No-Out Datchball Scoring Game

A Datchball version where nobody gets out: every legal hit scores points, and the tagged player briefly runs around a cone and comes right back. Students practice accurate throwing, dodging, catching, and fair play.

How to play

1. Set up two 60 × 30 ft courts split by a center line, with a cone behind each end line. On each court, two teams of 6 in pinnies; the extra student keeps score and rotates (3 min).
2. Each team starts with one foam ball. Players throw from their own side to hit an opponent below the shoulders before the ball bounces.
3. Legal hit = 1 point for the thrower. The player who is hit runs around the cone behind their end line and jumps back in; nobody sits out.
4. If a player catches the ball in the air, their team scores 2 points and nobody leaves. A ball that bounces before hitting doesn't count.
5. Play 3 periods of 4 minutes with a 1-minute break; the scorekeeper announces the score at each break (15 min).

Rules

• Only hits below the shoulders count; a head shot gives 1 point to the team that was hit.
• Nobody steps on or over the center line.
• Students call their own hits honestly: raise a hand and go.
• Safety: throw one-handed and with no running start when within 10 feet of the line.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: doesn't run around the cone when hit, and their catches are worth 3 points.
• Visual impairment: use bright balls, and throwers call out before each throw.
• Lower fitness: the cone behind their end line is moved closer, to 6 feet.

Learning goals

• Throw accurately at a moving target.
• Dodge or catch the ball depending on the situation.
• Call hits honestly without arguing.

Equipment for a class of 25

• foam balls: 4
• cones: 12
• pinnies in two colors: 12

Teacher tip

With no outs the pace is high, so watch that throws stay controlled. Praise catches out loud, because students tend to always dodge and few dare to catch.

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