Year 6 Net and wall games: tactics to overcome an opponent through badminton worksheet

“Outwitting an opponent” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 6 PE unit “Net and wall games: tactics to overcome an opponent through badminton”, for children aged 10 to 11, and takes about 21 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 10 to 12 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Outwitting an opponent

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 6 · PE · about 21 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain how moving an opponent creates space to win a point.

A Look back3 min

1.
Which should come first, before a game? Circle one.
A warm upA cool downA rest on the floor
2.
Why check the space is clear before you play? Circle one.
To avoid bumping into thingsTo make the room look biggerTo make the shuttle go faster
3.
After a hard game, what should your body do? Circle one.
Cool down slowlyDrop straight to the floorSprint again at once

B Watch me, then you4 min

Mia hits the shuttle to the far left, and her opponent runs there. In the court picture, the robot is Mia, the rock is her opponent and the star is the empty space.

Watch me

Mia's opponent has run to the far left corner.

The far right corner is empty.

Mia aims her next shot there before they can get back.

Now you

1.
Your opponent is standing in the top-right corner. The house is your opponent. Which corner is open? Circle one.
top-left cornertop-right cornermiddle of the court

C Your turn8 min

Stay in a clear space, away from windows, with a soft ball and a grown-up watching. Read each row, then answer.

A badminton racket and a feathered shuttlecock lying on a lawn, with no people

1.
Number these moves in the right order for one shot.
1. Spring into the shot
2. Return to the ready position
3. Watch the shuttle come towards you
4. Stand in the ready position
2.
Your feet stay flat and you are slow to reach the shuttle. Which coaching point fixes this? Circle one.
Bend your knees and stay on the balls of your feetHold the racket as tight as you canStare at the net and do not move
3.
The shuttle keeps landing short. Your knuckles go white from gripping. Which coaching point helps? Circle one.
Relax your grip, like holding a small birdGrip the racket harder for powerKeep your feet still and swing big
4.
Hit a soft ball over a rope tied between two chairs, five times in each try. Make one tally mark for each hit that goes over.

Say it out loud: Which tip from today will help you most in a game, and why?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A badminton racket lying on a rug beside a soft ball, with no people

Sam says: “Hold your racket as tight as you can, so you get more power.”

1.
Is Sam right? Explain in one line.

E Think deeper3 min

Your opponent has run to the far left. You have a shot to play. Think about where the space is and whether you can reach it.

A marked badminton court seen from above with a net across the middle, with no people

1.
Write your plan in two sentences. Where will you aim, and why?

How did it feel?

Look at your three tries. Did you get better, or did you stop trying? Tell your grown-up one thing you did well.

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Outwitting an opponent · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. A warm up If they pick cool down, they have the order backwards. Ask what the body needs before hard exercise, then after it.

2. To avoid bumping into things If they pick room looks bigger, they think space changes size. Ask them what might be in the way of the robot's route.

3. Cool down slowly If they pick drop to the floor, they have stopped too suddenly. Ask them to walk slowly for a few minutes.

B

1. top-left corner If they pick top-right, they have aimed at the opponent. Ask them where the opponent is standing, then which corner is empty.

C

1. 1 Stand in the ready position · 2 Watch the shuttle come towards you · 3 Spring into the shot · 4 Return to the ready position If they put return to ready first, they have forgotten the start. Ask them where the player stands before the shuttle arrives.

2. Bend your knees and stay on the balls of your feet

3. Relax your grip, like holding a small bird If they pick grip harder, they think squeezing gives power. Use the small bird idea: firm enough not to drop it, not so tight you crush it.

4. Look for: Three tries recorded as tally marks, each counting the hits that went over the rope.

D

1. Look for: Says no, and gives a reason such as a tight grip reducing power and control, or a relaxed grip giving more control. If they agree with Sam, they think squeezing gives power. Show the small bird grip: firm enough to hold it, not so tight it is crushed.

E

1. Look for: A shot aimed at the empty side of the court, with a reason that the opponent has moved to the other side.

Words to use

Say“Where was the space, and did you aim for it? What would you try next time?”

Instead of“Tell them exactly where to hit the shuttle every time.”

After the sheet

Use two chairs and a rope or string as a low net, in a clear room away from windows. Play five rallies with a rolled-up pair of socks. After each one, say where the space was and whether you aimed for it.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Forehand with a plan(with a plan)
Turn for the backhand(with a plan)
Space and the switch(with a plan)
Controlling the serve(with a plan)
Outwitting with side-on power(with a plan)

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