We made the most of the good spring weather and got out of the hall and on to the playground this week at Epping Forest Sportability. After a warm up run around inside it was straight outside and in to some football skills drills. Alan and Ray led the session as always, with assistance from Ciara, Ollie and Zoe. Ball control was the name of the game and so dribbling the ball around cones was the goal. For those young ladies who are not football "fans" it was back inside for some other sports to keep them interested and active. Charlotte loves her basketball so practised shooting some hoops whilst Lesley prefers Badminton so played me (Andy) for a while - she is good! After a break we switched sports to Hockey but to start with we carried on with ball control drills. So instead of controlling a football with the feet it was controlling a tennis ball with the hockey stick. Negotiating a slalom course of cones was again the aim and the kids showed great skills. After a final drink and snack break it was time to put all the practice to good use with a game of hockey. Thomas was particularly good bringing team mates in to the game and giving them shots on goal. Both sides showed good attacking skills but some solid defending was also in evidence. I think the game ended in an honourable 5-5 draw, although some of the red team insisted it was 6-5. The referee was obviously no where to be seen!
We had a really good session last Saturday playing a variety of ball sports. It was a slightly quieter week compared to the weeks previously both in terms of numbers but also in volume. This was mainly due to Kerrie and Anand not being in this week! After a warm up it was straight in to some Rugby skills and games to celebrate the culmination of the Six Nations Rugby. First up was some passing drills firstly working in pairs passing between each other then a game where the group split in to two groups. Each team then spread out in to a line each standing on a marker. The aim being to pass the rugby ball down the line as accurately and fast as possible. When it reaches the end that person runs round to the other end of the line, every one moves down one position and then start again. After the skills drills it was straight in to a couple of Tag Rugby based games - Hunter and Dragons Den. The games were fast and energetic mixing running and tagging with ball control. Each game pitted two members up against each other with one trying to collect a ball and get it safely back before getting tagged by the "hunter". After a well earned break we changed the pace a little by switching to some games of Goalball. The group was divided in to teams of three made up of a goalkeeper and two outfield players. Each player had to stay on their matt with the aim being to score goals by throwing the ball and hitting the opposing team's bench (goal). To succeed it relied on good communication, passing and accurate throwing. Our final sport in the session was a game of Indoor Hockey, to burn off any remaining energy the kids may have still had. Again, a lot of running about but comminication amongst team mates was vital as well as accurate passing and shooting. Not sure who picked the teams but it looked a little one sided so it was a good job Alan was around to help the red team out!
Our session last Saturday was split in to two main sports - Badminton and Football. Numbers were slow to start with but soon picked up - I guess a lay in is nice but the lure of the sports was too much to resist! The session started as always with a warm up before we moved straight in to playing some badminton. The members paired off to hit the shuttlecock between each other. Some used the new nets to get the feel of a proper game while others prefered to play a little closer to each other. With many members showing a great level of concentration and agility it meant we witnessed some really good rallies taking place. After playing badminton for quite a while the group had a well deserved break. After which we got outside for the first time this year to make the most of the good weather. For the first time in a long time we played some football. The coaches started the football with some dribbling and passing drills. The dribbling drill was to control the ball around some cones whilst the passing drill involved the members forming two lines and passing across to each other going from one to the other down the line in a zig zag pattern. With that mastered it was on to some competitive matches and a lot of running around. While the game was going on Charlotte, who dislikes football, practised her Baskeball shooting. Meanwhile little Liam, who is unable to take part in competitive games at the moment, took over the photography duties taking some interesting shots of some of our coaches! As you can see from the photo, Anand was our star performer this week as he took part really well throughout the session and did particularly well at the Badminton, Well done Anand!
Next week we celebrate the end of the Six Nations with some Rugby - see you then! The main sport we played this week was basketball and it is always a sport that our members get stuck in to and have a lot of fun playing. We started as usual with a warm up and this week it was a game of tag to get the kids running around. Then it was straight in to the basketball with some ball control work. After that Coach Alan had devised a pass-and-run game where the group split over six stations in the shape of a rectangle. The ball was passed around the rectangle from one station to the next but as the person passed the ball they would follow it by running to that station. It was a fast paced game made even trickier when a second ball was added. After a short drinks break it was on to some one vs one games. Coach Ray picked two people in turn to go up against each other. After a ready, steady, go they had to race around cones from one end of the hall to the other where Ollie was waiting to throw the ball in to play. The two opponents would then have to go one on one back down to the other end bouncing the ball as they went before shooting. The first to score a basket won and it was often the player to gain control of the ball first that had the best chance of winning. Once all the one on one games were complete it was time for a well earned break before we went in to some team games. Little Liam is unable to take part in these games at present in case his wobbly tooth falls out again! So as you can see in the pictures below Ollie kept him busy in the hallway with a throwing game using bean bags and hoops. Meanwhile, the rest put all their practice to good use as they played some proper games of basketball. Finally, as a way to wind down, we played some Target Boccia at the end of the session. Our star of the week was awarded by the coaches to Hal - a very well done Hal! My apologies for posting the blog so late this week - must do better next week.
Join us again on Saturday at 10 where the main sport will be badminton |
EFSC NEWSEpping Forest Sportability Club is a multi-sports club for young people with mild to moderate physical and learning difficulties.
Categories
All
Archives
October 2024
|