Chest and head to the zone
Ready when: basic done.
What you are learning
Controlling the ball with the chest (face it, bend the knees, step in and let it drop forward) and a few gentle headers that send it up and forward into a zone. Headers stay few: no more than 10 in a session.
Words on this card Net, Touch, Chest control, Set
- Net
- The low barrier across the middle of the table; at home a rope or a bench.
- Touch
- Each time a player plays the ball; at most three per side.
- Chest control
- Stopping the ball with the chest; playing it with the forehead.
- Set
- One part of a match, played to 12 points.
Set up
A target zone marked near the "net"; a soft ball for heading.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Face the throw, knees slightly bent, and step in as the ball meets the chest so it drops forward.
- For a header, watch the ball onto the forehead and push it up and forward.
- Aim each one at the zone.
Your part while they practise
Throw to chest height, and only a few gentle balls to head height; call which part.
Step by step
- Chest: face the ball, knees slightly bent, step in and let it drop forward.
- Head: a few gentle headers, eyes on the ball, forehead, up and forward into the zone.
- Chest in sets of 10; headers no more than 10 in the session.
How much: 30 chest touches and 10 headers 15 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: First to 7
The player scores each chest or head touch that lands in the zone.
Who plays: 2 players, swapping as thrower.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The thrower calls "chest" or "head" and throws
- The player plays the ball into the zone
- Swap after each 7 points; headers count toward the 10 limit
- Fair play
- The thrower throws headers gently and rarely.
- Points
- 1 point for each ball in the zone.
- Fouls
- No point
- A touch with the hand or arm
- The wrong part for the call
- An 11th header in the session (stop heading)
- Winning
- The first to 7 points.
- 3 points for 1 star
- 5 points for 2 stars
- 7 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A bigger zone.
The thrower calls the part late.
What you will see, and what to say
- the ball goes straight up
Step into it, forward
Lean in. - the ball bounces off the chest
Soft chest, soft knees
Give with it.
Self-check
6 of 10 chest touches land in the zone.
Stop and get a coach when
Heading is uncomfortable; stop heading.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains chest and head control.
awiseathlete.com/sports/teqball/teqball-i1