Cone Catch Partners

In pairs, one student tosses a tennis ball and the other catches it with an upside-down cone held like an ice cream cone, then they switch roles. The activity builds catching with an implement, tracking a ball's path, and accurate tossing to a partner.

How to play

1. Give each pair one tall cone and one tennis ball; partners face each other 10 feet apart (1 min).
2. Show how to hold the cone upside down by the tip like an ice cream cone and "give" by lowering the arm on the catch (2 min).
3. The tosser throws underhand with a soft arc; the receiver catches it in the cone; 10 tosses, then switch roles (4 min).
4. Each good catch is a point; after 5 in a row, the pair takes one step farther apart (3 min).
5. Bounce version: toss the ball so it bounces halfway, and catch it in the cone after the bounce (3 min).
6. Finish: each student tosses the ball to themselves with the free hand and catches it in the cone, counting catches in 1 minute (2 min).

Rules

• Toss gently with an arc, never straight at the face.
• Hold the cone by the tip and never use it to hit.
• If the ball gets away, walk to get it and look around first.
• All pairs toss in the same direction.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student catches while seated using a bucket or a larger box instead of a cone.
• Visual impairment: use a brightly colored ball, and the tosser says "Now!" on release.
• Advanced students: catch with the cone and send the ball back by flicking it out of the cone without touching it.

Learning goals

• Track the ball's path to catch it with an implement.
• Absorb the catch so the ball doesn't bounce out.
• Toss with an arc that fits a partner's position.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tall cones: 25
• tennis balls: 13

Teacher tip

Flexible plastic tall cones work best; hard rubber ones make the ball bounce out. If you're short on cones, large plastic cups or cut plastic bottles with taped edges work.

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