No.302
La Tomate: Guard the Gap
Japanese name: ラ・トマト（足の門を守る）
Materials
- 1 lightweight, soft ball
How to play
- Choose one centre player. Everyone else faces inward in a circle, feet comfortably apart. Bring neighbouring toes close together, leaving a gate between your own two feet.
- The centre player rolls the ball along the floor, trying to send it out through a foot gate. Keep it on the ground and avoid forceful hits.
- Circle players keep their feet still and use their hands to block the ball and return it to the centre. Keep faces well away from the ball and never kick another person’s feet.
- When the ball passes through a gate, that gate’s player swaps with the centre player. If it escapes through a gap between players instead, the centre player collects it and continues.
- After five rolls without a goal, choose a centre player who has not tried the role. Finish when everyone has tried it or after 10 minutes.
Ways to adapt
Younger primary: narrower gates and gentle rolls. For players uncomfortable standing, use chair legs or floor markers as gates and defend while seated.