Wayne Jacobs

New Fun for Old Favorites: Bringing Fun Back to Team Sports Wayne Jacobs

Each of us are familiar with popular team sports: football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, etc. These are games which have all been played or watched since youth. Most of the rules are familiar and easy to share with others. But, when teaching a sport to groups, it is essential to teach the fundamental skills needed for the sport. This is where innovative games have great value. An innovative game is a new way of teaching fundamental skills for an established sport. It may entail the use of one skill needed for a sport and put into a framework of a game, or it may combine several skills from one or more sports to form a new game. Either way, innovative games and activities help develop needed skills to succeed in sports they wish. But more important, these activities add the dimension of fun for the students and teacher. Who would not want to add fun to their program? By learning a few basic rules, participants can master a new game in only a few minutes. Because these games use the skills most need to teach other sports, participants will become more proficient in these games without being aware of the learning process.