Abstract

Games have traditionally been based on a prior agreement concerning the terms of the challenge between two sides. Through this agreement, the contenders’ possibilities for achieving victory were balanced as the characteristics of the players and their abilities were analysed and changes introduced. This has taken place in the same way in the ‘direct’ ball games which are being examined here and are still played in some areas of Spain such as the Basque Country, Navarra and the Region of Valencia. This knowledge of these games comes from ethnographic research carried out in 2007 with the aim of rescuing, cataloguing and describing Basque and Valencian direct ball games. Based on this paper, we propose the design of a teaching progression for the introduction of these activities into physical education classes in high schools as part of a comprehensive perspective in which the student has a major role not only in playing but also in the design of the challenges. The intention is that students should identify changes in the game and the effects they have in order to be able to propose challenges to other teams. This practice will also be evaluated by all parties. In short, it involves putting a modern proposal based on ancient ball games on the table.