Dodgeball involves combining and sequencing a variety of motor skills including running, jumping, ducking and cutting. It also requires good object control skills to be able to block, throw, retrieve, pass and catch balls effectively.

We classify the 4 main skills of dodgeball as:

We will explore each of these primary skills in more detail in the next few lessons.

The Ready Position

All defensive dodgeball skills all benefit from the use of the ready position. This is a key body position you will need to be able to coach. Sort the text into the boxes to reveal the ready position:

Other skills

There is a wide range of additional physical, mental and social skills which people can learn from dodgeball. When planning sessions, you could include activities that focus on some of the following skills:

Skill Development

Our Player Development Framework outlines the recommended journey of a dodgeball player as they develop and refine their skills. This provides you with a base for planning sessions at an age-appropriate level.

There are lots of activities which you can use to develop a player’s skillset. We have provided some ideas of activities and conditioned games below which you can use. These are just a few of the extensive ideas you could come up with. We encourage coaches to be creative and create your own activities which encourage development of skills.

Skill Development Resources

Level 1 Resources

Dodge Five

Free activity cards which can be accessed on our Coaching Page.

Lesson Plans

Free lesson plans consisting of a total of 54 full PE dodgeball lessons, including an assessment guide, suggested Assessment for Learning strategies and key questions: