).
5. Game 2 with rebuilding (7 min).
6. Count: castle with the most cones standing; short talk about the roles (3 min).

Rules

• Foam balls only, thrown below opponents' waists; a throw to the head doesn't count.
• Nobody steps inside either castle circle.
• A cone knocked over by a defender counts as down.
• When going for a rebuild hoop, players may only be tagged on the shoulder, no pushing.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: throws from a fixed spot on the center line, or builds by reaching a closer hoop.
• Visual impairment: a castle cone with a bell, and a partner who calls direction and distance.
• Students unsure of their throwing: can start as defender or builder and try throwing in game 2.

Learning goals

• Improve throwing accuracy in a game setting.
• Share out roles and cooperate in defense and attack.
• Bounce back from a bad position without being eliminated.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 30
• foam balls: 12
• pinnies: 15
• hoops: 2

Teacher tip

Use foam or sock balls: with harder balls, defenders duck instead of blocking. Common mistake: everyone throws and nobody defends; have teams name two defenders before each game.

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