TCHOUKBALL:An Innovative and Non-Traditional Approach to Team Sports

Well I was often asked to write a book about Tchoukball while introducing the game to physical educators in schools. I did my best, with the help of P.E. Teachers who are enthusiast advocates of the game. Here we go !

• Why Tchoukall in PE Class

It is with great pleasure that I write the foreword for this book. I had the good fortune to be exposed to this sport/activity several years ago when it was first being introduced in the United States by the author. I attended presentations and workshops that provided me with firsthand exposure to Tchoukball (pronounced “chookball”), and I was able to watch as students engaged for the first time in this new activity. On more than one occasion I watched as students progressed from skeptical observers to reluctant participants to enthusiastic proponents of the sport/activity. At a high school presentation I watched a female student who obviously did not regularly participate in her physical education with any degree of enthusiasm progress from spectating to casually participating to running up and down the court engaging in this activity, something her physical education specialist had never seen her do before.

The concept behind Dr. Brandt’s game has removed the threat of contact and aggressive play by dominant participants and focused on the active coverage of space rather than opponents. Students who are traditionally intimidated by their peers are now allowed the freedom to participate without the fear of injury or even bodily contact when the activity is presented correctly. Students are taught and coached to respond to the movement of the ball and the rebound off the Tchouk instead of the more traditional coverage and defense of individual opponents. This is an alien concept to many students and must be strictly enforced in order to maintain the spirit of the game.

Physical education classes have favored the skilled over the non-skilled participants for decades. The principle of developmental appropriateness lends itself directly to the game of Tchoukball. Players engage at their own level of competence and develop skills as they participate. The size of the playing area and the utilization/modification of the equipment can directly address developmentally appropriate circumstances in a physical education environment.

Tchoukball is an ideal activity to include in any district curriculum and can be introduced as soon as students develop throwing and catching skills. Concepts from mathematics and geometry as a result of the angles of approach and rebound, as well as the application of forces utilized to create the parabolic flight of the balls, are all principles that can be applied to integrate the curriculum.

I will return to where I started and identify the genuine enjoyment of the participants as the primary reason to introduce this activity into your physical education curriculum. My only caveat is that you enforce the spirit of the game from the onset to ensure enjoyment for all, not simply the athletically gifted. Society has identified childhood obesity as a cause of major concern for all children. We need to get students active in school and provide opportunities for them to engage in activities that are continuous in nature to fight this trend. Play the game the way it was meant to be played and watch it create magic in your gym!

Dr. Frank Fry

Professor of Kinesiology

West Chester University, PA U.S.A

• Why Tchoukball in PE Class