In Moveminton, both players are assigned to a side of the court. Each playing area is composed of a 5×5 grid of squares.
Players begin the game by playing rock-paper-scissors to determine who gets to serve first. Players then alternate who serves at the start of each subsequent rally.
Players start each rally by placing their Player Icon in the middle square of their playing area. The Ball Icon is then placed in the center square of the serving player’s court. Each player’s Move Points and Strike Points are then set to 20.
To serve the ball, the serving player decides which square in their opponent’s court they would like to send the ball to. They then drag the ball to that square while moving it one square at a time. The ball may only move in an up/down or forward/backward direction (not diagonally). Each time the ball icon crosses a square, it costs the offensive player one Strike Point. Once the ball has landed in the targetted square, the offensive player subtracts the total amount of Strike Points it cost to send the ball there from their remaining Strike Points total.
The defending player must then move to where the ball is sent. Similar to how the Ball Icon was moved, the defending player must drag their Player Icon to the ball while moving it one square at a time (again, only using up/down or forward/backward movements). Each time the Player Icon crosses into a new square, it costs that player one Move Point. Once the player has arrived to the targetted square, the defensive player subtracts the total amount of Move Points it cost to move there from their remaining Move Points total.
Once a player no longer has enough Move Points to move to the ball or enough Strike Points to send the ball over the net, their opponent scores a point. Player Icons, the Ball Icon, and Move/Strike Point totals then get reset so that players may begin the next rally (with the player who received the service on the last rally now serving the ball).
The game is played until a player has successfully scored five points.
Setting The Game Up
Here is how I would set this game up for my virtual learners in physical education.
Build One: Moveminton
Players play the game using the rules described in the “Quick Rules” section above.
Build Two: Center Position
Players play again, except now their Player Icon gets reset to the center square of their playing area – at no Move Points cost – each time they successfully send the ball over the net. Players are to pay attention to how this resetting to center affects the game, their Move Points, and their Strike Points throughout the game. The idea is to help players understand the tactical advantage gained by returning to a center position after each shot (which helps players reduce the amount of open space on their court).
Build Three: Diagonal Movements
In build three, we can remove the up/down, backward/forward-only rule for Player Icon movements. Players may now move their player icon diagonally on their court, which helps them save Move Points. The idea of this build is to help students understand the value of efficient movement on the court (e.g. pivoting and shuffling).
Build Four: Shot Calling
In build four, players continue to play the game with all of the previous rules. However, when possible, players say out loud which badminton shot they would use to send the ball where they want it to go. The idea is to have students begin to think about which shot to use based on a) where they are intending to send it, and b) where both players are located on the court. This build is to be used only after the various badminton shots have been introduced to the students.
Prior to the game, the class should review the guidelines for responsible and respectful online behaviour.
Moveminton Template (available in Moveminton Game Pack)
Attacking Open Space Assessment Sheet (available in Moveminton Game Pack)
