Teaching american football to kids in cambodia

[PhillyB]

The title sums it up well. This summer I'll be flying to Cambodia with my wife... she's a nurse and is teaming up with an old friend to open a medical clinic in an impoverished section of the capital. The clinic will be the major portion of the trip, but there are outreach programs as well - and apparently, one of them is sports, specifically, American-rules football. My job for a week will be to teach a bunch of kids the basic rules of the sport and organize brief mini-camps and games between different groups.

Obviously I couldn't be more ecstatic about it - I love football and I love working with kids, so this is going to be a phenomenal opportunity. The only problem is I've never coached football in any sense, and I have no doubt problems will arise that I'm not currently prepared to handle. Communication barriers aside, does anyone have any coaching experience they'd be willing to share, or just advice in general?

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

......You're sure you are actually doing this and not paraphrasing a plot point from the movie "Airplane!"?

[Mr. Scot]

Advice: Illustrate a lot. Visual cues are useful even with kids who do speak English, but even more so with kids who don't.

For example, I've used things like pylons to teach kids how to run pass routes. You may not have access to something like that, but you get the idea.

Congrats, and good luck.

[Jangler]

Take some of the those Pittsburgh Steelers Superbowl XLV Champions shirts and hats with you.

[bleys]

google some sites that teach football techniques. start with the basics on how to throw the football correctly (all in the hips), catching, etc..

I guess this would depend on how many kids will be around, but flag football rules might be easier to teach to kids who are just learning.. (just adapt 2-hand touch instead of flags)

[Mr. Scot]

This is the best book for teaching football that I've run across...

(image from Amazon.com)

You might not have time to digest the whole thing before you have to go, but it's a good book.

[pstall]

exaggerted visuals. depending on the age. if very young, go over the top in showing how fun it is and draw them in.

a bit older, hands on. let them punt, pass and kick as much as possible since you are introducing them for maybe the first time to this great game.

all the basic drills, some that mr.scot mentioned.

keep all your concepts very basic. offense, defense. pass, run etc.

but they see you having fun, they will have fun. that's all that matters and you will connect.

good on ya

[Delhommey]

[Mr. Scot]

I used basic shapes to teach kids routes and such. For a hook route, obviously a hook. For in and out routes, I had them imagine going around a corner.

Differentiated posts and slants by putting a marker (or a person) in the middle of the field and telling them to either run in front of me (slant) or run toward me (post).

There's lots of things you can do.

[g5jamz]

Are you planning to teach hitting football or the rules through flag football. I ask this because are you going to have equipment funding to get them helmets and such? That gets expensive.

That being said...is this a missionary-based group? Even if it isn't, there's a lot of training documentation from the christian-based Upward football program. You could use the coaching manuals from that. Lot of good information in it. Numbered pass routes...position descriptions...yadda yadda. And buying flags is a lot cheaper than pads.

[Panthro]

American football would be a lot tougher to teach then say....rugby basketball or soccer.

[g5jamz]

Plus...if you think you're going to turn Cambodia into the next Somoan football factory...there's a slight difference in bone structures.

[TarPanther9180]

Be sure to run bull in the ring.

[g5jamz]

"If you can avoid the Khmer Rouge, you can avoid a linebacker"