Rethinking the teaching of games and sports
Games categories
The game categories included in the PDHPE syllabus are taken from the Teaching Games for Understanding model, in which games are broken up into four categories - invasion games, striking/fielding games, target games and net/court games. The following table illustrates where individual sports fit into these categories.
The division of these games into the four categories is based on the physical characteristics of the game, the fundamental skills required and the tactical problems or primary rules of the game.
Physical characteristics refer to the shape and general size of the playing field as well as the way the objects of the game are used. For example a court or field in invasion games, a court divided by a net with a team on each side in net/court games.
Fundamental skills refer to movement skills such as running, stopping, balancing, guarding. These can also be called off-the-ball movements. Fundamental skills also refer to equipment handling skills such as throwing, striking, receiving, catching, trapping, and dribbling. These can also be called on-the-ball skills.
Tactical problems refer to the primary rules or defining aims that are common to all games in each category.
In dividing games into these four categories we can identify the fundamental concepts that are common across each of the games in this category.
© State of New South Wales through the Department of Education and Training, 1999 - 2009. All rights reserved.
Conditions of use | Help | Contact us
Report incorrect, out-of-date or missing information