Five-Cone Fan Drill with Partner Calls
From a center spot, students react to their partner's call, sprint to one of five numbered cones set in a fan, touch it and return to the middle. They work on reaction time, a first step in any direction and controlled backpedaling.
How to play
- In pairs, set a center spot and five cones in a semicircle 4 yards away, numbered 1 to 5 from left to right. Keep at least 3 yards between fans (2 min).
- The runner waits on the spot in an athletic stance: feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent and weight on the balls of the feet.
- The partner stands outside the fan and calls a number; the runner goes, touches the cone and backpedals or shuffles back to the spot. Once they step on the spot, the next number is called.
- Each set has 6 calls, then switch roles. Do 3 sets each with 1 minute of rest (8 min).
- Phase two: the partner no longer calls out loud but points with an arm, so the reaction is visual (3 min).
- Final challenge: trick calls. If the partner calls a number that doesn't exist, the runner must stay put, and every false start costs a point (2 min).
Rules
- Always return to the center backpedaling or shuffling, never facing forward.
- Don't call the next number until the runner is on the spot.
- Safety: fans stay spread out and no one runs through another pair's fan.
- The caller mixes up the order and never repeats the same number twice in a row.
Variations
Easier
Shrink the radius to 3 yards and use only three cones.
Standard
Five cones at 4 yards with sets of 6 calls.
Harder
Call the number as a quick math problem, like seven minus three, to add a decision load.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: use a 5-yard radius and tall cones reachable from a wheelchair, with more time between calls.
- Visual impairment: use cones with sound or a clap from the target cone for orientation.
- Lower fitness: sets of 4 calls and walk back to the center.
Learning goals
- React quickly to auditory and visual signals.
- Point the first step toward any direction in the fan.
- Stay balanced while backpedaling.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 65
- flat disc cones: 13
Teacher tip
Correct students who step backward before they go: the first step should head toward the cone. Random calls are the key, so push callers to avoid predictable patterns.
PatioLab has "Five-Cone Fan Drill with Partner Calls" and 3999 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for Middle School
1-2-3 Touch Cooperative Rally
Two groups of three, one on each side of the net, work together to keep the longest rally possible in three phases: one touch, two touches, and three touches per side.
1-on-1 Mini Volleyball Up and Down the River
One-on-one mini volleyball duels on 3 x 3 m courts under a rope 2 m high, using a receive, self-set and send rule.
1-on-1 Self-Pass Volleyball
One-on-one games on narrow 10 x 20 foot courts where each player must self-pass before sending the ball over.
1-on-1 Side-Step Square Duels
In pairs, inside 5 x 5 m squares, an attacker holding a football tries to get from the starting side to the far side without the defender pulling a flag.
1v1 Four-Gate Soccer Duels
In a square with a gate on each side, two players go head to head and score by dribbling through any of the four gates.
2-on-1 Fast Break with a Chasing Defender
Two attackers push a fast break against a defender waiting at the basket while a second defender chases from behind with a few yards' head start against them.