Racket: seated control bumps to bring the heart rate down

Cool-down for the racket sports unit in which seated students keep the ball in the air with very soft bumps while their heart rate drops. Focusing on fine control helps recovery, which is checked with heart rate.

How to play

1. Standing, take the pulse or read the heart rate monitor right after the game and write it down (1 min).
2. Sitting cross-legged on the floor: soft bumps upward, no more than a hand's width high (2 min).
3. Lying on the back: bumps with the racket above the face, breathing slowly with relaxed shoulders (1 min).
4. Sitting in pairs 6 feet apart: roll the ball to each other with the racket without lifting it off the ground (1 min).
5. Take the pulse again and work out how many beats have been recovered (1 min).

Rules

• Very soft bumps: if the ball goes higher than the head, start over.
• When lying down, use only a foam ball or shuttlecock to avoid hits to the face.
• Keep 6 feet between seated students.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: do the bumps from the chair and replace the lying phase with bumps using the non-dominant hand.
• Visual impairment: roll a sound ball with the racket in pairs instead of bumping it in the air.
• Autism: signal each change of position with a ten-second countdown.

Learning goals

• Lower the heart rate actively after the game.
• Keep fine control of the ball in a calm state.
• Calculate heart rate recovery as a health measure.

Equipment for a class of 25

• rackets or paddles: 30
• balls: 30
• heart rate monitors or phones: 15

Teacher tip

Without heart rate monitors, take the radial pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by four. It works for any racket sport your school offers.

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