Goalball Roll-and-Block Trios
A goalball progression in trios with eyes covered, where students learn to roll the ball with bells and block it lying on their side using only their hearing. It builds auditory perception, spatial orientation, and empathy toward adapted sport.
How to play
- Explain goalball, a Paralympic sport for athletes with visual impairments (2 min); form trios: thrower, blocker, and guide, who is not blindfolded.
- Mark 4 lanes of 9 yards, each shared by two trios taking turns, with a rope taped to the floor at each end for orienting by touch and mats behind the blocker.
- Blocking position (3 min): blindfolded, the blocker drops onto their side with arms and legs stretched out when the guide says "Go!"; repeat 5 times.
- Rolling throw (4 min): the blindfolded thrower orients by touching the rope and rolls the ball with moderate force toward the partner; the guide watches the lane.
- Duel (8 min): the thrower gets 5 throws to get the ball past the blocker's line; the blocker earns a point for each ball stopped.
- Rotate roles every 5 throws; finish with a 1-minute discussion about what it felt like to play without sight.
Rules
- Total silence while the ball is in play: only the guide speaks.
- The ball always rolls or bounces low; it never travels through the air.
- No one removes their blindfold without telling the guide.
- Safety: the guide stops play by calling "Stop!" if someone leaves the lane or another person comes near.
Variations
Easier
Shorten the lane to 6 yards and let the blocker kneel.
Standard
9-yard lane, rolling throw, and blindfolded blocking lying down.
Harder
The thrower throws from three different spots without saying which one.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student blocks while seated in a narrower lane and throws from a wheelchair.
- Students with a real visual impairment: they can act as the expert who explains orientation to the group.
- Anxiety about blindfolds: the student starts with eyes closed and only puts on a blindfold when comfortable.
Learning goals
- Orient in space using touch and hearing.
- Roll and block the ball with bells using correct technique.
- Value adapted sport and see things from others' perspective.
Equipment for a class of 25
- goalball: 4
- blindfolds: 16
- mats: 8
- rope: 8
Teacher tip
Silence is everything; if it gets noisy, stop and wait. Set lanes parallel with at least 2 yards between them, and check that the ball's bells are working.
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