A–B. Active Living and Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Train with Purpose, Play with Strategy

Smart Play: Tactics in All Five Activity Categories

B2.2 1.3 1.5About 75 minutes

Learning goals

I can apply analytical and problem-solving skills to choose and use tactics that increase my chances of success.
I can pace myself in individual activities and choose an orienteering route that suits my skill and fitness.
I can use objects in the environment to get around obstacles in target activities.
I can use a balanced ready stance in net/wall activities, adjust positions in striking/fielding activities, and transition quickly in territory activities.

Words to know

pacing
Spreading your effort over a whole event so you don't tire too early.

split
The time for one part of a race, such as one lap.

route choice
In orienteering, choosing the path between controls that is fastest for you, not always the shortest.

bank shot
Rebounding an object off a surface (a wall, board or other object) to get around an obstacle to the target.

transition
In territory games, switching quickly from offence to defence (or the reverse) when possession changes.

shift
Moving fielders toward the area where the batter is most likely to hit.

Remember from Grade 9

In PPL1O you used a five-step tactical problem-solving process (observe, plan, try it, check the evidence, adjust) and tactics like the give-and-go and hitting to the open corner in badminton.

In Grade 10 you'll apply that process to the curriculum's specific examples in all five categories: individual, target, net/wall, striking/fielding and territory.

Hook: the runner who passed everyone

In a school cross-country race, Jun is in 40th place after the first kilometre. He isn't worried. By the end he finishes 12th, passing runner after runner on the last hill. He isn't the fastest runner in the race; he's the one who planned his effort.

Tactics are decisions that make the most of the skills and fitness you have.

What B2.2 asks of you in Grade 10

Apply analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and implement tactical solutions that increase your chances of success. The curriculum's examples:

Individual: pace yourself in a long-distance run so you don't tire too early; choose an orienteering route that matches your skill and fitness.
Target: use objects in the environment to rebound around obstacles and reach the target more easily.
Net/wall: use a balanced ready stance so you can move in any direction to hit the ball or shuttle, when receiving a serve or switching between offence and defence.
Striking/fielding: outfielders adjust to cover the area where the batter is most likely to hit; teammates communicate to decide when a runner should advance.
Territory: watch the play closely so you can transition quickly from offence to defence.

Individual: pacing and route choice

Pacing: starting too fast uses up energy quickly, and you slow down a lot later. Many coaches recommend an even pace (similar lap times) or a slightly faster finish. To pace:

Set a goal time and divide it into splits (for example, per lap).
Check your split at each lap and adjust: too fast → ease off; too slow → pick it up a little.
Use effort cues too: early in a race you should feel you're holding back a little.

Orienteering route choice: the straight line isn't always fastest. A longer route on a trail can beat a shorter route over a steep hill, through thick bush or across a marsh. Choose based on your skill (map reading) and fitness (hill climbing).

Two runners aiming for about 8:00 for 1600 m. The even runner runs every lap in 120 s and finishes in 8:00. The fast-start runner runs the first lap in 105 s, slows to 125, 130 and 132, and finishes in 8:12: the fast start cost time overall.

Route A is shorter (600 m) but climbs a steep hill. Route B is longer (900 m) but flat on a trail. Which is faster depends on your speed on each kind of ground.

Target: use the environment

In target activities, obstacles (other balls, trees, walls) can block a direct path. Smart players use the environment:

Bocce or lawn bowling: bump your ball off another ball to knock it away, or roll a curving path around it.
Mini-golf: bank the ball off a side board to get around an obstacle.
Disc golf: a skip shot off hard ground, or a curving throw around a tree.
Curling: a raise (bumping your own stone forward) or a stone that wicks (glances) off another.

For a bank shot, the ball leaves the surface at about the same angle it hit (angle in ≈ angle out), so aim at the point on the wall where the angles match.

Net/wall, striking/fielding and territory

Net/wall: stay in a balanced ready stance (feet shoulder-width or wider, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet, racquet up) and split step as the opponent hits. Return to base after each shot. When you switch from attacking to defending, get low and wide before the ball comes back.

Striking/fielding:

Fielders shift toward where the batter usually hits (for example, a batter who pulls the ball to left field).
Runners and coaches communicate: "Go on contact", "Tag up!", "Hold!". Runners decide quickly using the number of outs, where the ball is hit and the fielder's arm.

Territory (soccer, ultimate, basketball, ringette): the moment your team loses possession, the nearest player pressures the ball and others sprint back goal-side to mark. Players who watch the play (not just the ball) see the turnover coming and transition first.

Outfielders shift toward left field for a batter who usually pulls the ball that way. The dashed circles show the usual spots; the filled circles show the adjusted positions.

Living skills: critical thinking (1.5) and communication (1.3)

The curriculum's 1.5 example for movement is assessing the offensive or defensive strategies you used and deciding what to change to perform better. After each game ask: What worked? What didn't? What's one change? Tactics often need communication (1.3): calls like "Shift left!", "Tag up!" or "Back!" turn one player's idea into a team plan.

Worked example

Let's plan Jun's pacing

Jun wants to run 3 km in 13:30 on a 1 km loop course. (a) What is his split per km? (b) After 1 km his watch shows 4:15. After 2 km it shows 8:50. Is he on pace each time, and what should he do?

(a) Goal split: 13:30 = 810 s. 810 ÷ 3 = 270 s = 4:30 per km.
(b) After 1 km: 4:15 is 15 s faster than 4:30. He started too fast; he should ease off slightly to avoid slowing badly later.
After 2 km: goal is 2 × 4:30 = 9:00. He's at 8:50, 10 s ahead. His second km took 8:50 − 4:15 = 4:35, a little slower than goal.
Plan for the last km: he needs 13:30 − 8:50 = 4:40 or faster. He can run steady at about 4:30 and finish strong.

Goal split 4:30 per km. He was too fast early (4:15), then slightly slow (4:35). Running the last km in 4:40 or less gets him under 13:30; steady pacing is his best tactic.

Worked example

Let's choose an orienteering route

Maya runs about 6 minutes per km on flat trails and about 12 minutes per km up and over steep hills through the forest. Which route in the diagram is faster for her: A (600 m over the hill) or B (900 m on the flat trail)?

Route A: 0.6 km × 12 min/km = 7.2 minutes.
Route B: 0.9 km × 6 min/km = 5.4 minutes.
Compare: B is 7.2 − 5.4 = 1.8 minutes faster for Maya, even though it's 300 m longer.
Also consider: a trail is easier to navigate (less chance of getting lost) and lower injury risk.

Route B is faster for Maya (5.4 min vs 7.2 min). A strong hill runner with a different hill pace might choose A, which is why route choice depends on your skills and fitness.

Hands-on activity

Tactics lab: five categories at home and in the park

You need: a stopwatch or phone, 4 markers, a soft ball, two or three other balls (or rolled socks) as obstacles, a wall or board, a partner or family members, and a park with a measured loop (or a 400 m track if one is open to the public).

Warm-up (6 min): jog, dynamic stretches, quick feet.

Individual: pacing (12 min): choose a loop of about 400 m. Set a goal for 4 laps and calculate your split. Run, checking your time each lap. Record all splits; were they even?
Target: bank shot (8 min): place an obstacle ball between you and a target (a cup on its side). Roll your ball off a wall or board to get around the obstacle. Use angle in ≈ angle out to aim. Count hits out of 10.
Net/wall: ready stance (6 min): stand in a ready stance. Your partner points left, right, forward or back as they "hit". Split step, move two quick steps, and return to base.
Striking/fielding: shift (5 min): your partner throws or kicks mostly to one side. After 5 throws, shift your position and see if you field more.
Territory: transition (8 min): play 2 v 2 keep-away. When possession changes, the nearest player pressures immediately and the other gets goal-side. Score a point for every turnover won back within 5 seconds.
Reflect: which tactic helped most? What will you change next time?

Safety: run on a safe loop away from traffic, with a buddy; keep games non-contact; use soft balls; drink water.

Just for fun

Orienteering tip: the shortest route between two points is a straight line, unless that line goes through a swamp, a steep hill and a very surprised beaver.

Your turn

Give the curriculum's individual-activity tactics for B2.2.

What is a target-activity tactic from the curriculum?

Describe a balanced ready stance.

Why do outfielders shift?

What should happen in a territory game the moment your team loses the ball?

A 1600 m goal is 7:20. What is the split for each 400 m lap?

Why might a longer orienteering route be faster?

More practice: warm-up

What is a split?

What is a bank shot?

In a bank shot, how do the angles compare?

What do runners call when they should return to the base after a caught fly ball?

Name the five activity categories.

More practice: on your own

A runner's 4 lap times are 95, 110, 118, 121 s. Total time? What tactic would you suggest?

Maya (6 min/km on trail, 12 min/km over hills) compares Route C: 400 m over a hill, and Route D: 1000 m on trail. Which is faster?

In badminton, you just smashed and your opponent lifted the shuttle high to your back corner. What tactic helps you get there in time?

A batter has hit to right field three times. What should the outfield do, and how should they communicate it?

Explain why watching the whole play (not just the ball) helps in territory games.

Challenge

Plan pacing for a 5 km community run with a goal of 27:30. Give the per-km split and a strategy for the first km and last km.

In bocce, an opponent's ball sits directly in front of the target ball (the pallino). Describe two tactical options using the environment and when each makes sense.

Use the five-step tactical problem-solving process (observe, plan, try, check, adjust) to fix this problem: in ultimate, your team keeps getting scored on right after losing the disc.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Starting a long-distance run much faster than your goal pace usually leads to:

Rebounding a ball off a wall to get around an obstacle is a tactic for:

A balanced ready stance in net/wall activities lets you:

Outfielders adjust their positions to:

A 2 km goal of 10:00 means a per-km split of:

In territory games, watching the play helps you:

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Expectation B2.2 asks students to use analytical and problem-solving skills to choose tactics in all five categories: pacing and route choice (individual), using the environment (target), a balanced ready stance (net/wall), shifting and communicating (striking/fielding), and quick transitions (territory).

How to help at home:

Time your teen's laps and talk about even pacing.
Play backyard bocce or mini-golf and try bank shots together.
Watch a game on TV and ask: "What did that team do right after losing the ball?"

Common difficulties:

Going out too fast. Use splits to check.
Choosing the shortest route automatically. Compare times, not just distances.
Standing still after a turnover. Practise the "5-second" transition rule.

Safety: run on safe loops with a buddy, keep games non-contact, and use soft balls.