TEACHING CHILDREN GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP

Parents and kids alike love sports, and it's easy to get caught up in a game and become focused on winning. Yet there is much more to be gained from the sports experience than a winning record. When children and teens are involved in sports, they are able to learn and put into practice values that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Good sportsmanship is one of the life lessons that children can learn from sports. You can help your children understand and value good sportsmanship while making sure they have a safe and fun sports experience.

Good sportsmanship may seem hard to define, but its hallmarks include being able to win without gloating, respecting one's opponents, and being able to lose gracefully. Here are some important principles to instill in your children:

• If you lose, don't make up excuses.
• If you win, don't rub it in.
• Learn from mistakes and get back in the game.
• Always do your best.
• If someone else makes a mistake, remain encouraging and avoid criticizing.
• Show respect for yourself, your team, and the officials of the game.

Parents are important role models, so let your children see you upholding these principles, whether you play a sport yourself or root for your child's team from the sidelines.

Stanford Children’s Health: http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=teaching-children-good-sportsmanship-1-4524

LUNADA BAY PLAYGROUND AND SPORTS RULES

PLAYGROUND RULES

• Follow instructions of playground supervisors at all times while on the playground.
• Safe, courteous behavior is expected at all times.
• Students must abide by safety equipment rules that are posted on various pieces of playground equipment.
• Students should stay within the boundaries of the playground during recess.
• Leaving the playground without permission is a serious infraction of school rules.
• Students are expected to use sports equipment and fields appropriately
• Students are expected to follow the rules established for individual games and equipment.
• Students must play by all posted game rules - NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Tagging court is NOT allowed.
• Cutting in line is not allowed under any circumstances.
• Students wishing to join a four square, tetherball or handball game already in play may do so by joining at the end of the players’ line.
• Games such as kickball cannot be joined once a game has started. New players may join at the next recess bell.
• Disputes over a player being “out” should be handled and fairly decided by majority rule.  If agreement cannot be reached, the play will be “done over.”
• Good sportsmanship should be practiced at all times. Students playing unfairly will be removed from participating in the game for the day, or if necessary, a longer period of time.
• These rules are for the safety and fun of all the students of Lunada Bay Elementary School. They will be enforced fairly and consistently.

FOOTBALL RULES

RULES OF PLAY

OBJECT OF THE GAME: To work with your teammates to score as many touchdowns as possible during the playing time.  

• The game may only be played with adult supervision. 
• A maximum number of 10 players per team. Additional players may rotate in. 
• No rushing the quarterback.  
• The quarterback may run once every 3 downs. 
• ALL players MUST wear flags.    
• No blocking.    
• No pulling on clothing.     
• No tackling or pushing.     
• No stiff arming.     
• No Flag guarding, do not use your hands to keep people from grabbing your flags. 
• Sportsman like behavior is expected at all times. *NO PUT DOWNS!* 
• The game will be cancelled if any of these rules are not followed.  

FOUR SQUARE RULES

Setup:  The Four Square Court is made up of four squares painted on the ground, all touching each other, making one, larger square.

The ball used is the standard red 'kickball.'

Four Players:  Each player occupies one of the squares.

RULES OF PLAY

The game starts when one of the players serves the ball by bouncing it in his/her square once and then hitting it towards one of the other squares.

The receiving player then hits the ball to any other player.

Play continues until one of the following things occur causing a player to be out:

• A player does not hit the ball before it bounces twice in his/her square. (Bouncing once is OK).  The player receiving the ball is out. 
• A player does not hit the ball before it bounces out of his/her square. The player receiving the ball is out. 
• A player hits the ball out of bounds - it never bounces in the square. The player who hit the ball is out. 
• The ball stops bouncing. The last player who hit the ball is out.

If the ball hits the line of any side of any square, it is an automatic "do-over."

Once a player is OUT, that person goes to the end of the line of waiting players, and the person at the front of the line gets to move into the empty square and play.

HANDBALL RULES Grades 1-4

Setup:  One wall, one red ball and 2-4 players.

RULES OF PLAY

To start, one player bounces the ball once, then hits it up against the wall.

After it bounces back on the ground one time, a member of the opposite team hits it back towards the wall. Players take turns going for the ball and hitting it to the wall.

• A player hits the ball and it bounces twice on the ground before hitting the wall.  The player whose turn it was to hit is out.
• The ball hits the wall and it bounces twice on the ground before being hit by the next player.  The player whose turn it was to hit is out.
• The ball bounces once in the court and then out of bounds before being hit.  The player whose turn it was to hit is out.

The player who is out goes to the end of the line of waiting players and the next player in line joins the game. (The player joins the team of the player who was just out.)

SPECIAL NOTE: Fifth grade students may play Handball on the 5th grade upper court according to advanced rules of the game.

KICKBALL RULES

The following is a list of rules for Kickball. These rules are to be practiced to the best extent possible while playing a kickball at Lunada Bay Elementary School.

Setup:  The number of players a team has is limitless.  A team may have no more than 1 more player than the other team.

Positions:  The only mandatory position on the field is the pitcher.  Other team members must be distributed throughout the field, with each base covered by no more than one player.

No fielder may be in front of or within five feet of the pitcher.

RULES OF PLAY

Kicking

• Players kick in the same order every inning.
• The kicker must stay behind the plate in order to kick the ball.
• The kicker may go up to the backstop fence but may not stray more than 8 feet from the plate.
• After the kicker kicks the ball successfully then he may run along the right foul line.
• Bunting is not permitted. The ball must reach or pass the pitcher's mound to be considered a fair ball.

Pitching

• The pitcher must keep at least one foot on the mound at the time of the release of the ball
• The pitcher may use one or two hands when pitching the ball to the kicker, but may not use any other body part in pitching the ball.
• The pitcher may not pitch the ball until the kicker is in the kicker's zone and is facing forward toward the pitcher and is ready. If this occurs, the kicker walks to first base.

Base Running

• When a kicker successfully kicks the ball, he may start running along the base line.
• If the ball is not foul, a strike, or an out he may continue to run towards first.
• If the runner is not tagged by the ball, or forced out at first base the runner may overrun first base without being tagged out.
• The runner may continue to run until the pitcher has the ball and is within 5 feet of the pitcher's mound and calls MOUNTAIN. If he is not halfway to the oncoming base, he must return to the previous base, if he is halfway or more to the oncoming base he may continue to next base.
• If the runner has any part of the body on a base, than he is not in danger of being tagged or hit out.
• A runner who leaves the base before the pitch is kicked is out and the ball is dead.
• After a kicked ball in the air is caught, runners must tag their originating base before running to the next base.
• If the runner has not moved prior to the ball being caught, the runner may simply run forward without a tag up.
• All ties will go to the runner.

There will be NO SLIDING under any circumstances. Leading off and stealing bases between pitches is NOT allowed.

Balls, Strikes and Outs

• A kicker has up to three strikes before he is out.
• A strike is when a kicker completely misses the ball with his foot, or does not attempt to kick the ball and the ball rolls across the plate along the ground or does not kick the ball at least the distance of the pitcher's mound.
• If the kicker kicks a foul ball he earns a strike, and may earn up to two strikes if he kicks a foul ball, but may not earn a third strike on a foul ball. Once a kicker earns a third strike by any of the other, he is out.
• A "ball" is when a pitch from the pitcher does not come across the plate.
• Once the fourth "ball" has been pitched the runner may go to first base without being in danger of being out. If there is a runner on base ahead of the walked kicker, then he may walk to the next base without being in danger of being out.

Definition of an "out"

• A kicker achieves three strikes.
• A kicker kicks the ball and the ball is caught and held with control by any fielder.
• The runner is tagged by the ball while off the base.
• A runner leaves the designated base path.
• A fielder tags the base of an oncoming runner.
• A runner is tagged by the ball while passing the previous base without tagging the base.
• The runner is caught off base on a caught out and the fielder touches the base while the runner is not on it and has not tagged up.
• The runner/kicker argues a call for more than 10 seconds.
• The runner/kicker makes a profane verbal or physical gesture.
• The runner/kicker disrupts the game from normal play in an unnecessary situation.
• Once a team achieves 3 outs, then the two teams switch positions.

Scoring

• A team scores a run when an eligible base runner successfully tags home plate.
• A runner may score by being walked home, driven home after a hit, or may walk home after a home run.
• A home run is when a ball is successfully kicked airborne and clears over and lands past the outfield without touching the ground in fair territory.
• A home run scores the kicker and all on base as long as the kicker and base runners touch all bases and home plate.

Winning

• The winning team is the one who has the most runs when the game ends.

SOCCER SHOOTOUT RULES Grades 1-3

Setup:  Baseball/Kickball field with a back stop.

Players:  One goalie with unlimited kickers.

RULES OF PLAY

• Kickers line up in a straight-line beginning at the pitcher's mound, extending towards the outfield.
• The order of kickers does not change once the game begins.
• Goalie stands at home plate in front of the backstop and pitches the ball to the first kicker.
• Kicker kicks the ball towards the backstop.
• A Goal is scored if the ball hits the backstop between the two innermost poles and below the crossbar.
• If the ball is blocked by the goalie, the kicker goes to the end of the line.
• When a goal is scored the kicker becomes the goalie and the game starts over.
• If the goalie pitches through the entire line of players and no goal are scored, the goalie will move to the end of the line and the first kicker becomes the goalie.
• A new game begins.

TETHERBALL RULES 

Setup:  This game requires two players and a pole with a volleyball attached to the top by a rope about 8 feet long.

RULES OF PLAY

• The game begins when one player serves the ball by throwing or hitting it in one direction.
• The other player, standing on the other side of the pole, tries to hit the ball back the other direction.
• The player may strike the ball with EITHER a fist or a flat hand.
• The player may catch the ball with one or two hands before hitting it, but may not touch any part of the rope when doing so.
• The players continue knocking it back and forth, each trying to keep it going in their direction.
• Players must stay in their half of the court. Crossing into the other player's territory results in an automatic out.
• A player wins when the ball goes his/her way so far that the rope wraps all the way around the pole and the ball stops spinning.
• The player who is out goes to the end of the line of players and the next player in line enters. The new player serves.

SPECIAL NOTE: If a player wins 3 games in a row she/he must give up the court to the next player in line and join the line of waiting players.