Let's get active and try Rollerball!
With the Rollerball activity you can develop the following skills:
- Coordination and fluency
- Aim and accuracy
- Rhythm and timing
- Flexibility
This resource is suitable for Physical Education and activity for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).
Watch this
Learn how to take part in the Rollerball activity with help from primary school teacher, Danny Denholm.
DANNY: Hey, I'm Danny, and welcome to Let's Do This, where we will be getting active together.
This activity is called Rollerball.
This game is great for developing your coordination and fluency.
You will need a partner, sheet paper and sticky tape. A small ball.
You can do this with a partner, so I've got Hannah and Asher to help show you how to do this.
Step one, take a big sheet of paper and roll it up like this. Use some sticky tape here and make it into a tube.
Step two, partner one then holds a tube we made at shoulder level.
Step three, you then put the ball into the tube and release a ball by tipping the tube forward.
Step four, your partner then has to try to catch the ball from a small distance before it touches the ground.
Let's do this.
NARRATOR: Too tough?
DANNY: Too tricky? By moving the tube higher, you have more time to react and catch the ball.
You can also increase the size of the ball, which again will make it easier to catch.
NARRATOR: Go up a notch.
DANNY: If you'd like more of a challenge, try tilting the tube more quickly.
The ball will move faster, which will make it harder to catch.
You can also drop the ball from a shorter height, giving your partner less time to catch.
NARRATOR: Danny's challenge.
DANNY: My challenge is to try to catch the ball times in a row from a similar height.
If you manage this, try lowering the starting height. How low can you go?
NARRATOR: Final thoughts
DANNY: Well, that really tested my reactions.
Whatever stage your reactions are at, keep showing that the determination to improve and have fun.
NARRATOR: Let's do this!
What you need
| Equipment | Alternatives |
|---|---|
| Paper and sticky tape | A tube |
| Ball | Small round fruit like an apple |
Try it yourself
Follow these step-by-step instructions and give it a go!
Image caption, Make a tube
Take a large piece of paper and roll it into a cylinder shape. Use your sticky tape to stick the two ends of the paper together to form a tube wider than the ball you will use.
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How was Rollerball for you?
We are all unique and have different strengths and skills. Some of us may find some skills easier than others but we can all develop and improve.
You can adapt the Rollerball activity to suit your needs. If we practise our skills regularly, we can improve and progress over time.
Too tough?
If you find Rollerball too challenging, don't worry!
Try these tips to make the activity a bit easier.
- Move the tube higher so your partner has more time to catch the ball.
- Use a bigger ball.
Go up a notch?
It's great to look at ways to develop our skills and we can do this by challenging ourselves.
If you enjoyed Rollerball but are looking for a bigger challenge, try these tips to make it trickier.
- Make the ball harder to catch by tipping the tube more quickly.
- Drop the ball from a lower height so there is less time for your partner to catch.
Danny's challenge
Set yourself a goal of catch the ball ten times in a row from a similar height.
If you manage this, try lowering the starting height. How low can you go?
Time to reflect
Enjoyment
The most important part of physical activity and movement is that you enjoy it. We all need to stay active in our daily lives in order to stay healthy. It’s a lot easier if you’re having fun.
After you’ve taken part in this activity, take some time to think about what you enjoyed and how you might approach the activity differently next time.
- What did you enjoy about this activity? How could you do more of this?
- What did you dislike about this activity? What would make it better?
- What would you do differently next time?
Developing your skills
The skills you’ve worked on in this activity are useful in other parts of your daily life and in sport.
Can you think of any activities or sports where you might use these skills?
The skills you've developed in this activity could help with:
- timing and reactions as a goalkeeper
- catching a ball when playing with friends
Physical activity skills. list
Learn more about the different skills you've developed in this activity and how we use them in daily life.
More on Physical activity
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