The six components
The adapting components are a set of factors which provide a framework through which activities, games and sports can be adapted by:
- instructors
- teachers
- coaches
- volunteers.
The aim of using the six adapting components is to be able to provide the technical access to opportunities for participants who otherwise might be excluded if only traditional approaches were used.
The six components – the adapted framework
- Area
- Equipment
- Physical Performance
- Roles and Procedures
- Rules
- Scoring
By using the adapted framework it should help the instructor, teacher, coach and volunteers to start to develop this as a ‘skill’ and find other ways of adapting traditional approaches or creating new activities, games or sports for their situations.
The terms physical activities, games and sports are of course relative to any situation, however they do provide the non-specialist facilitator with a starting framework through which they can consider what they are attempting to achieve.
The basics – the process of participation
The basic aim of any instructor, teacher, coach or volunteer is to facilitate active participation for an individual or group so they can achieve a high degree of satisfaction.
This will only be achieved if the facilitator is aware of the process of participation. Project Adapted have identified the following six factors.
- attraction
- involvement
- identification
- achievement
- independence
- expertise.
The balance
With the participation process in mind, adaptation can occur by supporting an individual or group’s initial participation with basic changes to the six adapting components. The activity, game or sport will only ever be challenging if the six factors are balanced by the most appropriate arrangement of the six components.
The following analysis illustrates the manner in which the six components of table tennis were changed to create the balance in the challenges of Polybat.
| Components | Changes | Balance of components for the challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Area | Regular table tennis table used. Side panels added, no net. | Area: the same secure area. |
| Equipment | Rectangular bat, modified grip. Plastic golf practice ball. | Game and body factors. Reduced for the perceptual factor. |
| Physical performance | One main patterned stroke. Stop start hits possible. | Less variation required. Variation of play. |
| Participant roles - procedure | Singles. Doubles allows for co-operative play. | Ball kept in play. Target aspect. |
| Rules | Hits can play off sides. Ends provide goals. | Account for game challenge. |
| Scoring | Little change unless half games played. | Parallel able bodied if possible. |
Learning outcomes
Teachers, of course, will be more prescriptive with these in terms of the National Curriculum learning outcomes compared to that of a Sports Development worker who would use the more general stages above. In contemporary settings, adapting for physical participation should be viewed much more as a professional tool so it is researched, planned for and recorded, just as a classroom teacher would do it via a number of avenues for maths etc.
