Wana: Guard the Pin with a Stick

An Aboriginal game from Western Australia in which one player defends an object stuck in the ground with a digging stick (wana) while the others throw balls to knock it down. It builds defending skills, hand-eye coordination and accurate throwing.

How to play

1. Share the origin: the wana is the digging stick used by Aboriginal women, and the game appears in collections of traditional Australian games. Make groups of 6 and mark a circle with a 16-foot radius for each group using cones.
2. Place a tall cone in the center of each circle, with the defender beside it holding a foam bat in both hands.
3. The other five stand outside the circle and share two soft balls. They roll or bounce the balls to knock the cone over, passing to whoever is on the least protected side.
4. The defender knocks the balls away with the bat without touching the cone with the bat or body. Each block is worth one point, counted out loud.
5. When the cone falls, the thrower who hit it moves to the center, and the defender steps out, keeping their score. If nobody hits it in 60 seconds, rotate anyway.
6. Play for about 15 minutes so everyone defends at least twice. At the end, each group shares its block record.

Rules

• Safety: the bat stays below knee height; swinging it higher cancels that turn's points.
• Nobody may enter the circle; balls left inside are kicked back out by the defender.
• If the defender knocks the cone over, the point goes to the outside group.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility: defend seated or from a wheelchair with a larger cone and a pool noodle as the stick.
• Visual impairment: use a ball with a bell, and throwers call 'Coming!' before each throw.
• Skill level: students who struggle throw from a 10-foot line; skilled students throw with their non-dominant hand.

Learning goals

• Coordinate the stick to intercept rolling balls.
• Throw accurately and work together by passing the ball to the open side.
• Appreciate the games of Aboriginal Australian peoples and their origin.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 28
• foam bats: 4
• soft balls: 8

Teacher tip

Have the throwers pass quickly before throwing: it forces the defender to turn and keeps the pace up.

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