Some Thoughts on Dodgeball

Below are some thoughts on Dodgeball I have posted on Naspe-talk from time to time. As you will read below, although I know most children like Dodgeball, I strongly believe that most forms of the game should not be part of a quality physical education program.

I just started teaching in a new school this year: k - 5. The students were used to dodge ball, relay races, kickball, line soccer, steal the bacon, etc. I told them right off the bat that Physical Education is a subject just like any other subject. The teacher who teaches math does not pick out the best math students and gear the program for them. The teacher must attempt to reach all students. The above mentioned games are geared for the better athletes. I tell them they don't need to play these games in PE. If they want to join a league, there are plenty of them after school and I will help anyone who wants find them. After almost one year of teaching in this school, only the die hard jocks ever ask for these kinds of games. I just look at them. They seem to be starting to get the message.

I agree that physical education should be a fun place. I also agree that most kids love dodgeball. If the game is well monitored for safety and does not eliminate them, it can be a fun exciting game. However, here is my problem: If physical education is to be recognized as a subject and not just a place to play and have fun, we must look at the purpose of the activity. If dodgeball, or for that matter any type of competitive game, is the best way to teach a necessary skill, then by all means go with it. But if you can think of a better way to accomplish your goal and still make the class fun for everyone, particularly the students who need PE the most, then that is the way to go. Personally, I opt for the second choice. I feel that competitive games that involve the whole class, usually with one half playing the other do not allow for the less skilled person to get many chances. I also feel that there is a difference between education and recreation. Those dodgeball games that allow the less skilled player to participate actively and have a clear objective certainly can be justified.

Dodgeball is one of those subjects that can start a controversy in a moments notice: Here are a few thoughts and questions on this subject: Dodgeball is not necessarily bad or evil. If it has an objective, is safe (mentally and physically), and gets all children actively involved in moving and learning, it is probably OK. Dodgeball should never be used to teach throwing or catching. There are much better methods to teach these skills. Dodgeball should not be used as a reward because that lowers the integrity of the rest of your program. Dodgeball should not be used to appease the vocal minority. These are the ones who already have the most skill in throwing and catching and are the most physically aggressive.

Here are a few questions to think about:

1. If you are allowing the children to play dodgeball, are you using a safe type of ball?
2. Do you have an educational standards based objective for the game?
3. Are you actively involved in teaching, or are you the referee that says: "Gotcha, Tommy, you're out?"
4. Are all children active, or only the ones who are skilled in throwing and catching?
5. Is the only purpose of the game to have some kind of perceived "fun"?
6. Are you using at least one ball for every three to four students in the game?
7. Are there students in the class who hardly ever throw or catch the ball during the game?
8. Do you notice that some students appear to be hiding during the game until the end?
9. Is there an alternative to dodgeball that would produce better teaching and just as much fun?

Although my program is more cooperative than competitive, more based on individual and group goals as opposed to one team versus another, I must admit that I do play some form of dodgeball during a school year. However, I never call it dodgeball. We (the students and I) make up some kind of fantasy game. The students are never out of the game. There is a whole lot of safe equipment being used. Everyone is involved. The objective is either some kind of fitness activity, team strategy, cooperative goal, or a combination of these.

Traditional Dodgeball is just one of the many activities that should be eliminated from the curriculum. (I know there are many creative ways to play it with soft type equipment and as long as there is a purpose and kids are not being eliminated, it may be OK to use once in a while). The reason traditional dodgeball should be eliminated, besides the fact that kids can get hurt, is for the same reason many other activities should be eliminated. A good physical educator chooses activities that best help the greatest amount of students acquire and/or improve skills, knowledge, and fitness. Games that eliminate the weakest students first are obviously counter productive. And by the way, an example of a class game that is just as ridiculous is the spelling bee. We want to teach kids to spell, so we eliminate the ones who can't spell first. We think this will encourage them to spell better. Instead why don't we teach them how to spell. Additionally: Relay races focus on winning, not the skill. Eliminate them. I don't mean teaching passing the baton in track and field. Drills are boring and prepare students for a game situation. Drills are best left for a team, not a class. There is no purpose for students doing drills. They are not on a team. They may never want to be on a team, nor is it necessary for them to be on a team. However, it is necessary for them to learn how to become efficient lifelong movers, understand fitness, and work well with others. Therefore, instead of doing drills or boring exercises, use movement education along with small sided games that focus on the learning process. Movement ed. and small sided games are fun, and even if they are competitive, they take the pressure off the outcome of winning or losing. And even the most competitive students in your class will enjoy these games because they will be matched with kids of their own ability and they will get many more chances to practice. When warming up and exercising, teach the students the categories or fitness, and challenge them to come up with their own fitness routines. Ask them to show you an exercise that demonstrates cardiovascular endurance rather than just saying lets do twenty jumping jacks. Playing games where you divide the whole class into two separate teams focuses on winning and losing, not on the skill. Eliminate this procedure. The teacher also becomes a referee or scorekeeper, and not a teacher. If you find yourself keeping score in a game, think about how you could have been helping Howie (who is having trouble catching a ball) become a better catcher. Competitive games that mirror the real thing are best left for after school teams, clubs and outside leagues. Competitive games must be modified to include all skill levels. Remember when you teach a physical education class, you are teaching to 20 or more skill levels. You can't expect them to compete on an even playing field. If the activity you choose allows the more gifted students to shine and the least gifted students to do poorly, it is probably an inappropriate choice. And aren't the least gifted students the ones we really want to reach? The gifted students will always find activities they can do outside of your PE class. We certainly do not want to turn off the students who really need us to show them that physical activity can be fun and rewarding. They will not like physical education if they see it as a place where they may be humiliated. The gifted students can be challenged in other ways. They can work to better their own skills and knowledge, acquire a better understanding of fitness, try new things, help others learn, learn new game strategies, etc.

According to NASPE's Appropriate Practices for Elementary School Physical Education (2000), "in a quality physical education class teachers involve ALL children in activities that allow them to participate actively, both physically and mentally. Activities such as relay races, dodgeball, and elimination tag provide limited opportunities for everyone in the class, especially the slower, less agile students who need the activity the most." The students who are eliminated first in dodgeball are typically the ones who most need to be active and practice their skills. Many times these students are also the ones with the least amount of confidence in their physical abilities. Being targeted because they are the "weaker" players, and being hit by a hard-thrown ball, does not help kids to develop confidence. The arguments most often heard in favor of dodgeball are that it allows for the practice of important physical skills - and kids like it. Dodgeball does provide a means of practicing some important physical skills - running, dodging, throwing, and catching. However, there are many activities that allow practice of these skills without using human targets or eliminating students from play. Some kids may like it - the most skilled, the most confident. But many do not! Certainly not the student who gets hit hard in the stomach, head, or groin. And it is not appropriate to teach our children that you win by hurting others. In a recent article about the new GSN (games network) TV show called "Extreme Dodgeball," there is talk of "developing and executing extreme strategies to annihilate opponents" and the use of terms such as "throw-to-kill ratios," and "headshots." NASPE asks, "Is this the type of game that you want children to be exposed to?"