Defend your castle!

WHY USE IT

Gives players an awareness of space and other players, and encourages stealing and protecting the ball.

SET UP

Set up an area relative to your players. Split players into four teams. Mark out a ‘castle’ in each corner of the area, assigned to each team. Split all of the balls between the areas.

HOW TO PLAY

The aim is to finish with the most balls in your castle after the allotted time. Players must steal balls from other castles, bringing them back to theirs, while protecting their own balls. When a player is stealing a ball from a castle, the owners of that castle can’t challenge them. When the balls are in the middle area, they are live, and players can challenge each other. At the end of the time, each team gets points equivalent to the number of balls in its castle.

Adaptations: Make some of the balls ‘special’ - a certain brand, for example. You can move the castles into the centre of the area, so they are open to invasion from multiple angles.

Coaching points

• What are your tactics? How are you going to arrange/split your team? Will you have some players stealing and some protecting?
• Can you be aware of who and what is around you, to protect your area?