[PE Teaching Models] TGfU

From “Just Playing” to Thinking Players

Hello, this is Young-in teacher! :)

In game-based PE lessons, you’ve probably seen this contrast:

One class discusses strategies, talks to each other, and becomes totally absorbed in the game.

Another class just chases the ball in a big cluster, and the game ends without much learning.

Is this difference due to “athletic talent”? No. It’s a difference in how students understand the game.

Today, I’d like to introduce TGfU (Teaching Games for Understanding) — a model that focuses not on “playing more games,” but on solving problems inside the game to build tactical understanding and decision-making skills.

1️⃣ TGfU in one sentence

TGfU follows this flow:

Game → Question → Understanding → Skill

In traditional lessons, the sequence was often:

“Let’s practice passing for 20 minutes, and then play a game.”

TGfU flips that order:

Start with a small-sided game.

Let students feel problems such as, “There are too many defenders; we can’t pass!”

At that moment, the teacher asks,

“So how can we create space?”

and guides students to think about tactics.

Then, you practice the specific skills needed to carry out that strategy.

2️⃣ Four core elements of a TGfU lesson

For a lesson to truly reflect TGfU, these four elements need to be present.

① Game Form

Full official games are too complex. Start with modified games such as:

3 vs 3 mini soccer

Half-court basketball

Simplify numbers and rules so that the tactical problem becomes clear.

② Tactical Awareness

Ask questions like:

“If you don’t have the ball, where should you move?”

Students learn to read space, time, and opponents — developing game sense, not just technique.

③ Decision Making

In each situation, students think:

“Should I pass now, or shoot?”

Instead of just executing pre-taught movements, they learn to make the best decision for the situation.

④ Skill Execution

Once a tactic is chosen, students naturally feel the need for better skills:

“To use that strategy, we need more accurate passing.”

So skill practice becomes meaningful, directly connected to the problems they experienced in the game.

� Classroom Application – Young-in Teacher’s TIP! (Use it right away)

✅ Tip ① Use “question cards” to spark tactical talk

After a mini game, give students 1 minute of “time-out” for strategy discussion.

Instead of the teacher doing all the talking, hand out question cards to each team:

Q1. “Why did our attack just get stopped?”

Q2. “If you don’t have the ball, where should you move?”

As students write and discuss their answers, they naturally discover tactical principles like creating space, supporting the ball carrier, and using width and depth.

✅ Tip ② Use a “Game–Skill–Game” sandwich structure

Set up your lesson like this:

(5 minutes) – First mini game Let students experience the problem (e.g., “We can’t get past the defenders”).

(10 minutes) – Tactical discussion + focused skill practice Discuss: “What could we change?” Practice the skills needed for the new strategy (e.g., quick give-and-go passes, spreading out wide).

(10 minutes) – Second mini game Apply the agreed strategy and see if it solves the earlier problem.

When this structure becomes a routine, students internalize the TGfU flow:

“When we get stuck in a game, we think → practice → and then try again.”

� In Closing

TGfU helps students grow into thinking players:

not just those with good technique,

but children who can read situations, cooperate with teammates, and create solutions together.

In your next PE lesson,
how about putting the whistle down for a moment and asking:

“What do you think we should do here?”

You might be surprised at how much tactical thinking your students already have inside them.