Underarm Bowling Skills

Overview

Year group/Age: 9-11 years (Key Stage 2)
Class size: 30 students, organised into 6 groups of 5 students each
Duration: 55 minutes
Subject: Physical Education (PE)
UK Curriculum links:

• National Curriculum for Physical Education (2014):
  • Develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
  • Learn to take part in competitive sports and activities.
  • Apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending.
• PE Key Stage 2 Attainment Target: Pupils develop sending and receiving skills, and understand tactics to outwit opponents.

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Learning Objective

To explore different ways of bowling underarm and apply bowling techniques in mini games to prevent batters from scoring runs.

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Success Ladder

1. I can bowl underarm.
2. I can bowl underarm with accuracy to prevent the batter from scoring runs.
3. I can work with my team mates to keep the batters’ score low.

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Resources

• Tennis balls/soft cricket balls (1 per group)
• Lightweight plastic cricket bats (1 per group)
• Cones or markers for wickets and lanes
• Stopwatch or timer
• Whistle
• Scorecards for mini games
• Clipboard & pen for teacher’s notes

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-up: Beep Test (8 minutes)

• Purpose: Develop cardiovascular fitness and mental readiness.
• Activity:
  • Use a clear space with cones set 20m apart.
  • Pupils run back and forth according to beep signals, increasing in pace.
  • Encourage pupils to focus on pacing themselves for endurance.

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2. Show What You Know: Batting & Bowling Practice (8 minutes)

• Context: Revisiting last week’s batting and bowling skills, with a focus on bowling.
• Activity:
  • In pairs, one bats while the other bowls underarm from 10 metres.
  • Emphasise technique: keeping ball bounce, not roll, bowling to the batter’s stance.
  • Rotate roles after 4 minutes.
  • Teacher circulates to correct grip, stance and release for bowling.

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3. Underarm Bowling Technique & Rules (12 minutes)

• Teacher-led demonstration:
  • Show a clear underarm bowling technique:
    • Step forward, swing arm underarm, release ball before the front foot lands.
    • Bounce the ball once near the batter (no rolling on the ground).
    • Adjust delivery for left-handed batters (angles, placement).
  • Emphasise accuracy: bowling close to wickets or outside the batter’s reach.
• Introduce No Ball & Wide Ball laws:
  • No ball: Bowling foot crosses front crease, or ball thrown above waist height.
  • Wide ball: Ball too wide for batter to hit (set by line markers).
  • Discuss ways to avoid these and use them strategically to pressure batter.
• Discuss the Wicket:
  • Explain how hitting the wicket or trapping batter out LBW (leg before wicket) leads to outs.
  • Connect bowling accuracy to these dismissal opportunities.

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4. Mini Games: Bowling to Prevent Runs (20 minutes)

• Setup: 6 groups of 5 students.
• Structure: Two rounds of mini matches, each 6 minutes with a 2-minute switch.
• Roles in each group:
  • 1 batter
  • 3 bowlers (one bowls at a time in rotation)
  • 1 scorer/umpire
• Rules:
  • Bowlers try to bowl with accuracy to either hit the wicket or prevent the batter from scoring.
  • Batter tries to score runs by hitting the ball away, running between wickets.
  • Encourage bowlers to vary speeds, angles, and positions to test batter.
  • Fielders (non-bowling) support by fielding and assisting in run-outs.
• Teacher’s role:
  • Monitor games, prompt tactical bowling and teamwork.
  • Encourage communication between bowlers and fielders: “Where do we bowl next?” “Cover this run.”
  • Score runs and dismissals to give quick feedback.

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5. Cool Down & Reflection (7 minutes)

• Cool down activity:
  • Gentle stretching focusing on arms, legs, and core.
  • Deep breathing exercises to reduce heart rate.
• Class discussion:
  • What bowling techniques worked best?
  • How did teamwork help prevent runs?
  • What will they try next time?
• Success ladder self-assessment:
  • Children tick off which steps they feel confident about.
  • Share ideas on improving accuracy and team communication.

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Differentiation & Inclusion

• Support: Use visual cues and step-by-step demonstrations for children who struggle with coordination. Assign a peer buddy if needed.
• Challenge: Encourage more skilled bowlers to experiment with different deliveries (e.g., slower balls, bounce).
• Adaptations: For left-handed batters, ensure bowlers practice different angles; for children with limited mobility, adapt bowling distance or ball type.

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Assessment & Feedback

• Ongoing formative assessment through observation:
  • Bowling action correctness.
  • Accuracy of underarm bowls.
  • Team communication and strategy.
• Use anecdotal notes to identify pupils needing extra support or extension activities next session.

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Extension Ideas

• Introduce a leaderboard for bowling accuracy over several weeks to motivate competition.
• Challenge pupils to invent a mini-game incorporating underarm bowling with fielding tactics.

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By delivering this well-rounded, engaging, and inclusive session, pupils will not only improve their underarm bowling but develop tactical awareness in game situations aligned with UK PE standards.