Dodge and Dash

Twist, turn and giggle — first evasion skills learned by running away from friends and never getting caught in a straight line.

Gaelic football
U6
45 min
10–20 kids + parent helpers
3 coaches
Effort 2/5
20x20m grid
u6
evasion
dodging
nursery
fun-games

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: A size-3 football per child, 20 flat markers, 12 bibs as tails

Warm-up7 min

Traffic Jam

Setup: A 20×20m square, a ball each, helpers on the edges keeping the shape.

How it works: Everyone drives their car, the ball hugged in two hands, around the square. Coach calls BEEP to change direction, SLOW for tiny steps, ZOOM for quick feet into a space. On RED LIGHT, freeze still. Add ROUNDABOUT: spin away from the nearest child and drive off the other way. The whole game is finding gaps and never bumping another car.

What to say

“Eyes up, look for the gaps, not down at your ball.”
“Small quick steps when it is busy, big steps in space.”
“Bumped someone? Say sorry, find a new gap, keep driving.”

Easier

Bigger square, walking pace only.

Harder

Shrink the square every minute; steer with the ball under one arm.

Activity10 min

Tails

Setup: Each child tucks a bib into their waistband as a tail and hugs a ball in two arms, all inside the square.

How it works: Everybody is a tail-robber and everybody has a tail. Twist and dodge to steal other tails while keeping your own, but your ball never leaves your arms. Grabbed tails go in one hand. When most tails are gone, stop, count, hand them back, go again. The dodge is the whole point: turn your body away from the robber, do not just run flat out.

What to say

“Turn your tail away from the robber — hide it.”
“Little dummy — show them one way, go the other.”
“Ball hugged tight the whole time, like a teddy.”

Easier

No ball for the first round; helpers wear tails as easy targets.

Harder

Shrink the square; steal with your weaker hand only.

Activity9 min

Fox and Hens

Setup: A henhouse safe zone marked in each corner, a fox (a helper) at a jog in the middle. Hens carry a ball each.

How it works: Hens leave their house and carry the ball to a different house across the square without the fox tagging them. Tagged hens do three star-jumps and rejoin, because nobody is ever out. The fox only jogs, so there is always a way through with a good dodge. Change the fox often so everyone gets a turn.

What to say

“Wait for your moment, then go quick to a gap.”
“Change your speed — slow, then burst past the fox.”
“Keep the ball on the far side away from the fox.”

Easier

Two foxes who may only walk; bigger houses.

Harder

One bounce of the ball during the crossing; add a second fox.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

PitchPlans coaching team

Free on PitchPlans — new sessions weekly.