Play Phase session: aliens and asteroids

This session will help players:    

• develop fundamental football movement skills 
• work on their coordination 
• become aware of their positioning and the space around them.

If you like this idea, download the session plan and give it a go. And don't forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We'd love to know how you got on.

Organisation

"Aliens and asteroids" is a variation of a tag game where someone tries to tag someone else as they move around an area.

The 'tagger' could be one player, perhaps even a team. It could even be everyone.

The players usually tag each other by touch. But it could also be by stealing a ribbon, running a circle around the player or tackling away their football.

It's easy to set up. You only need a group of players and some cones to mark out an area.

How to play

The game is played in space with two or three small circles mapped out to represent planets. Dot cones around to act as asteroids.

The astronauts start by standing on the planets, with the aliens flying through space. The aim of the game is for the astronauts to move between the planets without being tagged by the aliens.

The captain of play will call out a countdown, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blast off!" When they hear the words 'blast off', the astronauts must try to get to another planet as quickly as possible. If they get tagged by an alien, they must stand with their arms and legs outstretched. Another astronaut can rescue them by high-fiving them. Repeat the countdown and swap over the astronauts and aliens.