Jörg Madinger - From warm-up to handball team play

Following a shooting attempt, the players need to adjust immediately and start an attack on the opposite vaulting box.

Topic:Short warm-up games

Minimum number of players:8

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:3 different throwing toys, e.g., 1 handball, 1 frisbee, 1 softball; 8 cones

Setting:

- Define three playing fields using cones and make two teams.

- Both teams play team ball on the individual playing fields using the respective throwing toy. The players are not allowed to bounce the toy.

- Choose a different throwing toy for each playing field, e.g., common handball, medicine ball, frisbee, soft ball, tennis ball, etc.

- After playing, the throwing toys must remain in the respective playing field.

Course:

- The team in possession of the toy tries to pass it 8 times (return passes are not allowed).

- If the opposing team steals the toy, they may immediately try to pass it 8 times.

- The team scores, if they manage to pass the toy 8 times. After scoring, the toy must be put on the floor at once.

- Now the coach whistles once or twice, which is the sign for both teams to change the playing field accordingly.

Changing the playing field upon the coach’s whistle:

- One whistle: Change playing field upwards (A).

- Two whistles: Change playing field downwards (B).

- The team that first secures the new throwing toy may immediately try to pass it 8 times.

Examples:

- End of game on playing field 1

-- One whistle; the players need to move to playing field 3. However, the players need to sprint around one of the two cones first before they are allowed to enter playing field 3 (C).

-- Two whistles; the players need to move to playing field 2.

- End of game on playing field 2

-- One whistle; the players need to move to playing field 1.

-- Two whistles; the players need to move to playing field 3.

- End of game on playing field 3

-- One whistle; the players need to move to playing field 2.

-- Two whistles; the players need to move to playing field 1. However, the players need to sprint around one of the two cones first before they are allowed to enter playing field 1 (D).

If the teams remain in one playing field for too long, due to constantly switching ball possession, the coach may whistle anytime in between. The players need to adjust to the new situation immediately.

Topic:Short warm-up games

Minimum number of players:8

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:1 handball, 8 to 10 cones

Setting:

- Use cones to define several goals.

- Assign the numbers 1 to 4 to the side lines.

- Make two teams.

Course:

- The teams play against each other.

- By running and passing the ball in a well-coordinated manner (A), the team in ball possession tries to pass the ball 5 (3, 7) times to a teammate by bouncing it through one of the defined goals (B or D).

- The players must attack a different goal each time (C). They are not allowed to bounce the ball through the same goal two times in a row.

- The attacking team counts the bouncing passes through the goals aloud.

- As soon as the team has passed the ball through the cones 5 times, the coach calls out a number between 1 and 4 (E).

- The attacking team now tries to lay down the ball behind the respective side line (F).

- The team scores if they manage to complete the whole course (pass 5 times through a goal and subsequently lay down the ball behind the correct side line).

- The other team fetches the ball and now tries to score as well.

- If there is a switch in ball possession, the goal counting starts over from 1.

The players need to switch quickly and run to the next goal immediately after scoring. After the team has passed the ball through the cones 5 times, the players need to run to the respective side line at once.

As soon as the scoring team has laid down the ball behind the side line, the other team needs to fetch the ball immediately and start an attack on the goals.

Topic:Short warm-up games

Minimum number of players:10

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:1 handball, 8 small gym mats, 4 cones

Course:

- Both teams play team ball within the defined playing field (cones); however, they are not allowed to dribble. If a team manages to pass 8 times in a row, without the other team stealing the ball, the second part of the game begins.

- The attacking players now try to pass the ball to a teammate standing on one of the gym mats (C). If the player on the mat catches the ball, the team scores and stays in possession of the ball. In order to score again however, the team needs to attack a different gym mat.

- The team does not score if there is an opponent standing on the same gym mat as the attacking player while this player catches the ball (A).

- The players keep playing until the ball gets lost. The teams need to count the score (times they caught the ball while standing on a gym mat) themselves.

- Which team manages to catch the ball on the gym mat most often and scores highest?

Variants:

- Only a maximum of 3 players per team are allowed in the outer playing field (around the gym mats).

- After scoring, the players are neither allowed to attack the same gym mat again nor to attack the neighboring mats (B).