Key Stage 2 PE · Competitive games

KS2 attacking and defending in games: a guide for parents

In Years 3 to 6, children are taught to play competitive games and to apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending. These are simple ideas that apply across many games: keep the ball, use space, support each other, make it hard for the other side to score and get back into position quickly. Children are also taught to think about how they can improve and to recognise their own success, not only to look at the score.

Attacking and defending, explained

The National Curriculum does not give a list of tactics. It asks schools to teach children to apply basic principles of attacking and defending in the games they play, which might be football, netball, hockey, basketball, cricket, rounders, badminton or tennis. Teachers choose the games, but the ideas stay much the same. That is why a child who learns to find space in netball can use the same idea in hockey, and why the topic is best understood as a set of habits rather than a set of rules.

Attacking is about creating chances to score. In invasion games, such as football or basketball, the main principles are to keep possession, to move into space so a team-mate can pass to you, to pass and move rather than standing still, to support the player with the ball so they always have options, and to take a shot when you have a chance. In net games such as tennis or badminton, attacking means sending the ball or shuttle where the opponent is not. In striking and fielding games, the batting side attacks by hitting the ball into gaps and running.

Defending is about stopping the other side scoring and winning the ball back. In invasion games, children learn to get between the opponent and the goal or target, to stay close to the player they are marking, to stay balanced and on their toes, and to wait for the right moment to tackle or intercept rather than diving in. They are taught that every player defends when the other side has the ball, not only the goalkeeper. In net games, defending means getting back to a central position after a shot. In striking and fielding games, it means spreading out to cover space, backing up and returning the ball quickly. Another key idea is quick transition: the moment possession changes, attackers become defenders and the reverse.

The second part of the objective is about reflecting. Children are encouraged to ask what went well, what didn’t and what to try next. Teachers might give a simple success criterion, such as “make three passes before we shoot”, and ask pupils to count how often it happens. Success doesn’t only mean winning: it can mean making fewer mistakes, keeping the ball for longer or helping a team-mate. Children also watch and give each other feedback, which builds their understanding as well as their skill.

Words your child will hear

Attack: To try to score, by moving the ball towards the goal or target and creating chances.
Defend: To try to stop the other side scoring and to win the ball back.
Marking: Staying close to an opponent so they find it hard to receive the ball.
Intercept: To step in and take the ball while it is being passed between opponents.
Support: Moving into a place where a team-mate with the ball can pass to you.
Transition: The moment when a team changes from attacking to defending, or the reverse.
Evaluate: To say what went well, what went less well and what to do next.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught to play competitive games, modified where appropriate [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders and tennis], and apply basic principles suitable for attacking and defending
Pupils should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and sports and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: a two-against-one attack

Two attackers face one defender and want to get the ball past them to score. What should each player do?

Set the scene. Mark a short lane about 10 metres long with a goal or target at the end. Attacker A has the ball, Attacker B is beside them and one defender is in between them and the goal. It works with feet, a hockey stick or by bouncing a ball; in netball, where you cannot move with the ball, the attackers move forward by passing quickly instead.
Attacker A moves forward with the ball. This makes the defender decide: stay close to A, or cover B. Attacker B runs alongside, a few metres away to one side, so a pass is always possible.
The defender’s job. The defender stays between the ball and the goal, keeps low and steady, and tries to slow the attack down rather than diving in. Delaying gives team-mates time to arrive in a real game.
The pass. When the defender moves towards A, A passes to B, who now has a clear route. If the defender stays back to cover B, A can keep going and shoot.
Review. Switch roles after a few turns and then count how many times the attackers scored in ten tries. Talk about when the pass worked best and what the defender did.

The attackers beat the defender by spreading out, running forward together and passing when the defender commits to one of them. The defender delays and stays goal-side. A child might sum it up: “If she came at me, I passed. If she stayed back, I kept going.”

Common mistakes and how to help

All the attackers clustering round the player with the ball

Children want to be near the action and to help, but clustering gives defenders an easy job, since one player can mark them all.

What helps: Ask “where is the free space?” and encourage one player to move away from the ball. Playing small games, with three or four players on each side, makes the benefit of spreading out clear.

Thinking that attacking just means shooting

Scoring is the most exciting part of any game, so children aim for goal straight away, even when a team-mate is in a better place.

What helps: Praise the pass before the goal. Talk about how all of the team helped create the chance, by moving, passing and making space.

Rushing in to tackle and getting beaten

Children are eager to win the ball back and dive at it. If they miss, the attacker simply runs past.

What helps: Explain that defending is about waiting for the right moment. Staying between the attacker and the goal, slowing them down and letting them make a mistake often works better than a rushed challenge.

Believing that defending is a less important job

Goals get the praise, so children who defend may feel they are not contributing.

What helps: Everyone defends when the other side has the ball. Point out interceptions, blocks and recovery runs, and swap roles so every child tries each one.

How to help at home

One-on-one shadowing. Stand facing each other a few metres apart. One person moves left and right and the other tries to mirror them, staying in front. It teaches defensive footwork and balance in a safe, simple way.
Two against one in the garden. With a soft ball and a small target, such as a laundry basket, set up two attackers against one defender. Ask your child to say how they got the ball past, and then swap roles.
Find the space. When you watch a game together, such as a local club match or a school fixture, ask “where is the free space?” or “who could be passed to?” This turns watching into a lesson in attacking principles.
Success checks. After a family game, ask your child to say one thing that went well and one thing to try next time. These short reflections are exactly what teachers want children to do.
Swap jobs. In any garden game, take turns to be the attacker, defender and umpire. Experiencing each role makes children better team-mates and helps them understand why the rules exist.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Team games, rules and fair play
Key Stage 1: Attacking and defending tactics

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Invasion games tactics
Key Stage 3: Net and wall games tactics
Key Stage 3: Striking and fielding tactics
Key Stage 3: Athletics technique
Key Stage 3: Gymnastics technique