Ready! Dodgeball!

Had a buncha elementary school classes this week, so I occupied myself during recess with some good ol' fashioned dodgeball. Well, not really "old fashioned" as the rules are different than in the states. There's all sorts of funky rotations and ways to get back in the game after you've been smacked with the red ball of death. It's a far more ... equitable?... game in Japan, as opposed to the winner-take-all-screw-you-American version. Preserving the "WA" from an early age, that's Japan.

Anyways, not entirely easy to snap a pic while playing, but I did get a couple decent ones.

I find, since elementary school myself, my game has improved. Adult coordination and all that. And I was happy that I avoided injuring any kids while playing. I seem to be on a tear with that kinda thing lately. But in three days of gameplay I only beaned one kid in the face. [Oh, he was okay.] Though I did catch one kid in the chest so hard it knocked him clean off his feet. That was kinda cool to see actually. [I'm sick and I need help.] I swear, the whole time I was aiming at their legs, but they've not a lot of surface area, these children. And they dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge [That's a Dodgeball joke, people. Pay attention.] in odd ways. One time, I tossed a ball at a kid, it looked like it was going to catch him in the gut and he dropped straight down into a little ball and it passed over his head. Kinda freaky to watch.


Anyways, the point is dodgeball = awesome. I recommend you play it with Japanese children at your earliest available opportunity.

This is kid is gonna be a future yokozuna, I swear. We play "sumo" all the time. He's a strong little dude. I'm always playing with the midgets, demanding they "ombushite" [piggy back] me, and of course, because they are tiny and I am an entirely too heavy adult [despite going into my third month of getting my lazy ass back into shape] they cannot. Of course. Except for this kid. Yesterday he held all 200+ lbs of me on his back. Surprised the heck out of me. It was kind of awe inspiring actually.


[I, on the other hand, look like a crazy person in this picture. Ah well, these things happen.]

Lastly, here's a couple of the new 1st graders, who I taught for the first time this week. Japan does cute children like no other.