Extensive research pertaining to student teaching is prevalent in physical education literature. Lacking however, is student teachers' (STs') implementation of a curricular innovation. The innovation involved in this study was the tactical games approach. This study examined 49 STs' actions and perspectives when implementing the curricular innovation. Each ST was required to teach a 10-lesson unit in an invasion, net/barrier or striking/fielding game. STs' compliance was monitored by cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Research questions pertained to the STs' successes and failures implementing the innovation, including facilitators and hindrances that influenced their teaching. The researchers were also interested to determine what STs thought could be improved in their teacher preparation program to better prepare them for tactical games teaching. Finally, 41 participants volunteered to be surveyed a year after teaching in a school full-time, to determine if they continued to use the tactical approach when teaching games. Data were collected via interviews and follow-up questionnaires. Questions for interviews and questionnaires were pilot tested a year earlier using 10 STs who were not part of the formal study. Original questions were devised by the researchers as a result of an extensive review of curricular innovation and student teaching literature. Questions were then reviewed by a panel of experts to determine face validity. Questions were finally posed to the pilot STs via interviews and questionnaires. These participants were given an opportunity to comment on question appropriateness and clarity. Two questions were modified slightly to improve clarity. Answers from the formal study interviews and questionnaires were analyzed by two researchers using the constant comparison method. Themes were developed independently and mutually agreed upon. STs were successful in implementing tactical lessons but the greatest challenges STs faced were their pupils being new to the approach, or lacking skills to play a game properly. The greatest facilitators to implementing the tactical approach were physical education teacher education courses. STs suggested that more opportunities to teach using the tactical approach in schools during methods classes would better prepare them for practicum, however. A follow-up questionnaire, one year later, determined that 87% of participants were still using the ‘innovation' in their teaching. Keyword(s): pre-service/student, professional preparation