5 Reasons Dodgeball Should Be Banned From PE Class
How I saw the light and kicked the habit
I know what you’re thinking.
This guy wants to take dodgeball out of physical education classes (yep). This guy is trying to ruin a childhood game (no). This guy got picked on in school and now he wants everyone to suffer (sometimes, but no).
In fairness, I loved dodgeball as a kid. I was great at it. In fact, of the few things I remember at our 4th grade camp, catching a ball (the hard, red rubber ones) thrown at me by an aggressive adult to win the championship was the highlight for me. In my tainted memory, I was hoisted in the air like Ralphie in A Christmas Story when he wrote about his Red Rider BB Gun.
By the way, if kids play in an after school league where the parents are paying for their children to get hit in the head, I’m fine with that. We used to hold summer camps in my neighborhood and we’d play variations of dodgeball. We had fun. Thankfully no one got hurt.
“If you’re going to become true dodge-ballers, then you’ve got to learn the five D’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!”
-Patches O’Houlihan in the movie Dodgeball
So why the change? Why should this great American pastime be taken out of PE class?
1. The SHAPE Position Statement
Dodgeball is not an appropriate activity for the K-12 school setting because it does not support a positive school climate, the application of appropriate social behaviors or the goal of physical education.
Game. Set. Match. Right? You would think so.
SHAPE is our National organization. Our governing body. Every teacher has standards and grade level outcomes from a federal, state or district level. If we have nothing to follow, how do we know what to teach? SHAPE sets the standards and the bar for our profession.
So why do teachers go rogue? Because they loved the game as much as I did and most (remember that word) children enjoy it. Because it is fun. It’s just not appropriate in school PE classes.
Why not? We’ll discuss this in further detail.
2. It’s lazy teaching
This might hit hard. Or, at least hit home.
I was that teacher. I was new to teaching PE and dodgeball was fun, exciting and easy to play. There isn’t a lot of lesson planning involved. I remember me and my three paras playing with our classes. Sometimes it was us versus them. Just “roll out the ball” and go.
The problem is, if anyone can teach it, why do we need Physed teachers? Why not hire recess managers or have paras run our classes? Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had exceptional paras working under my supervision in the past and currently. My point is that it’s lazy, boring teaching.
If you’re working on throwing and catching there are many alternatives to dodgeball. There are many games you can play that are inclusive and don’t require ducking for cover (plus the other 4 D’s).
Be better. Put in the work and teach.
3. Dodgeball can lead to bullying and injuries
“I use ‘gator skin’ balls and we play ‘no head shots’!”
Really? We have wind and even if you’re inside, those ‘soft’ balls curve a lot and they can hurt. Plus, how can you ensure no one gets hit in the head? I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It happens.
“It’s just a game. It’s like a lot of the games we play.”
Okay. So why have parents sued schools and districts for incidents relating to dodgeball? There are many incidents of children breaking bones, having extensive dental work from being hit, and other injuries, such as sprained ankles and so forth. Yes, kids twist their ankles a lot in PE, but dodgeball pits children against children in a chaotic situation where a lot can go wrong. Plus, it’s banned in many states. Proceed at your own risk.
“I played it as a kid. We weren’t bullying anyone!”
Maybe, but many people, myself included, believe dodgeball pits the physically stronger and more dominate students against weaker and more timid ones.
Life isn’t fair sometimes, but targeting someone else with a projectile isn’t the answer.
4. My wife said so
I honestly didn’t know what I didn’t know as a new PE teacher over 14 years ago.
Like I previously stated, we played a lot of dodgeball. I wasn’t on social media very much. I was just discovering Twitter. I didn’t know there was a debate.
My wife changed my perspective on it one day. She said, “I hated PE and especially dodgeball.” What??? I thought everyone loved PE. I loved it. My experiences in school were fantastic (except for swimming). How could anyone not like it?
She told me she wasn’t very athletic and she would hide behind the basketball poles when playing dodgeball. That got me. I thought of my students who tried but weren’t all-star PE students. The quiet ones who just wanted to keep to themselves and survive.
I was letting my them down.
5. I’ve seen it in person (and not just from children)!
Once I decided dodgeball wasn’t quality education for my program I took a hard look at my reasoning. Here’s what I noticed:
Kids were cheating. It happens in a lot of games, but “I hit you!”, followed by “No you didn’t!” became quite an ordeal.
Stronger kids always dominated and often taunted the other kids.
The intensity between children and teams intensified and feelings got hurt.
There was bad sportsmanship that often continued into the classroom.
Clinic visits went up. Not just for face shots, but other injuries as well.
At a SHAPE Florida convention some years back, there was a “Dodgeball Alternative” session I was curious about. Maybe there would be a fun, new game that would take its place.
Nope.
It was dodgeball with frisbees. They weren’t the hard plastic ones, but adults were whipping them around at each other just the same. Just think how unpredictable the frisbees were. “No head shots?” Sure thing.
And guess what I witnessed? Cheating, taunting, yelling, bad sportsmanship…from the adults!
How I kicked the habit
So did I quit cold turkey?
No, I began phasing dodgeball out of my physed program. The students would ask about it, but it slowly went away. It was a once a month game, then once a quarter, then gone the following school year. Sure, I’d bring it back as a reward once in awhile, but I had honest conversations with my older students about my reasons. They might not have liked it, but they understood.
I knew I needed a game or two that would be an alternative to dodgeball. That’s when I attended the 2015 National PE Summit in Ashville, NC. I met my dream team of educators there. I learned so much in our sessions and began rebuilding my program.
One of the games I played was called “Prairie Dog Pickoff”, which PE Teacher and instructor, Joey Feith taught us. There are many “builds” or levels and a lot of strategy and questioning for the students. It has become one of my few staples over the years.
In the game teams of two attempt to knock down other team’s pins. There are many modifications and ways to differentiate the game for all players. Do students sometimes get hit by the ball? Yes, but the targets are the pins, and not children.
We also play a game called “Rollout”, where students are sitting and rolling a ball on the ground. If the ball touches a players foot that’s in the middle, they switch. Yes, kids are the targets, but the ball is touching their feet, not hitting their face. Am I splitting hairs? I hope not.
I’ve heard the entire spectrum of this debate.
On one end, there’s the “I never play any games that children go after other children, including tag”. On the far other end, there’s the gladiators who play every style of dodgeball known to man with those large, red rubber balls that leave marks. I’m definitely more in the center, but obviously do not play dodgeball.
Conclusion
I always say I don’t judge anyone’s PE program, and I hope that’s true.
I just want our profession to do better for our students. There’s always been the stereotype about PE teachers rolling out the ball and playing dodgeball all day in gym shorts.
“Those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach PE.”
-Jack Black’s character in School of Rock
My brother says this line to people when we’re hanging out with friends and family. I hate it, because it diminishes what I do for my students. I don’t want our PE community to be a punch line.
And while I enjoy my work attire, I strive to teach to the standards and mix up my games so that my program is fresh, exciting, and inclusive to all my students. I don’t want to be known as a teacher who doesn’t “teach”.
Dodgeball is not the answer.
Just ask my wife.
Link to my dodgeball podcast.
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I remember enjoying it for a few throws, and then it just seemed ridiculous. I can’t even believe it’s allowed in schools now. These kids are different lol.
I am a professor in HPE revising my own position paper on dodgeball and I came across your post/podcast. While I agree with many of your major points (the SHAPE statement is also first on my list), we disagree on a few points. (1) There is nothing wrong with playing games in PE after weeks of skill practice (see Sport Education curriculum model). This is not so much a disagreement as much as a point of clarification. (2) There is little evidence that dodgeball significantly increases the likelihood of injuries compared to other activities. There are probably fewer injuries in dodgeball because less skilled students are sitting on their butts for most of the game. (3) There is little evidence that dodgeball significantly increases instances of bullying (beyond the game itself) more than other activities. (4) Your summer camp story was touching but frankly speaking, as a game, dodgeball sucks. After the release of the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story in 2004, there was a surge in adult dodgeball recreational leagues. A few years later, dodgeball recreational leagues all but disappeared. Why? Because it sucks. Elimination games limit physical activity (one of your points). The teamwork aspects of dodgeball have been greatly exaggerated (so much so they had to fake teamwork in the movie). Dodgeball also sucks because of the biomechanics of ball throwing and the physics of ball flight. Heavy rubber balls encourage maladaptive throwing patterns in younger students. Lightweight foam balls are easier to throw but they do not fly well because their mass cannot overcome their profile drag. I don't think I was the presenter at SHAPE you referred to, but I have developed my own game using "human targets" with a soft flying disc called Kayatchi (a Japanese word for catch). It is based on a popular game played in PE in Japan. It is a small sided, fast paced, non-elimination game where incredible catches and dodges (see the original Martix movie from 1999) are the norm.