Our self-appointed quarterback gathered us in a huddle to “make a play” for the upcoming offensive effort. He
asked each of us what route we wanted
to run. Each player in our little huddle named his intention; crossing routes,
10 yard hooks, fades. His eyes came to me and waited for my response. I told
him that I would just run straight out as fast as I could. With a look of disapproval he responded “so, a
fade?” In my previous playing experience, I had rarely had a plan for where I
was going to run, and if I did, it had been drawn on the palm of the quarterback’s
hand. I didn’t know that there were names for them.
I lacked a lot of the
training and instruction about the fundamentals and specifics of the sports I
participated in. Although I loved playing, I
usually felt a little (or a lot) lost about even basic terminology. I have
experienced similar feelings playing many sports. Cut, streak, box out, post
up, take it to the key, pick left were all things people shouted at me playing
basketball without ever explaining to me what they meant.
Some suggest that this is one great
value of sports video games. They argue that instead of being mind-numbing
obesity producers, video games may be a great teaching tool. A story posted
in June of this year discussed the ways sports games can teach young athletes
important concepts of the sport and prepare them for actual participation in
sport.
An article in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, makes an excellent case for using video games in Physical Education
instruction. The authors suggest that video games can provide mental models, introduce
sports-related language, enhance motivation and train in teamwork and strategy
among other things.
While many areas are looking into
innovative ways to motivate and instruct students, parents, teachers and
coaches should begin to consider the possibilities of using video games to
teach.
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