When we started Elevate Ultimate in 2016, we asked the same question many coaches and organizations ask today: What is the best way to teach ultimate to kids?
We knew that the key to growing Elevate and ultimate in general was a grassroots approach, as in getting kids to play that had never seen or heard of ultimate before. Moreover, we knew the vital importance of these kids having an absolute blast at their very first practice, and not leaving a single ounce of doubt in their mind whether they wanted to play again.
Unfortunately, many of the resources available online when starting Elevate were not usable for this goal. Partner passing, three person, breakforce go-to…heck, these are boring for adult club teams, how could we expect a new 8 year old to fall in love with ultimate from those drills?
That’s why Elevate has started a Game of the Month series. Each month, we’ll show you one of our favourite games (voted on by the 10,000 kids that we coach each year) and the different ways we adapt them for different ages and skill levels.
If you like what you see, make sure to check out our full database of curriculum resources with 100+ games and drills, 60+ video tutorials, and 8+ curriculum templates so you never have to come up with camp or clinic curriculum again!
Duck Hunting Game Tutorial
Duck Hunting was our solution to the dreaded 15+ minutes of partner passing most curriculums suggested. Yes, kids need reps to practice and refine their throwing technique, but does it really need to be so boring? Duck Hunting was a great way for our kids to get a ton of throwing reps in while also practicing their catching under pressure, running, and having a blast.
Set Up:
➔ Create a starting cone for each team
➔ Teams are 3 – 4 people max to increase rep rate
➔ Place the cones/ ”ducks” out in space in rows of colours
◆ E.g. Red are closest, the yellow, then green, the blue are quite far
◆ Colours are worth different points e.g. Red = 1, Blue = 4
◆ Can have a “mystery cone” that is worth a mystery value
How to Play:
➔ The first person in line goes out to a “duck” that they want and they stand over it or with a foot right beside it
➔ The next person in line has a disc and they try to complete a pass to the person standing
over the duck
➔ If that person catches it, they get to take that duck back to their team and go to the back
of the line
➔ If they do not catch it, they leave the duck, grab the disc and go to the back of the line
➔ After the thrower throws, they are the next receiver so they go and choose a duck
➔ The game is over once all the ducks are gone. The team with the most points wins!
➔ No defense is allowed
Adaptations:
➔ Distance of cones
➔ Type of throw (they can only throw forehands, hammers etc.)
➔ Each team can send one person as the mark on other teams’ throwers
Like this game? Make sure to comment and let us know if you try it with your team.
Remember, if you like what you see, make sure to check out our full database of curriculum resources with 100+ games and drills, 60+ video tutorials, and 8+ curriculum templates so you never have to come up with camp or clinic curriculum again!
P.S. If you email ari@elevateultimate.com with subject line “Elevate50”, we’ll give you $50 off your first month
P.P.S. For every organization you refer successfully, we’ll give each of your organizations $100