Chasing, balance and flag games
Ready when: nothing needed.
What you are learning
Quick feet, balance and reaction through traditional games: grabbing a partner's tail without touching them, tapping feet or knees lightly, and chasing on a call. These build the movement wrestling needs, with no wrestling contact at all.
Words on this card Tails, Foot tap
- Tails
- A chasing game where each player has a scarf tucked in the waistband to protect.
- Foot tap
- Traditional partner games of tapping the partner's feet or knees, or pushing palms to unbalance.
Set up
Scarves or flags tucked in the waistband; a marked area.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Tuck a scarf into the back of your waistband as a tail.
- Show the rule: grab the tail, never the body or clothes.
- Foot tap: hold hands and try to tap the partner's feet with yours; knee tap: a light touch on the knee with the hand.
Your part while they practise
Referee; keep it playful.
Step by step
- Tails: grab a tail tucked in the waistband without touching the other player.
- Foot tap, holding hands.
- Knee tap, with a light touch only.
How much: 6 rounds 10 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: Call and chase
Two teams face each other at a centre line; the called team chases the other back to its safe line.
Who plays: 2 teams of 2 or more; you call.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Two teams stand on either side of a centre line, a step apart
- Call one team's name
- That team chases; the other team runs back to its safe line 10 m away
- A touched runner joins the other team. 6 calls
- Fair play
- A grown-up only walks.
- Points
- 1 point to the chasing team for each runner touched before the safe line.
- Fouls
- The touch does not count
- Grabbing clothes at the neck
- A push instead of a touch
- Starting before the call
- Winning
- The team with more players at the end.
- 2 points for 1 star
- 4 points for 2 stars
- 6 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A bigger area.
A smaller area.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child grabs the clothes at the neck
Hands off the neck
Never the neck. - the game is too rough
Touch, do not push
Light hands.
Self-check
Take a tail and keep your own for 30 seconds in a game, 3 times.
Stop and get a coach when
A child is hurt.
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 footwork, reaction, balance.
awiseathlete.com/sports/wrestling/wrestling-b3