It’s fall, and the weather is beautiful outside . . . at least where we live. So, it is a great time to spend some time outdoors with your kids. This weekend, my husband took our 6 year old son outside to throw the football. Excited, which you may have figured out is just part of my son’s personality, was an understatement. Our little boy was ecstatic about the idea of having his dad to himself outside, for some one-on-one time.
My husband, who has coached children’s football in years past, first drew the football field in the dirt and explained the basics of the game to our son. Then, they went out to a clear spot in the yard to throw the ball. He showed our son techniques for holding the ball, throwing it, and catching it. Here are some of the tricks and tips he shared:
Throwing the Football:
1. Hold the ball in your throwing hand. Place your fingers on the laces, then slide your hand toward the back of the ball so that only the 4th and 5th fingers touch the laces. Your throwing hand should hug the ball, but still allow a little light to pass between the football and the palm of the hand. If your child is too small, there may be no room for light to pass. This is okay.
2. The ball should be balanced in the hand and pulled back next to the ear. If your child is unable to balance the ball with just his or her throwing hand, then the other hand may be used on the side of the ball to balance it until release of the ball.
3. Prior to throwing the ball, position the feet shoulder width apart, with the opposite foot from the throwing arm forward. When the ball is thrown, the arm should travel forward across the body and to the opposite hip. Follow through with your arm, even after releasing the ball, to the hip.
Catching the Football:
1. The biggest key to catching the ball is to stay loose. If you stiffen up, then the ball will bounce right out of your hands. Tell your son or daughter to dance around, wiggle, squirm, then throw the ball before he or she has a chance to stiffen back up. They’ll look silly doing this, but they’ll be shocked when they catch the ball the first time.
2. If you are catching a ball below the belly button, hold the hands open, side by side, with little fingers together.
3. If you are catching a ball above the belly button, hold the hands open with thumbs together.
Once the ball is in hand, pull it into the body.
Get out there and have fun playing some back yard football. You’re kids will enjoy this time with you. Time with them is something that none of us can replace. Besides, it’s healthy for all of you. Have fun!
By: Eve Lawson
Posts Tagged ‘Fingers’
Football For Kids – Pass the Pig Skin
April 9th, 2010Sports Psychology For Bowlers – A Very Important Bowling Tip to Get You Bowling in the Zone
March 2nd, 2010
Do you love bowling? Are you pro or do you bowl in a league or two a few nights a week? Do you love the feeling of seeing the ball in the one-three pocket? Can you feel a strike ball the second it leaves your hand? Do you know what it is like to bowl in the zone and get on a roll? Do you hate seeing a high ball knowing that you will face a split? Don’t you hate it when you miss a seven pin or a ten pin?
Once you master the mechanical and physical techniques that are involved in bowling, this sport becomes quite mental. That is, once you know how to roll the ball, hit your marks, keep your rhythm and your balance the game becomes quite psychological.
Over the years, I have counseled many bowlers. Some have been recreational bowlers and others have been professionals. I have used hypnosis, guided imagery, relaxation training, confidence building techniques, focusing techniques and motivational strategies to help them achieve their long term goals and their short term goals.
Some want raise their average. Some want to earn their living on the lanes. Some bowlers want to be stars in their weekly leagues. Others want to avoid choking when the pressure is on.
In counseling these bowlers, I tend to learn a great deal about their personalities, their dreams and their approach to the game. Believe it or not, many of them have very different things running through their mind when they step up to the lane and get their fingers into their ball.
Some bowlers are target oriented. Others are more technique oriented. Some enjoy the pressure and the crowds. Others like to feel alone, centered and focused on the lanes. They like feeling that they are in their own cocoon of concentration. The mental training I do with them is about getting them into the ideal state of mind to perform to their fullest potential.
One of the very important decisions I help my clients make is whether or not they want to watch their opponents bowl. They also need to decide if they want to watch the score or not. Some players do better attending to the competition and some do better bowling in a physical and psychological vacuum.
The bowler and I frequently sort this decision out via counseling and trial and error. We tend to go with whatever works, whatever feels most comfortable and whatever produces the highest scores and the most wins.
So, no matter what level you bowl at, you need to decide how aware you want to be of external cues.
By: Jay Granat
