Partner exercises
We speak about partner exercises when there is physical contact between the partners in the starting position, or at any other phase/phases of the exercise. Learning and teaching the skills of free practice partner exercises requires a higher degree of attention, discipline and expertise.
In these exercises, the children’s skills in helping each other or challenging one another, their strength, stamina, and speed need to be mobilized according to the task or practice.
In the early phase of education, simple imitative and playful exercises need to be employed for a relatively short period (1-2 exercises). As children’s’ intellectual skills and attention develop, we can switch to specific basic exercises with a partner.
At the beginning, simple informal partner practices can be carried out, because these are easier to understand for pupils than group exercises. It is also easier for children to understand those exercises, in which they need to perform the same movements than when their roles are different.
Pairs, groups of three or four are best formed from a ‘line’ of pupils, small children remaining in place, bigger children marching, and then form columns of two, three or four, according to children’s size.
The nature of planned exercises, the number of children, and the available place determine how to set up pupils in an open configuration. As for exercises in pairs, double face-to-face circles can also be a proper formation mode.
When forming pairs or groups it is very important that they consist of children of nearly the same height, weight and abilities. If there are large differences, changes must be introduced. Sometimes, when someone has been left out, we can do the following:
- we can demonstrate the exercises with the help of left-out pupil/s
- they can carry out tasks, exercises, taking turns with other pupils in pairs or groups
- They can perform tasks, exercises individually, without a partner or partners, but also alternating with other pupils
It is also possible that the nature of the practice requires that other aspects need to be considered at a couple or peer selection. For example, in the "Stork carries his son" kind of exercise body measurements when assembling groups must be interpreted differently.
To demonstrate or repeat the exercise, the teacher must be placed in the middle of a formation so that everyone can see them, and that they can see everyone.
It is important that when presenting the exercise and organizing the ‘starting position’ we demand attention, while when implementing the exercise we can afford a more casual, freer practice. Children are most often noisy, laughing, so it is advisable to use a whistle.
Care must be taken at the presentation of practices, in which the pupils face each other or are placed back to back, or they need to perform side movements to the left or right, as what is to the left for one pupil, it is to the right for another. In this case, we can help resolve the uniform practice indicating the clue, for example: bending the trunk toward the wall bars 3 times.
For the exercises, where the role of children differ, or they perform different movements, role reversals should be applied. The role reversal does not involve the exchange of space, and we should strive that it happens in the shortest possible time.
When applying pair and group exercises we need to include contest practices as well as lifting and carrying exercises. (Table 12)