Visit's Primary Goal
When I visit schools or camps, my primary goal is to get the whole class active and boost their self-esteem. And I use two sure-fire ways to do this:
1) The ‘warm-up’ or the ‘Quick-Trick-Fix-Mix’.
2) The ‘ABC Relay Race’.

The "Quick-Trick-Fix-Mix" let’s everyone attempt new skills. Of course, it’s best to teach only 2 or 3 new tricks per class. This way students don’t feel overwhelmed. When my time with each class is limited I try to teach ‘every trick in the book’ so that the students can try a variety of moves.

Sometimes I have children age 4-14 in the same group. I start with the easiest moves that the youngest can do and gradually go to the more challenging. Here’s a short list:

Easy moves pass around waist, knees, ankles, neck pass between legs, figure 8’s pass around your neighbour drop from one hand ‘along invisible string’ to other hand

Harder moves throw-catch combinations -i.e. behind back to under the leg balance in open palm the ‘Great Canadian Mind-Blower’

For a more complete description of tricks, games and stories, order my Resource Book.

The ABC Relay Race
The ABC Relay Race stands for ‘active, boosted, and co-operating’. And in a class of 40 students only 4-5 frisbees will be flying at any one time; so there’s no D for ‘danger’. Basically, four teams try to finish first by having each team member do a task -i.e.Throw the frisbee to a certain distance or hit a target in one or more tries.

The ABC Relay Race can be done indoors or outdoors. In the gym you don’t have the option of moving the target farther away from the thrower after each round (unless you have a double or triple gymnasium). Out in the schoolyard the wind can really discourage a child (or adult) from ever picking up a frisbee again.

When you play the relay race indoors, have the students experiment with left-handed throws if they’re right-handed and vice-versa. This can be lots of fun and is easier than you think.

When you go outdoors in the sun or snow (but not rain), always check the wind direction. If the thrower starts upwind of the target, your students will enjoy watching their throws "ride the wind". They’ll then carry the frisbee back to the next thrower, and therefore be "running against the wind".

The relay race started at the ‘Winter Frisbee Camp’ last year held at the indoor beach volleyball centre. While the bronze-medalists trained on one court, on the other we tried to "hit the far wall and run back to your line". The rules continue to change...

Variations
Here are some variations to try:
1) Spin a ball or large top 10-20 metres away from line. First person throws once retrieves frisbee for next in line.
2) Have the last person in line sit down 10-20 metres in front of the thrower. "Throw to your team-mate. Where the first throw lands you throw again. The person sitting can only get up when she can reach the throw. The sitter runs back with frisbee to next in line. The thrower is now the sitter."
3) Same as above with one of the following changes: Roll frisbee to target or sitter Left-handed throws Target stands facing away form thrower Note: It’s only fair to use frisbees that are ‘stable’ -they are designed to fly straight for at least 10-20 metres. Students can then reach their maximum potential. Using poor-quality frisbees is OK for the warm-up but change to a better frisbee for games and activities. Do you keep basketballs that don’t bounce when you dribble? Considering the low cost for quality plastic it’s well worth having the best frisbees. Call for a recommendation if you’d like.

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