KR asked:
Coaches worldwide will tell you that even the best player on the court or field needs a strong team to win. The point is that while training players to build their individual skills is of course important, having a team that can work together and read each others moves in the game is important to victory.Â
So how do we get our team to work together. You will find literally tons of material available to you in this area. Thousands of sport specific books and videos. Countless websites and never ending advise from other coaches.
Why not think outside the box.Â
How about cage balls. Cage balls consist of a large cylindrical shaped, inflatable vinyl bladder. The bladder is placed inside of a brightly colored, nylon cover through a large slit in the side. This hole is then closed with a lace similar to a shoe lace. The bladder is then inflated. And presto you have a new exciting training aid. You can select from many sizes but the huge 72 inch size ball seems to be a favorite.
Chances are you’ve used a cage ball before. Ever been to summer camp? Maybe you belonged to a youth group as a kid. If you did you may be familiar with games like Crab Soccer, Cage Ball Volleyball or Push Ball. These simple games are great for forcing people to work together. The fact is a 72 inch cage ball is just too big to be controlled by one person. You need team work.
Cage balls are not limited to the well known cooperative games as listed above. Cage balls can be used in countless activities. You can easily adapt them to team building activities and training drills you already run with your team. The introduction of a huge 6 foot diameter cage ball will make monotonous drills new and exciting.
Cage balls can be an inexpensive way to get players to work together outside of the game. They have been used to produce cooperation skills in youngsters for years and in this writers opinion could be used for just about any sport as a means to keep practices lively.
So the idea is that even a simple item like a cage ball can be used to develop a team that can work together on the field or on the court. Give it a try at your next practice. For great pricing on cage balls and all of your athletic and physical education needs check out Morley Athletic online.