This column describes the game of Royal Pickles -- a "King of the Court'' variation of pickleball that removes the bored spectator element from the class and creates a solution for the challenge of having too many students and not enough court space.

In this article, five different traditional activities from Chile, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South Korea will be shared. For each traditional activity, the following four questions will be addressed: (1) What is the culture and language background of the activity? (2) How is it played? (3) What modifications can be made to be inclusive of…

The aim of this paper is to provide strategies for coaches to improve their ability to implement goal setting practices with groups or teams. First, an overview of effective goal setting practices is provided. Next, a three-step goal setting system is introduced to assist when setting goals with teams. Concrete examples from a variety of different…

This article offers a blueprint for how middle-school geometry and physical education units naturally intersect for authentic integration of both subjects. This disciplinary intersection is called the "Geometry Racket" and illustrates how mathematics knowledge provides and almost unfair advantage (i.e. racketeering) in net/wall games.

Physical educators can expect to work with students experiencing a mental health concern. Mental health concerns are prevalent among children and adolescents in the United States. An estimated 13 to 20% of U.S. children meet the diagnostic criteria for an emotional or behavioral disorder. The purpose of this article is to provide physical…

This article provides a detailed guide for Physical Educators with limited volleyball knowledge to teach the sport with a tactical approach, hopefully resulting in more skilled students.

Pickleball is being played and taught all over the world. Requiring a combination of touch and power shots, pickleball is a game of both patience and opportunistic play. Despite its popularity, limited teaching resources currently exist for physical educators on how to teach critical pickleball skills in their classroom. "You Dinked My…

All teachers whether in teacher training, field experience, student teaching, substitute teaching or covering a class; need an arsenal of short activity breaks aimed at increasing heart rate for students, or for allowing a "brain boost" for better focus, creativity and to become more mentally productive. Brain boosters are examples of…

Research has discovered a link between physical activity and learning, where students who are more physically active and fit perform better in the classroom. Since most classroom settings are sedentary in nature, physical education is an ideal environment to connect physical activity and classroom content (i.e. math, English language arts,…

Jokgu is a Korean net sport and features both volleyball and soccer skills in a challenge skill and game format. Jokgu provides students with the opportunity to develop health and skill related physical fitness components such as eye-foot coordination, flexibility, the fundamental motor skill of kicking and juggling. In addition, students can…

Physical educators are constantly looking for new ideas and activities that will quickly grab the interest of their students. 9 Square in the Air is a game that does just this. The game was developed as a way to integrate students who enjoy volleyball and those who like Four Square. 9 Square in the Air provides the opportunity for students to use…

While there are differences between coaches and physical educators, there are best practices in each profession that have universal applications. Using a coaching/teaching scenario to provide background for this article, the authors identify useful strategies employed by both successful coaches and physical educators that can be adopted by each.…

While the basic foundations of organizational and coaching strategies are very important to the development of a youth sports team, it is imperative to expand further on what makes a true team. A great team is not created overnight, it usually takes several years. Yet, with the proper mindset, the right coach can quickly turn a youth program into…

Although some may think of game-based teaching as a 'tactical' teaching style instructionally distinctive by an emphasis on guided discovery, this article shows that it is more accurate to think of it as a range of teaching styles or a 'toolkit' of styles. Mosston and Ashworth's spectrum of teaching styles is used to analyze examples of learning…

Recent reports on youth sport participation continue to show alarming trends. Participation rates have been declining, particularly among children between the ages of six and 12 years old. According to the Aspen Institute's Project Play (2016) initiative, fewer young people are participating in organized team sports today than they were in 2008.…