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Written By John Drzewiecki And Janine Hradsky

Introduction

The Super Grip makes it possible for students with tracking difficulties and/or movement limitations to join their peers and experience success during games involving throwing and catching. This guide is designed to help you and your students get the most from your Super Grip.

Use: Primarily for elementary grades, but can be used for higher-grade levels, depending on the ability levels of the groups.

Objectives: To increase tracking and pre-catching skills, including grasping, and to provide assistance in catching success for students in need of the adaptation.

Safety suggestions: Use of the buddy system is recommended, as needed.

Activities

Hot Box

Set Up: Divide the class into 2 teams and have 1 team wear pinnies. In the center of the gym, mark off a large square using cones to enhance the boundary lines. One player from each team stands inside the square wearing a Super Grip. Place 2 buckets in the square near each player. One additional player from each team is a ball returner/sweeper and is in charge of returning the missed balls to the throwers. The rest of the students on the 2 teams stand behind a line across from each other on opposite ends of the gym. Each person gets a ball (any ball that will stick to the Super Grip).
The Game: On the signal to begin, players throw carefully to their teammate who, then, tries to catch the ball. Each caught ball is placed in the bucket. The sweeper returns missed balls to the throwers. When 10 balls are caught and placed in the bucket, the catcher and sweeper go to the end of the line and 2 new players move into the center circle. The game continues in this cycle until everyone has had a chance to be a catcher or sweeper.

Miss And You're It

Set Up: Divide the class into 2 teams with 1 team wearing pinnies. All students wear a Super Grip and spread out evenly in 2 long lines, 6 feet across from each other. Use cones to mark the throwing lines for each team. Give a ball to each person on the team with the pinnies. (Be sure to use a ball that will stick to the grip such as Sportime's variety of Super Catch Balls.)
The Game: On the signal to begin, students begin playing catch back and forth with the person across from them. The student who drops the ball becomes "it" and gets to chase their throwing partner all around the gym. HOWEVER, they may not run into the 6' throwing area. When the thrower gets tagged (or if enough time elapses per the teacher/referee), players return to their area and continue their throwing/catching game. Every few minutes the game may be stopped, and 1 player from the pinnie-wearing team moves down to the end of the line so that players can rotate partners.
Adaptations: For players using wheelchairs, they may toss a soft ball at their partner vs. tagging them and may use a buddy, as needed.

Other Hand Catch

These catching-hand, reversal activities help students who have higher skill levels to become more patient and sensitive to those with lesser skills. It also helps all students develop bilateral coordination skills.

1. Play the same 2 games mentioned above, only have the students wear the Super Grips on their non-dominant catching hand.
2. During any activity involving catching skills (i.e., a whiffle ball game, "500"), randomly assign Super Grips to a few players at a time and tell them they must catch with their non-dominant catching hand. This will also cause them to throw with their non-dominant throwing hand. If students become frustrated, it can serve as an opportunity to discuss the implications of varying skill levels during games, as well as disability awareness and sportsmanship.
3. Put up a volleyball net and divide the class into 2 teams on opposite sides of the net. All students (or several students, taking turns) wear a Super Grip. Provide students on both sides of the net with an ample supply of balls and be sure that some will stick to the Super Grip. Harder balls should be ROLLED to the other side UNDER the net and smaller, softer balls are thrown over the net.
4. Players can either take turns wearing the Super Grips to catch the balls or, if all have the Super Grips, then the teacher may call out "OTHER HANDED CATCH," and students must catch and throw using their non-dominant hands.

Two-Headed Monster Baseball Games

This game is played just like whiffle ball except each fielder has a partner. One student does the catching using a Super Grip and the other does the throwing.
Set Up: Ask students to think quietly to themselves which monster they are going to be: Dracula or Frankenstein (or any 2 other monsters). Divide the monsters into 2 teams. If sides are unbalanced, assign "bats" to fly over to the smaller team. Players on each team then pick a partner in the following manner: When the teachers says "GO," the first person to make a monster face at you becomes your partner (students cannot say "no thank you"). Partners can be changed at each inning. The first team to have all their partners gets to bat first. Arrange players as in regulation whiffle ball. One of the partners in the field wears a Super Grip. Be sure to use a Softee Ball™ or VELCRO® tennis ball.
The Games:

TWO-HEADED MONSTER WHIFFLE BALL: The game is played like regulation whiffle ball, except one partner catches the ball and the other partner throws it. Students take turns being catchers and throwers. Batters may bat or throw the ball out into the field.
MONSTERS UNITE: Add in the rule that all fielders must catch/throw with their partners to everyone on their team. Pitchers cannot field the ball. When the ball finally goes to the pitcher, the runner (who has been continuously circling the bases) stops and goes to the end of the line back home. Points are scored for each base touched. When all have batted, switch sides.
TWO-HEADED MONSTER BOP BALL: This time the pitcher has 2 balls - the ball used for pitching to the batter and a soft fleece or foam ball for throwing at the runners to "bop" them out. When the batter throws the ball out into the field and begins running, as soon as the fielder fields the ball, the ball is given to the partner, who immediately throws the ball to the pitcher's partner. The pitcher's partner gives the ball to the pitcher who switches to the fleece ball and throws it to a fielder. Fielders then work together to throw at and hit the runner with the fleece ball. The runner keeps circling the bases until they are hit. A point is scored for each base touched. This is a very high scoring game.