Tchoukball! What in the world is Tchoukball? And how do you even spell TCHOUKBALL? Wait! The “T” is silent in the word Tchoukball? This is kind of how I felt about Tchoukball until I saw it at LAHPERD (Louisiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance). This is the first year I incorporated Tchoukball into our Elementary P.E. curriculum. In case you don’t know, Tchoukball is a game where teammates work together to achieve a goal, which is scoring points and stopping the other team from scoring points. The original game of Tchoukball was developed in the 1970s. The reason it was created was to eliminate the common defensive strategy of “guarding.”

As many of you already know, I teach Elementary (K-5) Physical Education at MSA-West. I was worried about teaching my students the game of Tchoukball because of the many rules and the new concept of “no guarding.” As with any skill or activity I teach, I did some research online. I found some Tchoukball Lead-Up Activities on www.PErocks.com by Chad Triolet. These games helped tremendously. The amount of time I spent on each skill or activity depended on the grade level and the needs of each class.

Equipment:

• Tchoukball Nets
• Tcoukballs (or coated foam balls)
• Cones
• Poly spots
• Bowling pins
• Wristbands (for teams)

You can also get these Tchoukball Starter Packs that include two Tchoukball frames, one ball, an instuctional DVD, handbook, user guide, and a set of laminated rules.

The first activity I did with the students was tossing and catching to them self. I set up 6 nets and each student had a foam ball. The goal of the activity was to throw the ball at the Tchoukball net and catch it. If the student caught it, they would take a victory lap in the center of the the gym.

This is a video of one of my kindergarten students throwing and catching into the Tchoukball net.

The second activity I did with the students was partner toss and catch. The student would find a partner, and go to a Tchoukball net with a partner. Each person would get a chance to throw into the net and have their partner try to catch the ball before it hits the floor. The goal of this activity was to try to get their partner to catch the ball off the net. If their partner catches the ball both students would get a point. Once each student had a chance to throw they went to middle to get a new partner and go to a new net. I set up different distances to throw from at each net. I also stressed the importance of quickly finding a new partner, so they could get as many points as possible.

This is a video of my first grade students tossing and catching with a partner.

The third activity my classes played was ‘Ricochet.” This was the students favorite lead up games with the Tchoukball nets, I set up bowling pins in different places for the students to knock down. This helped the students figure out the different angles and different forces needed to rebound the ball off the Tchoukball net. This is a video of my first students playing “Ricochet.”

I played modified Tchoukball games with my third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Each class I typically teach has about 25 students. Therefore each class was divided into 3 teams. We used colored wristbands to signify each teams. Each game we played lasted about 10 minutes each. Some of the modifications I used were the type of ball, only using half the basketball court, and shortening the distance of the forbidden zone. The students at MSA absolutely LOVED the Tchoukball unit, and continue to ask when we are going to do it again.

To get the official rules for Tchoukball I used the website usa-touckball.org/rules. I am by no means a Tchoukball master, but if you have any questions please visit my Twitter page @JennieLGraves.

About Jennie Graves:

I am a Physical Education teacher in Plaquemine, Louisiana who loves crafting, my students, my family, and riding on the back of my husband’s Harley Davidson. I currently live in Addis, Louisiana with my husband Chris and our three kids: Abby, Wyatt and Kameron. This is my 15th year as an Elementary P.E. teacher. I got my Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from LSU. Go Tigers!