Mind-Body Connection and Marsden Ball

 Mind-Body Connection and Marsden  Ball 



Marsden Ball Math Facts

The goal here is to get the mind and body working together. When a student's body is moving, their mind and body are connected, and students can access their working and visual memory, which will help organize their brain and help them memorize their facts. You know the mind and body are connected when:

  • The student has the proper stance. Their head, body, and feet are straight forward, not tilted to the side. If the body part leans or turns to one side, that means one side of the body shuts down, and the brain and body aren't fully connected. 

  • The ball is smooth...not jerky

  • That the timing is correct. If their mind is too fast, they will say the number before the ball hits the pole. If their mind is too slow, they will hit the ball and then say the number. You want the ball and the pole to connect at the exact same time as they say the number.  

Before you start hitting the ball:


 

  • Write down your math facts on a large piece of paper or a whiteboard up to 10 or 12. Form

  • Fill in the blanks to find your bad guys. 

  • When you find your bad guy, circle it. If you are just learning, you may begin with step 1.

Let’s Begin: Position your body in an athletic stance.

  1. Make sure the ball is at the belly button level.

  2. Feet about shoulder-width apart.

  3. Toes pointed forward

  4. Head straight

  5. Weight is equally distributed on both feet

  6. Hold the handle with your fingertips

  7. Give the ball a light tap 

  8. Hit the ball in a smooth pattern (no jerky balls, smooth and moving at a steady rate.

  9. Get into a good rhythm. 

  10. Begin to skip counting 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20. If you made a mistake, stop and start over. A mistake may be the timing is too fast or too slow, the ball is jerky, the body leans to one side, or you forget a number. If this happens, start from the beginning. Continue until you get to your desired number. 

  11. Hit the ball once more (a pause) then start going backward 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4,2. If you make a mistake, start over. 

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