Soft ball handball

Hocza Ágnes

http://www.szivacslabda.hu/kep/material.png

Soft balls are used by a number of types of sport in youth development, as well as a tool to get to like that sport. Due to their material, they make it possible to perform certain technical elements that children are unable to perform with leather balls because of their age specifics. Hence it is possible to get them to like various ball games, already among nursery school children. In physical education in schools, they can be perfectly used in the education of lower primary school pupils, but due to their useful features, they are suitable sport tools also for upper primary school pupils. As a handball coach, I have tried several types of soft balls with my pupils. I found the softballs manufactured by the COG company to be the most useful. The Swedish company has been continuously improving the cover materials of soft balls since it was founded nearly forty years ago. Due to the latest technology, they make covers that enhance ball technique and, forming a perfectly global shape, they provide a straight flight. This cover makes them durable, as it does not form blisters, nor does it come off, and it is hard to tear up by nail.  It is easy to clean and, avoiding the sloughs, it can also be used outdoors. Using soft balls in physical education lessons has several advantages over leather balls. Due to their soft material, they make no noise when hitting the ground, the wall, or other tools. This is particularly significant when several classes or groups use the same gym. Another positive feature is that they do not hurt when hitting the pupils. This can most often happen when playing games of ejection: in the heat of the game, there can be powerful throws too. A further advantage of soft balls is that they do not damage the tools or the furniture that they hit; therefore they can also be used in classrooms. Despite their numerous advantages, however, they cannot completely substitute leather balls. In physical education lessons at school, from the point of ball technique development, the aim should be that pupils meet as many types of ball as possible in terms of size, weight and material. The objective of the study material is to show exercises and playful tasks or games that can be done with soft balls too.  Soft balls are available in different sizes, which correspond to the leather balls that are prescribed by the rules of the various ball games (basketball, football, volleyball, etc.). The exercises of the study material can be applied in the education of soft handball; they follow the rules of handball, therefore they aim to boost the popularity of handball in everyday physical education. Because of the limitations of the scope of the study material, the exercises are not meant to be complete. I tried to select exercises that can be used in physical education lessons and are appropriate for as many age groups as possible. The exercises do not describe the teaching procedure of the technical elements; they serve the practice and application of the elements that have already been learnt. The teaching procedures can be seen by clicking on the following link.

http://www.jgypk.u-szeged.hu/tamop13e/tananyag_html/labdajatekok/kzilabda.html