The Tulip Game is a call-and-response chase game where players must react quickly to key words (“tulipán” triggers the run). The chaser must catch the runner before reaching safety. It improves explosiveness, auditory processing, and start-stop reactions, often used to inject laughter and agility training into warm-ups.
Objectives
- Automate the pot.
- Improve the coordination dynamics.
- To dissociate the look of the ball.
Recommended age
- From 6 years onwards (School and Minibasket: categories pre-benjamin, benjamin, and fry).
Number of players
- From 3 players forward.
Recommended time
- Recommended time: 7-10 min.
Equipment and facilities
- 1 Basketball player (except the person that league).
- You can make this game in a open space or in a field (whether half or whole).
Initial layout and description of the Tulip Game
There is a player who is league (the pocha or leads). This can have a ball (or not, depending on the difficulty level you want for the game).
In case of carrying the ball, you should wear a cone or any material striking that serve to differentiate themselves from the others. The others each have a ball.
The league starts in the center circle, and the others are spread across the side lines and the background.
The limits are those of the home court, or one previously established by the Coach.
The signal of the start of the game.
The league must touch a player (no need to grab).
When caught in a player, they exchange roles (in the case of having two players with a ball, which was caught, to change your role, you must also take the cone or material striking differentiator).
In case of out of the set limits, the amount to be captured.
The difference with the Pilla-Pilla is that this game has an action that allows the player to be in a position to save (‘stay at home’).
In the classic game (without balls through), the action to avoid being caught is to shout ‘Tulip’ (‘Tuli’ in the fast version) and placed with the arms crossed and legs outstretched and separated. It will be safe from being caught, but will not be able to move until it is saved.
The way to be saved, is that a partner challenge beneath the legs.
In our version we will be able to maintain the traditional names of the game, or change it to ‘¡Triple Threat!’.
It is longer, but also gives more grace to say, very fast. Like if we use the Tulip, Tuli, or Triple Threat to be safe, the players with the ball must take the basic position of the Triple Threat.
To be very difficult to save a colleague in this way at the time you throw the ball, we say that to be saved you have to pass the ball under the legs of the partner. The game ends when the league gets to leave all in the position of the Tulip, and there is no one left for plunder.
Variants
- Dribble with the hand non-dominant.
- Bounce to a specific height (at the height of the knee, hip, shoulder, at the height of the head, above the head, etc…).
- The league boot two balls.
- Depending on the number of players, you can link 1 or 2 more.
- Version Tulip 2.0: In this version, the player gets to except you must shout the slogan and keep your ball between the knees, and have your arms stretched out. In order to be saved, they will have to come two companions and touch each hand simultaneously.
- To be saved you have to do a combination of changes of hand.
Cedric Arregui Guivarch
National Coach of Basketball (CES 2014)
