Same Game, Three Sports Rotation
Three mini fields run the same 3-on-3 game: one played with the hands, one with the feet, and one with a stick. As they rotate, students discover that attacking and defending principles stay the same and carry over from one sport to another.
How to play
- Set up three 60 x 40 ft fields with two small goals: team handball with a foam ball, futsal, and floor hockey. Make 6 teams of 4; two per field, with a sub who rotates in every 2 minutes (4 min).
- Shared rule: goals only count from outside a 10 ft zone and after two players on the team have touched the ball.
- Play 5 minutes on each field, then rotate clockwise with the same opponent.
- After each rotation, huddle for 1 minute: what did you do the same as on the last field to keep the ball and to defend?
- Final 3-minute round in the sport each pair of teams chooses.
- Wrap-up for 2 minutes: repeat out loud the shared principles students name.
Rules
- In floor hockey, the stick never goes above the waist.
- No contact and no goalies; nobody enters the 10 ft zone.
- Safety: when rotating, sticks stay on the floor beside the field and are never carried while running.
Variations
Easier
Only one player needs to touch the ball before scoring.
Standard
Three on three with the shared rule and 5 minutes per field.
Harder
All three players must touch the ball, with a two-touch or two-step limit.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a student in a wheelchair plays with the hands on every field or uses a short stick, and that field shrinks to 40 x 25 ft.
- Visual impairment: use a bright or bell ball and a buddy who calls the student's name before passing.
- Fitness level: the sub rotates in more often, and floor hockey can be played at a fast walk.
Learning goals
- Recognize tactical principles shared by different invasion games.
- Apply solutions learned in one sport to another.
- Adjust technique to the ball and equipment on each field.
Equipment for a class of 25
- foam balls: 1
- futsal balls: 1
- floor hockey sticks: 8
- floor hockey balls: 2
- small goals: 6
- cones: 18
- pinnies: 12
Teacher tip
Put floor hockey on the middle field so you can watch the sticks. If one group dominates a sport, have them explain their tactical trick to the other team: transfer shows up without you naming it.
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