Equipment/Games: Tugball™ - New Games With a New PE Ball

Matthew Henzie, Contributor

The Tugball

The Tugball™ is an newly-designed ball that has eight ropes connected to a harness that encompasses the ball. This design permits a completely new way to play standard games and also to develop new ones. Many students love playing tug-of-war; a Tugball™ only extends that enjoyment into new, fun, and physical ways. Check out three games specifically created for a Tugball™ .

Tugball

This game is styled much like a league sport. The game starts with a Tug-off, a tug-of-war between two players from each team. The winner of the Tug-off wins possession of the ball. Once both teams are ready, the offense advances with the goal of getting into the opponents goal while in possession of the Tugball™. The offense can pass, throw, kick or run the ball in any direction. The defense tries to steal the ball from the defense by intercepting a pass, picking up a missed catch or winning a duel.

A duel is when a player from both teams have possession of the ball at the same time. The winner of the duel now has possession and gets the game going again when thrown to a teammate. When a goal is score, the team gets three points. Now both teams tug-off again in the goal to score an extra point. After the extra point tug, the ball goes back to the center for the next round.

Vortex

This game is styled more like a PE or big group game. It's like capture the flag, but there are four teams instead of two. Each teams is protecting their own tugball while trying to steal the other teams' tugballs and eliminating them in the vortex at the center of the field. The team that has the last Tugball™ in their "base" wins.

Ultimate Steal the Bacon

This activity is similar to steal-the-bacon, but more involved and with points scored each time a player steals the bacon for their team. There are nine squares and play begins in the center square. If your team pulls the ball from the center square to a square closer to your side, you win three points. If you pull the ball from a close square onto your side, you win 5 points.

My website, www.tug-ball.com, goes into each of these games into much more depth with more visuals to help clarify the games.

Contributor: Matthew Henzie is the owner/inventor of Tugball™

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