Handball
Invasion Games | Years 5–6 | 6 Lessons
Handball Sessions
These handball sessions progress from the previous unit of year 3/4, looking to keep improving our throwing, catching, dribbling and shooting, whilst introducing tactical and positional knowledge, as well as improving our decision making skills through playing small sided games. Lessons are progressive and suitable for indoor or outdoor delivery.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Advanced Dribbling
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To be able to dribble effectively with good technique and control
- To improve our problem solving skills
Success Criteria:
- I can dribble confidently using either hand.
- I can change speed to get past a defender.
- I understand the rules around dribbling in handball
Key Words:
- Agility
- Control
- Problem solving
Equipment:
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Cones
- Bibs
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Foxes and rabbits
Pick 3-4 people to be the foxes. The rest of the group are rabbits. Rabbits must place a bib in the back of their shorts/trousers, making sure the bib is sticking out to create a tail. The aim of the game is for the rabbits to stay away from the foxes. The job of the fox is to try and steal away the rabbit’s tails. If the rabbit’s tail is removed, they are out of the game. The last rabbit in is the winner. You may want to make it a competition between the foxes. Who can steal the greatest number of tails.
Progressions:
>Increase the number of foxes to the game.
>Play with everyone having a tail to protect so everyone is both a fox and rabbit. They have to protect their tail whilst stealing others. Again, the last person in would be the winner.
Skill Development
Trucks and trailers
Get the group into pairs. Give each of them a ball and ask them to stand one behind the other. The player at the front is the leader (truck) and when ‘go’ is signaled, they will start to dribble with the ball around the area. The player behinds (trailer) job is to follow the truck around the area whilst dribbling with the ball.
Start this game simple by only walking/jogging slowly depending on ability levels. As both players have a couple of tries at both roles, allow the game to become a little more competitive where the truck has to try to lose the trailer whilst keeping close control of their ball.
We are looking for good control when dribbling with the ball.
Regression:
>If the children do struggle, allow them to firstly bounce and catch the ball as they are moving rather than looking for them to continuously bounce the ball
En guard 1v1
Children to be in pairs for this activity. Depending on the space you have available you may want to split groups into 4’s/6’s/8’s and have them taking turns in the lanes.
Set up lanes for the children to work in. They will be working 2 at a time in their lane. One player is the attacker, one player is the defender. Staying inside their lane, the attacker must try to get past the defender by using the dribbling technique and stop on the line on the other side. If they do this, they win a point for their team. The defender can only intercept the pass when the ball is bouncing. They cannot make contact with the attacker. Once all the attacking group have had a turn in their lane, swap the roles so the defenders can have a turn at attacking.
Progression:
>Changing the game to 2v1 rather than 1v1. Now the attacking team have two members, they must pass and dribble to get past the defender. This involves decision making for the player with the ball. Are they better dribbling or passing to a team mate who is free?
Allow each team to have 5 turns and then swap roles. Points awarded in the same way as 1v1
Game – King/Queen of the ring
Everyone will start in the middle of the area now, with a ball. Everyone can tackle everyone, aim of the game is to keep your ball inside of the ring, if your ball is tackled from you or if you lose control and it leaves the area you must run around the outside of the area before you can join back in.
Progression:
>Make this game harder by adding in a tackler without a ball
>You can also make this game competitive by saying that if your ball leaves the area, you are out. Last person in is the winner. (You may want to create 2-3 areas and split the class into ability groups for this. It will allow for those who are lower ability a greater chance of staying in the game longer)
Teaching Points:
- When dribbling in handball, we need to be constantly bouncing the ball. Once we catch the ball, we can take three steps but then must release the ball.
- To dribble, get the children to place their hand on top of the ball and press/push the ball into the ground. This will allow the bounce to be slower than it normally is in other sports such as basketball. Get them to keep the ball bouncing at waist height for good control. They can use both hands to dribble but only one at a time.
- Can we get the children to change the direction of their dribble and change the hand they are using to dribble to make it more difficult for the defender to retrieve the ball
Key Questions:
- How do we effectively dribble in handball?
- How are we keeping close control of the ball when dribbling?
- What problems are we experiencing in the king/queen of the ring game and how can we overcome them?
- What problems are we experiencing in the en guard game and how can we overcome them?
National Curriculum Links:
- Using running in isolation and combination
- Playing competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control, balance and technique through playing handball
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing and showing resilience in trying to improve through the session
- Developing and improving problem solving skills
Lesson 2: Advanced Passing
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To be able to show a clear understanding of the types of passes in handball and how to use them in different situations
- To understand how good communication can help others
Success Criteria:
- I can choose between overarm, underarm bounce or overhead passes.
- I understand how effective communication can help when working as part of a team
- I can create space before receiving or passing.
Key Words:
- Accuracy
- Communication
- Space
Equipment:
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Bibs
- Cones
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Germs & Medicine
Choose 3 taggers, they are the germs. Choose 3 releasers, they are the medicine. The germs move around the area trying to tag as many people as possible. If you are tagged, stand still in the ready position. The 3 medicines will be given a ball and need to release anyone who has been tagged by the germs by throwing the ball and then receiving the ball back from those who have been tagged.
Skill Development
Box Passing
If the children struggle with/can’t remember any skills throughout the session, refer back to the year 3/4 session to go through skills
Get the children into groups of around 6-7 per group. Start them off in a small boxed off area of the hall. In the area, they must try to complete as many types of handball passes as possible. Allow time for the children to be creative.
Progression:
>Once the group feel comfortable enough with their passes, give 1 or 2 of them a bib and ask them to become defenders. The attacking team must try to keep the ball away from the defenders, who can only intercept the ball to win it back. If they do, swap with the person who lost the ball.
>Increase the number of defenders if the game becomes too easy.
Foxes and rabbits
Keep the children in the same groups of 6-7 per group. Again, they will be working in a small area within the hall space. Pick 1-2 people in the group to put a bib on, they will be the rabbits in the game. The aim of the team who has possession of the ball is to tag the rabbits. Once they have been tagged, they are out of the game. The only rule of those who have the ball (foxes), is that if you have the ball in your hand you cannot move.
The aim is for their team mates to work together to get close to those with the bibs on, so that if they receive the ball, they can tag that person without having to move.
Progression:
>Increase the size of the space in the area.
Game – Over The Water
Split the hall into 3 areas. Two of the areas will be quite large (the bank), with a small lane in the middle (the river) (see diagram). Split the class into 3 even teams.
The two teams in the large areas (banks) are the teams who have possession of the ball. The team in the narrow lane in the middle (the river) are the defending team.
The game starts with the ball in one of the bank areas. That team must complete a set number of passes and then pass the ball ‘over the water’ in the middle, to the team on the other bank area. They then must complete passes and send the ball back over.
The defending team send 2-3 people into the bank area where the ball is to try and win possession back. The job of the others in the defending team is to spread out along the narrow lane (water) and try to intercept the pass across the water. If the ball then reaches the other bank areas, the defending team send a different group of 2-3 to try and win the ball back. Repeat until the defending team win back possession and swap roles with the team who lose possession
Progression:
>You can increase the number of passes needed to be completed.
>Allow the defending team to send more players into the bank area to retrieve the ball
Teaching Points:
- Make sure the children are using the correct technique for each type of pass and have a clear understanding of when to use certain types of passes e.g., bounce or underarm pass used for short distance and overarm/overhead used for longer distance passes.
- We want to see and hear clear and good communication between the teams. This applies to both sets of teams. We want to hear the attacking team clearly calling for the ball (when they are in spaces to receive) and the defending team talking to one another about who enters the areas each time.
- Can we hear the attacking team give out some extra information to the person who has/is about to receive the ball such as ‘time’ when they have time and space and can relax or ‘defender’ when a defender is close by that they cannot see. This clear information being passed on can help those who have the ball
Key Questions:
- What does communication involve?
- How can you effectively communicate with other in the group?
- Can anyone name a type of pass in handball?
- What determines which type of pass we need to make?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for both attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing handball
Social/environmental skills:
- Develop team work and collaboration skills
- Develop good communication skills
- Show creativity in their work throughout the session
Lesson 3: Tactics & Strategies
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To understand the need for tactics and identify when to use them in different situations.
- To be able to work as part of a team and show some leadership in decision making
Success Criteria:
- I can move to support the ball carrier.
- I can use width and space effectively.
- I can communicate to organise attacking play.
Key Words:
- Tactics
- Creativity
- Teamwork
- Leadership
Equipment:
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Bibs
- Cones
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Chaos Tag In Pairs
Everyone will be a tagger, if you are tagged you and your partner will be out until the person who tagged you is tagged. If two people tag each other at the same time you must do rock paper scissors winner stays in.
After the first round allow the class to discuss with their partners any tactics, they could use in this game to help them be more successful. At the end of the game allow some of the class to share their tactics.
Progression:
>You could allow one partner to be the leader and make decisions for the pair.
Skill Development
End zone
Split the space in half and create two equal court areas for the children to work in. Split the class into 4 even teams.
At either end of each court, add in a line of cones creating an “end zone”. One player will be standing in the end zone opposite to where your team starts.
To score in this game, the ball must be played into the end zone and caught by the player on your team. Only 1 person is allowed in the end zone at a time, if there is more than 1 and the ball is caught then the point does not count. Once the ball is caught, the player in the end zone can swap with the player who threw the ball to them.
Rules:
>No contact sport means that we cannot touch another player. We can only intercept a pass or swipe at a dribble, only making contact with the ball. A free throw is awarded where the infringement took place
>We can continuously dribble with the ball using one hand. However, once the ball is caught with two hands, you can take up to 3 steps, for 3 seconds, before you have to release the ball. Again, a free throw from where the infringement took place is awarded for a violation.
>If the ball goes out of bounds, a free throw is awarded from the sideline
Game – Go forward
Using cones, add a halfway line in each court and keep the end zones from the last game. This time, every person from your team must be in the other team’s half before you can score a point. The same rules apply to the game
This game requires more communication and teamwork from each team
Progression:
>Add in 2-3 hoops around the area. Now you can pass to someone in a hoop, adding bonus points if you pass to someone standing in a hoop. You get 1 point per time the ball is passed into the hoop but 2 points for passing to the player in the end zone. As before, everyone must be in the other team’s half before shooting in the end zone. You do not have to stay in a hoop, you can go into one and leave at any time. The defenders cannot enter the hoops.
Teaching Points:
- Explain to the children about tactics and how they can be used to impact the outcome of the game. Some examples of tactics could be:
>Moving the ball quickly between the group to give the opposition less time to close down the person with the ball
>Having attackers and defenders who have clear jobs
>Having the whole team attack and the whole team defend
>Making sure that everyone is in front of the person with the ball to give them more options for a forward pass
>Specifically marking one person from the opposition when defending
>Only defending the end zone as a team - Allow teams a few minutes in between games to come up with some tactics that they may want to use in the next game. You may want the winning teams to share examples of tactics that they have used to win the game previous
- Make sure we can see good communication between the teams, especially when it comes to the go forward game. With each player needing to be in the opposition half, we need all players communicating well so that the team can score a point.
Key Questions:
- What do the terms tactics and strategies mean?
- Can we explain a tactic and strategy we used in the previous game?
- How can we work effectively as a team?
National curriculum links:
- Using running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control and technique through playing handball
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing creativity in their work, coming up with tactics
- Developing leadership skills
Lesson 4: Defending As A Team
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To understand the importance of defending in handball
- To understand how we can defend in different ways in handball
Success Criteria:
- I can mark an opponent effectively.
- I can defend space as well as a player.
- I can communicate with teammates when defending.
Key Words:
- Defending
- Specific Marking
- Zonal marking
Equipment:
- Cones
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Bibs
- Hula Hoops
- Goals if available
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Defend the fort
Set up an area with a split line in the middle (like a dodgeball court). Have one team set up as the defending team and one team set up as the attacking team. Set up obstacles on the defending team’s side. This may be balls on a cone, hula hoops set up as castles, anything that the defending team need to protect.
The job of the attacking team is to throw the balls and try to destroy the obstacles. The job of the defending team is to block and protect those obstacles. Can the defending team come up with simple tactics on how they are going to protect the obstacles from being hit and destroyed?
Teams to swap roles and time how long they can protect their side.
Skill Development
Defending As A Team
Split the class into two even teams and within those teams we want the children in groups of 3. We are going to have a goal and goalkeeper at one end with an end zone set up at the other.
The attacking team begin at the end zone, with the defending team having to protect the goal. The game will be a 3v3 with the defending team also having a goalkeeper to protect the goal.
The job of the attacking team is simple, to score a goal. Every goal they score, they are awarded 1 point
The job of the defending team is to firstly defend the goal, and second to try and intercept and counter attack, dribbling the ball through the end zone.
If the ball goes out of play or the attacking team miss their shot, the defending team are awarded 1 point. If the defending team intercept a pass and dribble over the end zone, they are awarded 2 points. Normal handball rules apply
Game – End zone
Split the space in half and create two equal court areas for the children to work in. Split the class into 4 even teams.
At either end of each court, add in a line of cones creating an “end zone”. One player will be standing in the end zone opposite to where your team starts. To score in this game the ball must be played into the end zone and caught by the player on your team after the team completes 5 passes. Only 1 person is allowed in the end zone at a time, if there is more than 1 and the ball is caught then the point does not count. Once the ball is caught, the player in the end zone can swap with the player who threw the ball to them.
Teaching Points:
- We want the children to understand the two different ways that we can defend in handball. We can use specific marking or we can use zonal marking. Specific marking is where each defender individually marks one attacker and stays with that attacker. Zonal marking is where we defend a zone/area, which is usually close to their own goal and don’t allow spaces closes to their goal
- Let the children come up with their own tactics and which type of defending they want to use as a team. Specific marking is normally more aggressive when you want to win the ball back quickly but can leave you more open as a team. Zonal marking will leave less space close to your goal, but can mean the attacking team are always close to your goal, and will give you less chance of intercepting a pass and counter attacking
- As the attacking team, if a team is specific marking, can we constantly move and look for spaces to keep the defenders moving around. If they are zonal marking, we need to be able to bring them out of their zone to create more spaces to move into close to their goal.
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by specific and zonal marking?
- What are the positives and negatives of both types of marking?
- When defending as a team, how can communication be important?
- As the attacking team, how can you exploit and take advantage of each type of marking?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for both attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing handball
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Being creative in coming up with tactics to use in their games
- Showing and developing leadership skills
Lesson 5: Positional Play
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To understand the different positions in handball
- To experience playing in different positions
Success Criteria:
- I understand the different positions in handball
- I can try different positions between each game
Key Words:
- Positions
- Attacking
- Defending
- Shape
Equipment:
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Cones
- Bibs
- Goals
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Chain Tag
Split the class into 3-4 smaller group all working in an area of the hall. The groups may be 7-8 per group. Start the game with one person being on. Their job is to try to tag someone. Once tagged, they form a chain by holding hands. They must continue to hold hands as they try to tag someone else. Once tagged, that person then joins the chain and people continue to join the chain until everyone is out. The last person in wins the game.
Get the children to think about defending when they are the tagger. Can they work together in their chain to block or prevent someone from finding space in order to make it easier to tag. Can they corner a person by working together in their chain in order to tag them
Game – Games of handball
Split the class into teams of 7. We are going to set up 1 or 2 handball courts (this will depend on space and staff availability)
Firstly, go through the 7 positions in handball:
Goalkeeper – defending the goal, must stay inside the shooting zone and can use any body part to block the ball
Right back – main defender on the right
Centre back – main defender in the middle
Left back – main defender on the left
Right wing – attacking player on the right
Left wing – attacking player on the left
Centre forward – attacking player in the middle
Get the children to play games of handball for 8-10 minute games, swapping teams to play against others and swapping roles within their team as we start a new game.
The positions are similar to that of a football team. We want them to try to stick to positions but ensuring that when we attack, the defenders push up high to join in with attacks, and when we defend, the attackers come back to help with the defence.
Normal handball rules apply. 1 point awarded for every goal scored.
Teaching Points:
- Get the children to understand each position and how they operate when attacking and defending. Remember that we all attack and we all defend, but we have to be wary of when we lose the ball, to get back into a defensive shape (see sheet)
- When attacking, we can be more flexible with our shape, we do not need to stick to it, especially if the defending team are defending specifically. We can move and swap positions to confuse the opposition and to lose our marker. However, we need to be aware that if we do that and we lose the ball, we may be caught out of position.
- Get the children experiencing the different roles so for example, if they are a defender in the first game, we want to try and have them being either an attacker or goalkeeper in the next game. Can the children begin to understand which role suits them better. Are they a better defender and therefore should they be a defender. Are they a good shooter and therefore be in a more attacking role.
Key Questions:
- Can we name the positions in handball?
- Why is it important to stay in your position when defending?
- When attacking, how can we create more spaces?
- Which roles did we prefer and why?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for both attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing handball
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing creativity in coming up with tactics to use
- Showing and developing leadership skills in the session
Lesson 6: Handball Games
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To apply skills, rules, and tactics in competitive handball games.
Success Criteria:
- I can use skills taught in previous weeks within games.
- I can follow rules independently.
- I can work positively with my team.
Key Words:
- Compete
- Respect
Equipment:
- Handballs/medium sized balls
- Cones
- Bibs
- Goals if available
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Team Warm Up
Give each group a ball and allow them to go and create their own warm up. This should include a dynamic movement (jog, shuttle), a stretch (1 stretch per person in the group) and practice passing the ball in the group
We also want to see the group come up with tactics they are going to use in their games.
Recap handball rules to the class
Game – Handball games
In their groups get them to come up with their own team name. This will be used in the competition. Talk about some sporting values that the children must follow during the competition. This could be things like:
>Encouraging others throughout
>Shaking hands with the opposition when the game finishes
>Showing respect to others including the referee
>Making sure that all of your team is involved in the game
The format for the competition will be this schedule:
Playing with 4 teams:
| Court 1 | Court 2 |
| 1 v 2 | 3 v 4 |
| 1 v 3 | 2 v 4 |
| 1 v 4 | 2 v 3 |
You may only have enough space for one court, which will mean two teams have to sit out and watch.
Whilst they are watching, allow the teams to come up with tactics for both attacking and defending which can be used the next time that they play. Once they have played, can they reflect on their performance as a team and how they can improve for the next game. Allow them to think of:
Rules for handball:
>Goalkeepers can go outside of their box, but not with the ball in their hands. Again, this is awarded as a foul and possession is handed to the other team.
>Teams of 6-8 (ideally 7) depending on the class size. One person has to be the goalkeeper
>To dribble, a player must be constantly bouncing the ball (as you would in basketball). You can take 3 steps without dribbling, for up to 3 seconds, but you then must pass or shoot. Failure to do so is penalised as travelling. In this instance, possession is awarded to the other team
>You cannot stop and catch the ball in two hands and then continue to dribble. This is called double dribble. If this takes place, possession is awarded to the other team
>Non contact sport – meaning the only way to gain possession back is by intercepting a pass or by the ball going out of play
>Outfield players cannot enter the goalkeepers box. You can only enter the box if you are completing a jump shot – when you jump in the air before shooting. If you do this, you must release the ball before your feet touch the floor. If you enter the box with the ball, possession is awarded to the other team.
Teaching Points:
- We want to see the children use the positions from last weeks session in today’s when playing
- We want to see the team working together and everyone knowing what tactics are being used. We should not see for example, some people using specific marking and others using zonal marking. We should all be using the same. If the team aren’t, we need to get them improving their communication and everyone knowing the tactics before the game begins
- Can we see the team moving and looking for spaces to receive the ball. Are all the team attacking as a team. We should not see anyone other than the goalkeeper being close to their own goal when their team is attacking
- Can we get the class competing fairly and displaying good sportsmanship throughout the session. Encourage, praise and highlight any positive behaviour in games.
Key Questions:
- What did we do well during the game in attack?
- What did we do well during the game when defending?
- Can we make any changes to tactics or positions in the next game to improve?
- Did everyone feel involved in the game? If not, why?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control and technique through playing handball
- Comparing their own and their team’s performance against a previous attempt and looking for improvements
Social/environmental skills:
- Showing good sportsmanship to others
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing creativity in their work by coming up with tactics
- Showing and developing leadership skills
- Showing resilience in their work by looking for improvements
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