Dodgeball in Physical Education it

Dodgeball in Physical Education

It would seem strange to some that a children's schoolyard game has garnered such a huge national debate about the efficacy of its use in school physical education. As is stated in the National Association for Sport & Physical Education dodge ball is not the best option to meet the demands and goals of the physical education curriculum, as it offers students a very competitive and potentially dangerous pastime that eliminates those who need the most attention with regard to establishing physical education as part of their everyday lives, in the future. The basic message of the work is that although the gains one might get in curriculum, exercise through running, dodging, throwing and catching, all important physical skills can be achieved through games and exercises that are not exclusionary or potentially dangerous and do not teach children that the way to win is by hurting others. (NASPE "Position on Dodgeball in Physical Education." 1)

The work has a strong message about the necessity to reduce the level of emphasis games pay on human targets and elimination of students from play. The work clearly demonstrates an opposition to the revitalization of this game in school, as a result of modern media hype and nostalgia, especially considering the fact that the representation of the game in the media is one where terms like, "throw-to-kill ratios," and "headshots" are good things and the student, at the receiving end could be seriously turned off of physical education, especially when those children are the ones most in need of physical education and physical lifestyle changes. The paper ends by asking parents "is this the type of game that you want children to be exposed to?" (NASPE "Position on Dodgeball in Physical Education." 2) the ones eliminated are frequently those with limited agility and speed, often due to poor physical condition, resulting from a sedentary lifestyle. (NASPE "Position on Dodgeball in Physical Education.")

When looking at additional sources, both opponent and proponent of dodgeball as a legitimate game to play in structured physical education curriculum, there is an evident heated debate. Most concluding that it is a game that should be played, only by adults, as some revivals have begun in the nation to establish this type of system, but that the potential damage it could do to kids with regard to engendering a desire to live future physical lives is suspicious. ("Children's Games-for Adults Only?" 11)

There are however a number of people involved in physical education that do not see the harm in playing games such as dodgeball, because they are highly active and because children enjoy them for their speed and skill demonstrations capabilities. One long time physical education instructor had this to say:

Understanding I am committing professional heresy, I believe there is a place for dodgeball in physical education. There are very few activities, if any, that are inherently good or bad. It is how an activity is used, with whom it is used, and how it relates to our goals that dictate its relative value. Such is the case with dodgeball.

Shoemaker 17)

His aregument being that there is a right way and a wrong way to structure activities to meet the needs of all student, and protect them from physical and emotional harm. Yet, it is clear that there is no NASPE governing committee that can devote a great deal of time to checking to make sure that the game is guised in such as manner as to not damage children in a psychological or physical manner. There is also a clear sense that abuses will occur, especially when the activity is part of unstructured play and children seek to emulate the competitive cutthroat manner in which they see adults playing the game in popular tv and movies. There is simply no way to ensure that every application fo this type of game is done in a manner that feeds children's desire to live and active and long life, rather than limiting their early ideas about the nature of sports and physical activity. Even the contrary evidence offered by the long time physical ed instructor, who is a proponent of dodgeball in the curriculum is convincing to the contrary position:

On many levels and from many perspectives, I can find few re deeming qualities in dodgeball. In elementary school, my wife dreaded dodgeball days in physical education class because she couldn't throw and was almost always the victim of a hard-thrown ball that stung on contact. Neil Williams includes dodgeball in his three "Hall of Shame" articles-in JOPERD 63(6), 65(2), and 67(8) -- and makes a strong case for its permanent exclusion from physical education.

Shoemaker 17)

As Shoemaker clearly outlines there are far to many real and historical anecdotes that express particular individuals experiences as negative, when ti comes to dodgeball to continue to allow it to be used as a curriculum option in physical ed and played in an unstructured fashion in school yards during down time. The only redemptive character of voluntary play being that children can choose to play or not to play and therefore may not be stigmatized, the other problem being that this choice not to play and to instead be a part of a less active activity is clearly contrary to the goal of invigorating the desire to live a physical life.