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Kelly learning a "3 Point stance" (thanks to Tanner
for his help) |
If I thought I was out of my comfort zone learning to braid hair, I can't imagine what these girls were feeling learning how to play football. It's interesting that in today's world of tolerance and gender equality, football remains one of the few sports with no womens' teams at the high school or collegiate level. Why is this? Do we assume girls are weaker than boys and can't handle the physicality of football? Are we afraid to let them compete in any form of football besides "Powder Puff" games or the "Lingerie Football League"? I wanted to break these traditions and teach girls how to play low down, gritty, real football.
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Learning how to grip a football
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As learning new things usually does, this started out rather slow, mostly involving going over the basics. Luckily the girls already had a basic knowledge of the game, so I didn't have to start by telling them what a "pass" was. Things started picking up when we learned how to grip and throw a football, hold it while running, and even a 3 point stance (as seen in the picture above). The field was wet and muddy and we got a little dirty, but I think that just added to the ambience of the experience. By the end both girls could actually throw decent spirals and catch a pass the majority of the time.
The grand finale of the football lesson was Elena going out for a deep pass and making a nice grab!
Overall this was another fun experience and another testament of the effectiveness of learning things by folk knowledge. I doubt these girls, or anyone for that matter, could read a book on how to throw a spiral or catch a ball and become good at it. Just like I did throughout my youth, they learned how to play football today from observation, some instruction, and practicing and experiencing it for themselves. Isn't this really the most effective way of learning things?
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