Spud

Description of Activity

Spud is a game that is best played outdoors in a large space - a field or sport court works best. To set up the game, every player gets a number and forms a semi-circle (or a full circle pending how many participants you have crowds) around the person who is “it”. To start the game, designate one person who is “it” for that round. To start the game the player who has been designated as “it” tosses the ball straight up into the air as all players break the circle or semi-circle formed and run away from the ball. As the ball reaches the top of its toss, the player who is “it” (or you as a coach) call out a number as they also run away. The player whose number was called must run back to the ball and yell “Spud!” when they have the ball in their grasp. When this occurs, all of the free runners must freeze. The person with the ball can then throw it one time from where they are standing and try to hit opposing players with the ball. The person holding the ball cannot move and must attempt to hit opposing players from a stationary position. Players attempting to dodge the ball can only move in an attempt to dodge a ball thrown at them. If the ball is not thrown at them, they cannot move.

If the player with the ball hits one of the players in the field, the person who was hit gets a letter (S, then P, then U, then D) and the person who was hit is “it”. If the person who threw the ball misses a player in the field, they are “it” for the next round. The person who is “it” will then start a new round by throwing the ball up- signaling the start of a new round.

Equipment Needed

A playground ball

Potential Modifications

Pending your group size, you can add more playground balls to each round and calling more than one number. Additionally, you can add a calisthenics movement to being hit by ball (for a field player) or missing (for the person who is “it”).