The Quirky Game of Football

Football is a game that kids around the world have been playing for decades, with little more than a ball and some questionably defined boundaries. The apparent simplicity of design and execution disguises how difficult it can be to teach the fundamentals of this sport, especially to those people who have not already been exposed to it. Luckily, a little instruction can go a long way in getting kids playing this great game.

In order to effectively teach football, it is necessary to teach skills individually and scaffold them methodically. These skills can be blended together in mini-games that give young athletes more practice while exposing them slowly to the rules and fundamental principles of one of the most popular sports in the United States. 

Front-Load and Scaffold Individual Skills Methodically

Though many of your pupils will have watched or even played football before, that does not mean that they have a firm grasp of skills specific to the game, and many of them will come to class without any knowledge at all. Some football skills and rules can be front-loaded with a little creativity. If you intend to have your class eventually playing flag football, play a few games of capture the flag with students wearing flag belts instead of tagging one another. Play a game like this where you can introduce the concept of an end zone that players have to enter in order to win or score points. 

When you begin your football unit, start at the very, very beginning. Teach pupils how to hold a football before they throw it. Teach them how to catch standing still before you have them try catching on the run. Many of the skills specific to the game of football are not intuitive, making a football spiral through the air, for instance; but they can be picked up quickly with minimal instruction. Build confidence in your young athletes by scaffolding their learning. Have partners practice throwing and catching while remaining stationary at reasonable distances. Allow them to take control of their learning by judging when they are ready to throw farther or run and catch.

Blend Skills and Rules in Mini Games 

Once your class has been exposed to some of the fundamentals, blend these skills into mini games that incorporate football rules. Mini-games are not small games of football, but rather games that mimic part of a football game, using specific skills. Playing a series of mini-games will gradually introduce your class to football concepts and prepare them for playing a full game.

Drills work for organized sports teams, but if you are trying to keep a PE class interested, turn drills into games. Ten points football is an example of a game which focuses on throwing and catching. As students get better, incorporate more skills. This game allows for the incorporation of defensive players and moving receivers.

Grouping strategies are an important consideration for football lessons. If you have a large number of advanced players who you would trust to tutor their peers, then mixed ability grouping can work very well. However, if students at different ability levels are becoming frustrated with one another, you may want to consider grouping them together with similar ability levels. More advanced kids can be tasked with playing more complicated or difficult games, such as The 2 Minute Drill.

The NFL Flag program assists with the creation of flag football leagues around the country and hosts a wealth of information about the game on their website, including tips for coaches and players and their official rulebook in its entirety. This information could very easily be adapted to fit the formats described above.

Inspire Independent Practice and Research

Kids have been adapting the game of football for years. Encourage your students to play two-hand touch at recess or after school. Tagging the ball carrier with both hands removes the need for flags and avoids the dangerous practice of playing full contact without pads. This is not advised for class, however, as there will be frequent disagreements about whether a player was tagged.

There are myriad of opportunities for young athletes to interact with the game outside of practice or class. Friday Night Lights is a captivating non-fiction book about playing high school football in a small, Texas town. It has been turned into a fantastic movie and a critically acclaimed TV series. College and professional football games are televised Thursday through Monday during the regular season, September through December. Local high school games are also a great way to interact with the community and see a sport played live.

Football is a wonderful game full of drama and heroics. If kids have a football and some open space, they can play the game. With a little ingenuity and enthusiasm a teacher or coach can help young athletes take their skills to the next level.

Lesson Links:

Touchdown, Ten Points Football, Air it Out