Relay, tag and run

Relay or competitative races

Change side

The children are divided into two groups and each group is placed behind a line. When the coach says: "Change side", the children run as quickly as possible to the opposite line. The team who comes first, wins.

Variation

Other types of races, for example: jumping, limping, on all fours. You can also let the kids start sitting, lying, standing with their back to the line or kneeling.

Tag

Team Tag

Run

Push

Push and pull

Crowding

Stomp

Other games

Other fitness practises

Ball

Reaction

Extended killer

The coach is the leader and judge. All participants stand in a circle with their eyes closed and one hand held toward the middle with your thumb up. The coach selects one or more killers by turning the participants’ thumbs down. Those who do not get the thumb moved downwards, are not murderers, but potential victims.

At the cry "the killer is loose, all opens their eyes. Everyone now walks around and look at each other. The murder kills by making eye contact and winking at a victim.

The killed victim must wait a little while (about 5 seconds) and then die so under more or less dramatic circumstances. If the dying person hits someone while dying, they die too - this is also true of the murderer, if he is touched. The dying is not allowed to take more than three steps during the death process.

The point is to reveal who is the murderer.

If another participant believes to have seen the wink he put up his hand and shouts: "I accuse". The charge may only be used if someone else wants to support the prosecution by saying "I support".

Until then murder can continue killing and, among other things kill the prosecutor.

When someone accuses and someone else supports the accusation the judge stops the game. On command from the judge reads the cry: &qout;1,2,3, death of the murder.&qout; At 3 the ones accusing points at the suspected murder. Accuser and supporter may not talk together before pointing:

Is they guessed correctly, the murderer die.

If they identifies two different people, the accusor and the supporter dies - even if one one or more of the accused persons are actually murders.

If both points at the same person, but this is not a murderer, both accuser and supporter dies.

If one delays in pointing, the one pointing too late dies.

If there are multiple murderers, a murderer may help to trap a second killer.

If there are more killers than one there is a risk that the murderes might kill each other by winking at each other simultaneously.

Reaction Warm Up Game

Participants run around in the hall in a row with good spacing between each other. The coach describes 4-6 exercises, each given a number. Each time the number is mentioned that exercise must be done. Eg. 1: lie down and get up. 2: two jumps. 3: 3 long jumps. 4: 4 abdominal bendings. 5: 5 push-ups. Shout of the figures can be done at a faster and faster pace.

Squit, squit

This is a game with imaginary water pistols. Ask the kids in a circle with a child in the middle. The child in the middle forms his hand into a gun and goes around the circle. When the child points to a child in the class with his gun and says "Squit", then that kid must duck and say "splash". If the person does not do this he is dead and he will be the "water gun". If he duck himself, then the two persons standing beside him must shout "Squit" and shoot each other. The one who hits last becomes the new "water gun".

Make sure that "water gun" pointing clearly.

Variation

It is a little less hard if you simply must drop down wihtout saying "splash".

Competition where the gunner is out after having shot, and it all ends with a duel between the last two survivors.

Strike on the hands

The participants goes together in pairs and compete against each other.

Game 1

Both lying on the stomach their hands in front of the head. The hands are placed on the floor.

It is about hitting each other on the hands Two possibilities:

• The participants strikes in random order, and the idea is to hit the other participants on the upper side of the hands. Or who first hits the other 10 times on the upper side of the hands.
• One is allowed to hit the others hands until he misses, then it is the turn of the other participant.

Game 2

Standing in pairs opposite each other, with the palms facing each other. The person who has his hands at the bottom, should attempt with a circular motion to strike the other person over the backs of the hands before that person removes his hands.

Game 3

Pairs standing opposite each other. Hands together and fingers pointing towards the opponent. The goal is to hit the other on the hands, with both hands. The children have the right to strike until you misses. When you have broken contact you have to try to hit.

Chit chat

The children are together in pairs. one is called Chit and the other Chat. There are 4 concepts / exercises: Around, above, below, pats on the bum.

The coach controls the game, for example by yelling: "Chit under". Chat then form a bridge by spreading their legs, which Chit crawl through.

"Around" means that the commanded runs around on the other. By "over" the commanded jumps trestle over the other. "Snik flaps Discussions in bum" means Snik will try to get some chatter and clapping in the bum.

Variation

Tickle, pat each other’s hands, stomp one the feets.

Signal- and reflex game

The children stands in a circle holding each other’s hands. The children are told that a signal, a squeeze of the hand, will be passed clockwise around the circle. So they have to immediately pass on a recieved signal. You can time how long time a squeeze is on to reach round. All but the coach has their eyes closed. The play is repeated 3-4 times. The children are asked to concentrate. The game trains the children’s reaction time to a movement that they know will come. It goes faster and faster to send the signal around the circle.

Then children are told that they do not know which hand pressure will be comming on and when. They still have to immediately pass the signal on. Normally this will take longer.

Next the children told that they still do not know which hand pressure coming, but the coach now sending hand-pressed three or four times the same way around. The children prepare to hand the pressure comming from one side, but then receives it from the other. One can also vary with a double handshake and see if the trainer also gets a double again

Reaction race

Two and two together, they take turns to start a race. So that the first child determines the start time while the second follows as soon as possible. When beginning it is important not to shout, and it is important for the partner to start on seing the movement. The start can be varied, eg standing start, lying on the back, stomach or start with various exercises, eg pushups or jumps.

Everybody who has...

Participants stand up in a row. The coach shouts: "Everybody who has black hair that stands up on the bench / chairs!". The first who carried out the contract satisfactorily, has won. The game can be varied in countless ways. Eg.: "Anyone who has white shoes, lay down on the floor."

Winking Game

The children stand in pairs behind each other in a circle with good spacing between each team. The children in the outer circle has their hands behind their backs. One of them has no partner. This person winks to one of those who are in the inner circle. This person must now get to the winker as fast as possible. The one behind him must try to hold him. If he manage to slip away, it is turn of the one who now stands alone to be winking to another person.

The ones behind must hold their hands behind their backs until the have to catch the one in front of them. When they try to catch the one escaping, it must be done by the shoulders, or possibly hips.

General, Soldier, Bear

This is a variant of the game "rock, paper, scissors game." You "cut" to "1", "2", "3" and then display either general, or soldier bear (see how below), the loser has to catch the winner before he gets behind a safe line.

The general can order / beat the soldier. (Symbol: salute)

The soldier shoots / beat the bear. (Symbol: shoot with his arm and make shooting sound)

The bear eats / beat the general. (Symbol: Lift your arms over your head, roars and run forward)

Variation

The game may also be played as a team. Participants in the team will agree in advance on which character they show. The participant who gets caught by the opposing team becomes a part of this team. The game can continue until there is only one team.

Find a Friend

Find some music. The children run around to the music. When the music stops, you must quickly find someone to hold in your hand. For odd number of children the one who does not find a friend make a pre-agreed tasks. If there are a equal number of kids, the pair who formed last must do the task. It could be running around all the other kids.

Hands and legs

Split the children into teams. Each team must cooperate and use their brains and imagination. Coach says for example. "4 legs and one hand." Each team must now ensure that only the 4 legs and a hand touches the ground. Other body parts may not touch the soil. You can put a time limit on the resolution or agreement that the team which first solves the problem wins.

Moderne Pentathlon

Explain sport history (i.e. training for a military messenger). When the coach shouts: "riding / running / shooting (lying down) / swimming (lying down) / fencing" then the kids performs that discipline until the coach mentions a new discipline. When the coach shouts, "modern pentathlon" the kids must make all five points in quick succession. Tell a story in the game ........... he shoots himself out of troubles, his horse is shot, coming to a river ..........

Rainforest

Require many participants and a hall with good acoustics to be effectful. Participants stands in a circle and are told that now they’re in a rainforest, where it slowly starts to rain. They must do the same as a trainer by the trainer starts and the child on his left must then copy the movement. One must first start the movement when person on the right side have started. All of which have started will continue until a new move is sendt to them from the trainer.

Examples of movements:

• Finger flick
• Clap in Hands
• Alternately, clap hands and thighs.
• Slap thighs.
• Stomp intensively.
• Stomp and slap thighs.

Hubbubbum exercise

Coordination Exercise. When coach says "hub" everyone swings their right arm forward. By "bub" swung their left arm back. The "bum" stomp with the right foot. The "hubbubdum" do all three things at once. By "hubbub" they must swing right arm forward and left back, but "bumhub" switches so that they must swing the right arm back while the left swings forward.

Swinging Rope or "the Coffee is Hot"

A rope is swung around in the beginning along the ground and raised slowly. The children should move into the rope track while they jump over the rope in a predetermined way. It may be common hop, hopscotch or jump in En Garde. If a kid hits the rope, it is their turn to swing the rope.

Wake Up

The coach acts owl and tands in a drawn circle on the floor (the nest). All the children decides which animal or insect that they want to play. Owl says: "It is morning - wake up" after which it closes its eyes. Now all the kids move around like the animals they have chosen. When the owl opens his eyes and says, "It is night - be quiet!", All instantly must be completely quiet. Now the owl go hunting and catches the children who laughs or moves, and takes them home to nest. These children are now young owls, who helps to hunt next time. The last animal or insect is a winner.

The owl and the owl kids should be completely quiet during the hunt.

There flew a Cow

The coach and the kids forms a circle. The coach says for example. "There flew a crow", after which everybody quickly streetches the arms into the air and make a jump. Anything can fly, are: airplanes, butterflies, swallows, etc. At one point the adult says the adult "eThere flew a cow!" (or something else that can not fly) and at this time the children must not raise their hands and give a jump. Those who make mistakes must squat until next time.

The coach can make a little break. "It flew a .... horse", so that children can manage to concentrate. When playing with slightly older children, you can introduce that the trainer well be fooled, so he says say "there flew a ... horse", and then raise his arms in the air and jumps.

The cat stalks

The children sit in a circle on the floor with their faces toward the center. In the middle one child sits a blindfolde. When the coach points to one of the kids in the circle, he or she sneak in (as quiet as a cat) and touch the person sitting in the middle. If the blindfolded hears the stealthy cat and can point the direction where the sound comes from the cat has to walk back to his place in the circle. If one of the cats manages to creep all the way into the circle and touch the child in the middle, the two children changes positions.

Hello there

All the kids think of a number between 1 and 6 One keeps the same number all the time and the whole game takes place without anyone saying anything.

The children walk around between each other and gives hand. You shakes the others hand the number of times that corresponds to the figure in mind. When one has shaken the hand, it is the other’s turn. If you meet a person with the same number of greetings as yourself, takes hands and walk around until all of the same figures have found each other.

Variation

Press each other on the nose, twist ears, beat on the shoulder, hug, wink.

Fire, water, storm

Get the kids to run around the hall. When the coach shouts "Fire", the children will quickly pair and holding hands two by two. Coach shouts: "Water", the children climb into ribs or chairs, benches, etc. At the shout of "Storm", the children must lie down flat on the ground.

The child / couple, who are last to perform the action, are removed from the game or must perform an exercise, for example. to climb three times up ribs, under the chair or do 10 pushups.

Glove

Get the Glove

In the middle put a box or similar. Place a glove inside the box. Split the children into 2 teams and place them behind lines, 2 or 4, equal distance from the box. Each child receives a number. Coach cries two numbers up. The two children with these numbers must now compete on who can first bring the glove safety behind his own line. If one child take the glove, the other have to touch him before he have both feet over his own line, and thereby wins the competition.

Variation

When you have practiced the play sometimes, you can call out numbers that do not exist or more than two numbers at a time.

The children can either stand, lie on stomach / back or sit with the back to the box.

On a larger area you can call up a team up instead of individuals. If you get touched, you throw the glove away and sits down. The team who gets the glove behind their line wins.

Fill up the glove box

Middle of the room is a box with all the club’s gloves. The coach throws the gloves off in space, while the children try to get them back in the box as quickly as possible. The coach continues to throw the gloves until a predetermined time has elapsed.

Children should not throw the gloves into the box - they should put them in. They can only bring back one glove at a time.

The goal is to win over the coach, that happens if there are more gloves in the box than on the floor when the time is up.

The game can also be played in teams, so that a team cleans up while the other team takes over the trainers role

Away with the gloves

The children divided into two teams. The area is divided in half with two low benches, a chalk line or a string. The teams are placed on either side of the "net". When the trainer gives signal the game starts. Now the kids throw the gloves over to the other teams court. The point is that the gloves goes away - that is over to the other team as quickly as possible. The team which only have their area without gloves have won. One can also agree on a certain time limit, the game to last, and then see which team has the fewest gloves in their court when the time is up. If a team throws gloves off the pitch, they have to get the gloves back to their own area before they are allowed to throw it to the opponents half.

You are not allowed to have more than one glove in each hand at any time.

Before you start, it should be made clear to children that they must not throw more gloves when the final signal is given. Instead of agreeing on a specific time, the trainer can during matches announce that now there is, for example. only ½ minutes left, which can cause children to make an extra effort in the end.

Glove hunt

The children divided into two equal sized teams. Each teammember will have a glove into the waistband on the back. The game is to steal the other teams gloves. When your glove is taken, you are out of the game. The team which first captures all the gloves of the other team has won. The "dead" goes to sit in a corner of the hall. When capturing a glove, you retaining it in the hand. You are not allowed to hold on to your own glove, but defending it with arm movements is allowed. If you drop or loose you glove you are dead.

Variation

Establish a pre-agreed time after which the team with the most vibrant on the pitch have won. You can also play with that one took the glove to be put in the waistband at catcher, they have several lives. The dead man team can make a liberator by reacquire a glove from an opponent with more gloves. Someone with more gloves on them is as appropriate until death, when all gloves are fratvunget him.

Foxhunt / Glove tag

One of the kids or the coach will have a fencing glove put in the waistband with the palm visible (foxtail), showing that he is a fox. The others have to catch the fox. The fox has to defend the tail. Anyone who can pull the tail from the fox, gets the glove and are now the fox. The hunters must then count to ten before the fox can be caught. You can also provide respite for the fox by stating that can not be caught before the coach has sounded the hunting horn.

Variation

With older children you can let two people be fox simultaneously.

One can introduce a couple of chickens (behind the glove with gray side visible) which can be caught by the fox. If the fox catches a bird without even having been made up his tail, one of them is not chicken, hunters, fox have won the game.

Game of Tails

All participants have a glove fastened in waistband on the pants as a tail. It is important now to take the others’ tails, the gloves you take must also be put in the waistband. The person who has the most gloves when the game ends wins.

The Samson Game

"The Samson game" is named after Samson from the Bible, because you can only fight so long as you have hair! The hair is a glove, sitting in front of the waistband. Samson was strong and big, so the game is also named after him because the game can be violent (- but it need not be so).

The children are divided into two teams. One team is attackers. The other team defends one or more balls or other objects that are placed in a circle - the circle can be a hoop, a chalk circle or one of the painted circles on an athletics track. You can also use the red box on the fencing piste as "circle".

Within 5 meters distanceaway is a glove storage. The aim of the activity is to steal things in the circle - one at a time. All participants have one glove - in front of the waistband.

The defenders stands 2-4 meters from the circle (the distance may depend on participants’ age, strength and speed). The defenders must push the attackers away - as long as the defenders have a glove. Glove can be lost by the opponents take it in the heat of battle. If the glove is lost, the defenders must go to the storage to obtain a new one. Then they can defend it again.

The attackers must try to move (not charge) in through the defense. The attackers may attack as long as they have a glove. If they loose a glove, the attackers must go to the depot to get a new one. Then the attackers may attack again.

For every time an attacker get through the circle, he must take one item with him out. When the ball is reached, the attacker is "safe" - and is free to leave the circle.

Reversal of roles.

Last man wins

A child starts out as hunter and is equipped with a glove. Children who get caught, are assigned a glove too and must help to catch the rest of the children. The children may not catch someone before they have been given a glove by the coach. The last who is not caught wins. For older children the game can be made harder by introducing certain gaits, as the only permissible forms of movement.

Circle game

The children are placed in a circle facing the middle with the hands behind their backs. The coaches walk around with a glove in the hand and hands it to one of the children, who then beat the next man in the circle on the back and hunts that person around the whole circle. As a surprise, the coach can suddenly hand two gloves, one to each of two children side by side.

Catch the tail tag

Each participant will receive a glove as a tail, which the participant must carry in the waistband at the "tail". The shirt should be down in the pants, so other can get to the glove. Participants runs around. You can have a catcher, or more hunters can all be hunters. If the glove are taken, you have to do one of the trainer predetermined drill before you can participate again.

Monk Guard

A water bottle stands on the floor at a distance from the children. They must now throw the gloves and try to topple the bottle. A "guardian monk" stands on guard. Once the bottle has toppled, the guardian must stand it up and try to catch those children who are on their way to pick up their gloves. If one gets caught, that child are the new monk guardian.

Knockout

All is it tag-game with a glove on the back in the waistband. As long as you have a glove in the waistband, you are allowed to take the others’ gloves. When you have lost your glove you are out of the game. The last man on the field wins.

Variation

If a you have lost your glove you must be standing on the completely quiet and if someone comes close, you can try to capture their glove, but without moving your legs.

Game of Names

The children sits in a circle, with outstretched legs and feet toward the middle. A person is placed in the center with a glove in his hand. It is now his task to beat the feet of the person whose name is said. The person whose name is mentioned can avoid getting in the middle if he says a name of one of the other children in the circle before his feet are hit. If the name is wrong or not said before you get hit over the feet you swap space with this person in the middle.

Fencing related games and exercises

Leg training

Marche and rompre

Do marche or rompre over a series of arms / hockey sticks that are placed on the floor. The children may only have one foot in the space between a set of sticks, which teaches children to move the foot in motion direction only.

Assult against Glove

Cooperate in pairs, one with a glove in kicking height in various distances from the other child. The second child makes the assult and try to kick the gauntlet before the assult is finalized. Can later be created with marche assults, jump backward assults or ballaistre assults.

Catch the Glove

Two and two together. One holding a glove high in the air. The one holding the glove drops the glove, and his partner then have to catch the glove at the same time as he is doing marche, fleche assult or other legwork.

Variation

The coach stands in front of the pupil with a glove in each hand. The student makes quartz battery meant whereby the glove is pushed to the side with the weapons hand then the other glove action with the outcome.

Who can kick the longest

A coin or chicken ring is placed under the front feet, the student makes the outcome whereby fowl ring slipped off. Can be created as a competition who can shoot the longest.

Kick the Glove to Mate

Partners are facing each other in EnGarde position. One provider submit a glove on his feet and makes an outcome so that the glove kicked up in the air. This enables the makkeren to take the glove. This exercise can also be made with ballaistre.

Catch the Glove first

The children stand in pairs facing each other, with the coach between them. Coach released a glove between each pair, it is now executive powers to seize gauntlet with outcome. Who’s fastest? With a little routine you can have a glove in each hand and clear two double team one time.

Who is the fastest

Two and two opposite each other in En Garde position. The task is "hit your opponent on the inside of the front knee with your weaponhand". To get the right distance, every kind of legwork except fleche can be used.

Equal much weight on both legs

Stand in En Garde position with weight put equally on both legs, so you can lift your feet faster than the hockey stick you partner moves along the floor. The stick is moved in a random order in front of the front foot or behind the back.

The coach says

When the coach says his name before an order, then the order is to be executed. For example "Martin says do the assult", the children must make assaults. If the order is not performed, not performed promptly, or performed incorrectly that player is out of the game. If the trainer does not mention his name in an order, so it should not be performed, and players who does anyway looses the game, in this case the players should be standing completely quiet. The game continues until only one child is left, who then is the winner.

Legwork with mirror

As a routine legwork, where pupils are placed in a row in front of the coach. When the coach shows the back of the hand to the the kids, it is a fencing match and children must do the opposite of the coach: eg. coach makes marche - the kids must do rompre and vice versa. When the coach shows the palms to the kids, this is a mirror image and children must therefore do the same thing as the coach: eg. trainer do rompre - the children do rompre.

Variation

Make the game into a competition where you drop out of the game or get "punishment" for example pushups if you go the wrong way, or respond too late.

Station exercise / circle training

Split the children into small groups and make 4-6 stations at which various forms of legwork must be done. The kids are at each station for 1 or maybe 2 minutes for older children and adolescents. Make a short break when the children will change to the next station. Make sure children are well aware that the exercises must be carried out properly and give a thorough instruction before start and during the activity.

Legwork Lab

Find the best marche, rompre, assult and ballaistre out of many kinds, as the coach shows the children: Ordinary (short and quick small steps), long, very short, on the heels, on toes, slow, torso bent, torso bent over backwards, on the inside of your feet, on the outside of the feet, on one leg, etc. The participants tries the various ways of making the moves and are consulted and decide (hopefully) to the best of its kind. An educational and entertaining way to show children what is right and wrong in fencing positions.

Red light stop

The coach stands with his back to the children. It is about to reach the person standing as soon as possible, but when the person turns the children must be standing correctly and quietly otherwise they have to go back and start over. Work with marche, rompre when you have to go back and standing in en garde.

Reaction legwork

The children placed in two rows facing each other. One team is called "1 " the second "2 ". Each team has a starting line and a baglinie. The coach shouts "1" or "2". The figure who shout, to capture the second number, so the fencer as he faced before that when his baglinie. The hunter doing marches and the victim does rompre.

Assult reaction game

The children stand in a row and each is assigned a number. When the coach makes a move, for example. pointing at them and shout their number, they quickly makes an assault. The coach must surprise the kids and because fencing is visually, the children must react to the movement not the should. Try to cheat them by pointing to someone other than the number belongs.

Keep distance or drop the mask

The children are grouped together in pairs. They stands En Garde and trapped between the weapon hands is a mask. One child decides the direction and makes marche or rompre, the other child must follow or otherwise drop the mask, they may not say anything, the following child must respond to his partners movements. After a period the children change tasks.

Variations of ordinary legwork

• Leg work with closed eyes.
• Shadow parry or shadow parry with closed eyes.
• Let the children carry the weapon in the hand while doing leg work.
• Write your name with the tip of the weapon, using small movements.
• Working with the weapon and doing leg work at the same time.

Weapon- control and technics

Can You Hit

Fencers facing the trainer, keep this in the first place his hand-knotted, fencing follow the hand with the tip. At one point, opened the hand so that palm appears fencers must now frame the hand by either stretching the arm, low marche or outages.

Fencing Ring Ridning

Hanging a string of good height d.v.s. so that nobody gets the string in his neck. Create a guide appendage in the middle of the long string with a shorter leash. In this pendant, which will hang in a little above shoulder height of a child who hooks a paper clip. Paper clip fastened a keychain or the like. Participants must now try to catch the ring on their arms, either by fleche w. optional weapons at distance 2.5-3m or on the back of his partner in running from my. 5m distance. No braking allowed. This is hard, so you can confidently offered a soda to everyone who can get in the ring. This would be good if one is so clever that you can demonstrate that it can actually be done.

Game of Pirates 2

Children divided into two pirate teams. Each team equipped with foam rubber swords or fleur pans, gloves and masks. The course may be limited to a slope. Placed back on the track team’s treasure trove (eg a power-West = silver treasure). The team who first gets hold of his opponent’s tax has won. You die if you get hit on the upper body minus head and arms (torso). When one is dead, Those who are outside of the track. If you use a piste which runway you can also say that the slopes are a ship that is the table of pirates or two ships sailed into each other.

The coach is a judge and be consistent. The game can be made harder by only the front of the body count, this is also for safety preferable if fence with foil.

Good advices, tips and hints

Bagground

This guide of training games and exercises, have been developed in collaboration with the Danish Fencing Federations Child- and Youth Committee. When writing his advices Marting had been coach for children for a year in Hellerup Fencing Club, training two teams starting team with an average of 14 participating children per team on each training evening, with the children being between 7 and 14 years of age. They were two coaches for each team.

Since children love to play, it has been our plan from the beginning to let sport, especially the initial warm up, be integrated as games. We have thus rarely made common, conventional warm up, as this seems to most children unusually dull and need not be nearly as relevant as for adult athletes.

For some children are warming the Games the funniest part of the training, since Fencing may seem difficult and also is an individual sport where you must learn to accept his defeat in addition to bruising. For the youngest children can be the first time, these things perceived, and in the school of life, these experiences occur - but in small doses at a time.

The more serious approach to fencing sport, I have left to continue the club’s teams, where children can continue once a fun and slower habituation to the sport will hopefully have created a curiosity, interest, concentration and patience to work more seriously with fencing. In children start the team is the most for fun.

When I started training, I had very little experience with teaching children in sports. I had a need for inspiration. I had coaches and a fencing master to give me ideas and found a few manuals on child training and child play. Thanks to everyone and let me immediately confess that I have cut and copied the most, and even invented games or complement other games suffered.

When I have a bad memory and not good to work without planning, there was a natural need for me to write games and activities down. It is these games, I now pass on to inspire you to even train children in fencing.

Most of the games I have tested during the weekly training children in a fencing club. Actually, we have succeeded in getting a very varied program each time. The same play is rarely played more than twice. Children, however, right conservatives and would like to play the same game over and over again, so this degree of variability is strictly speaking not always necessary. In my teaching, we have 2 hours available on a training evening, which is used approx. 50 minutes of heating alloy, 15 min. the legwork (usually with alloy elements), followed by 10 min. pause, after which in the last 45 minutes. fencing under supervision and given lessons.

Planning

As they say in the Defense: "Not event the greatest luck can surpas a good plan."

As a coach you are most comfortable with your teaching, if you have pre-planned how to teach each lessons. After a while as a coach, it takes a little time to organize a training session. This can, for example be done while going to the training site.

It is difficult to achieve a goal without a plan. Your authority as coach compromised, if everything is just up to the children themselves and you seem desperate. This does perhaps not so much during heating, but it could impact the legwork, technique training and lessons.

If you are alone on training, it is even more important to you in advance you have made clear what should be done on training days when you do not have anyone to support you .

During the planning it will often be relevant to consider who it is you have to do? In general terms: Remember, these are children. More specifically, it may be wise to ask themselves the following questions before the election on preferences for a specific game: What is the age composition? What can children physically implement?. What can they keep the mental? What children think is funny? Think about when you were a child, perhaps it would now seem boring to play ettagfat or low g?tteleg, but then it was fun. Who are role models in the squad - besides yourself? What child has special problems.? How is the team behavior and socially?

The play must appeal to as many participants as possible. All must be active with. The game must be easy to organize. The number of rules, variations of the game and the physical difficulty should be adapted to children’s age and should make different demands on participants. The game should have some variations. The game will be dominated sport, but this need not always involve a very physical activity. It may also be a game for example. supports concentration - and coordination skills.

Keep the time frame so that I have time for legwork, and fencing lessons. Impetus also time to just talk and general information on fencing. When is it rally, Who is good, how repair a weapon, what is cool, can real Zorro fencing, etc.?

Presentation of activities

Put yourself centrally so that all can see and hear you. Be sure to create a quiet moment, so you do not need to say things several times. Ultimately it may be necessary to clarify that you will not start talking until there is quiet. You can also get the children to sit down, so they have no reason for running around.

Speak loudly and clearly. Start by presenting the name of the exercise, which often can set your imagination in the process among participants, and locate any on a background history of the game (it may well be far out in the woods, because it arouses amusement), compare the possible. with other activities.

Explain legens rules as clear and simple as possible. Some rules may be helpful in wait to explain (clarify) when the game first started. Inferior may be needed to make additional rules. When the activity is driven through a few times, one can also usefully come with the additional rules or build variations on the game.

Make sure that the majority has understood the rules before I start the game. Many rules can best be explained through demonstration, so the eye will produce.

Be sure also to be as consistent as possible in enforcing rules of the game during play, but do not hesitate to admit that you have not seen an infringement tion and therefore can not do anything about it.

The role of the coach

As a coach you must create atmosphere, the activities of the time, have an overview, intervene, alter the activity, assist participants, instruct and monitor the sporting elements and ensure that legens frames and rules.

If you have surplus, so stay even with the activity. Usually seemed the children that this is funny - though not always the teams play, unless I have two coaches. Understand that exploit your strengths and abilities wisely and sparingly in some cases, if you participate in the fun.

Control

It is you who is the coach, not the kids. Be consistent. The children must accept that it is you who organizes training and sets the ground rules. In general children’s play is often also rules, but no one authority that controls compliance. Since the activity is often limited in time and have a purpose (sport) and, among other things so different from normal play, we need some leadership from the train’s side. It is not a school but a fencing school and the framework is like in a gym hours at school. Usually accepts the eagles this control without the problems arise. Within this framework, both you and the kids have fun.

Of course you can play it as children suggests, if it fits into your program. But the children are also to gain new experiences and, as a child proposes is not always what another child will or can play. It is useless example. not to enter a proposal to play basketball, where half of the children do not feel like or too small. However, we may well create polls about what needs to change and prioritize calls so that only plays one in five minutes and then do the other in five minutes.

I usually make it clear to children that the proposal could be made before or after training, but not during training, for which I have my program. Some days we take as a "day off" where the children provides training.

Improvise and adapt

Improvise and customize the games. Maybe the rules or elements of the Games can be omitted or added. It depends on which children you are dealing with. Use your imagination. If you have not the necessary paraphernalia, maybe something else can be used.

Even the funniest game die after a time although children may well play the same game long and often without the need the variation that adults require. Be aware when the game stops to be fun, and the all the time have the next activity in mind, ready to be used.

Hits and flops

Hits and flops is actually a component of basic sentence "Improvise and Adapt". It is important to have a large variety of games and activities that you can use from . If one game does not work with your group group of children, you can proceed with the next without going to a standstill if you have many activities to draw on. When planning your training, it is a good idea that you installs a number of activities that you know are safe hits with the kids. If you have a large repertoire, you can quickly find a fun game from you of bag of games if a game fail and thereby get the group together again. It provides security, soon to able to get a hit out of the bag.

Do not accept that some children in advance says that a game sounds boring. If they’ve never tried your game, then they can only comment on games when they’ve tried them. Do not reluctant to emphasize this to the kids. If a majority of the children do not want to play a game already tried, then you must find a second game, or compromise with them: Now we are first playing x-exercise and then y-game afterwards.

Props

In our selection of games we have tried to take into account that a fencing club rarely has a large selection of props such as balls, cones and hulahop rings why many otherwise excellent games, which require such remedies are retained. Most Games this book requires only a few props beyond what is naturally found in a fencing club.