Dribbling marbles is a fun game that tests dribbling control, changes of direction and changes of speed. It also helps develop vision, agility, reaction, quickness and decision-making.
Small group rules — one “it” girl is a target and tries to escape from multiple hunters:
This game requires at least two players, but it works best with 4-8 players.
- Everyone has a soccer ball. One girl is “it”. She is a target, not a hunter. The “it” girl’s job is to keep her ball safe from the hunters’ balls. (This is a real challenge for the “it” girl, because she is outnumbered.)
- The other girls are hunters. Each hunter tries to bump her ball into the “it” girl’s ball. If a hunter knocks her own ball into the “it” girl’s ball, she becomes the “it” girl. (Rule adjustment for less experienced players: Have the hunters freeze for 2-3 seconds each time a new girl becomes the “it” girl. This gives the new “it” girl a moment to scan the field and decide where to dribble.)
- Play 30-45 seconds. Whoever is “it” when time expires gets a point.
- Play more rounds, with the winner being the first girl to get 2 or 3 points.
Everyone gets a lot of high-intensity dribbling . The “it” girl has to keep her ball moving, while avoiding hunters and looking for open space. The hunters have to show good dribbling control, changing directions and speed as they chase the “it” girl.
Large group rules — “it” girls act as hunters:
Everyone has a soccer ball. One or more players are “it” and wear colored vests or carry cones or ribbons.- The “it” girls dribble and try to bump their own balls into another player’s soccer ball. Each bump counts as a point. An “it” girl can’t actually kick another player’s ball — she has to dribble her own ball and bump it into another player’s ball.
- Play 30-45 seconds and add up the score for the “it” girls.
- Get another team of “it” girls and see if they can beat the prior score.
Everyone gets a lot of high-intensity running while trying to control their soccer balls. The target girls have to use speed, agility, reaction and quickness to get away from the “it” girls. The “it” girls have to get their heads up to locate the target girls, and they have to make lots of quick changes of direction and speed to track down the target girls.