This P.E. Teacher Uses Unbelievable Trick Shots to Teach Students an Important Lesson
This gym teacher uses incredible trick shots to teach students an important lesson
It all started on a Friday a few years ago.
At the end of my PE class, one of my students challenged me to shoot a half field shot and I did it on the first try. The kids loved it and wanted more. So for the rest of the year, I spent two minutes at the end of each PE class (I'm a K-5 PE teacher in Barnesville, Minnesota) shooting half-field shots. The rules were simple: if I took a shot during the two minutes, they had to do push-ups. If I missed it, I had to do it.
Go up a level
The following year the children challenged me to improve my game even more. They wanted to see more than half the shot. They've been really popular with a lot of trick shot makers on YouTube. So I started thinking up all sorts of trick shots and challenges.
No two Fridays were the same, and the students couldn't get enough. I loved this interaction with my kids and I saw how much it encouraged them to be innovative and creative.
From basketball to recycling
I recently decided to trade my basketball for something else. I now use plastic water bottles in my animation shots to get kids excited about recycling. Since only 3 out of 10 plastic bottles actually end up in the recycling bin (surprising, right?), I thought using plastic water bottles in my trick shots would be a great way to help students remember the importance of recycling. Here is a video of the results.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jglwe5iPPo[/embed]
Watch the five recycling trick shots in the video, along with tips on how to do them. My students loved these as much as they loved the basketball trick shots and it really helped them become more aware of their own recycling habits. It's definitely helped get more bottles into our city's recycling bins, which is always a good thing.
#1: Touch the sky
This seems easy at first. However, once you get into it, you quickly realize that it is actually quite a challenge. I tell my students to start small: throw the plastic bottle just a few feet in the air. Get the bottle twist right and practice until you feel really confident. Once you master that, soar higher and higher until you can toss it 20 or 30 feet in the air and it lands right in the trash.
#2: Bounce Pass
Before you even start "hopping" the water bottle, you need to slow down your pace and rhythm. You might even want to count your steps to figure out how many it takes to get next to the trash can. When you're ready to start hopping, make sure to flex your wrist vigorously. This ensures that the bottle has enough momentum to end up in the recycling bin. You'll see in the video that I step between my legs, but that's an advanced movement. Master the basic walk-by first!
#3: No hands
This is a good thing that almost anyone can do. Start with your feet together and clamp the bottle between the arches of your feet. Then when you jump up, step up and out. You should have your knees slightly bent before you jump. It's almost like trying to touch your toes as you explode into the air. At the peak of your jump, you "throw" the plastic bottle into the recycling bin.
#4: The Field Goal Kick
This is always a student favorite. Try to stand about a step behind the bottle at about a 45° angle. Make sure you point your toe and step through with your stronger foot. Understand that kicking is easy, but aiming is a little harder. You want to kick the bottom of the bottle. As you pedal, make sure the laces of your shoe are pointing toward the trash can. This will make your kicks more accurate.
#5: The assist
This is definitely my trickiest water bottle shot yet. It's the most difficult to control because you'll have to work with the basketball's spin to give your bottle the momentum to land in the bin. You must first balance the bottle on the ball, which is a challenge in itself. Then you should drop the ball in such a way that it has some front spin and pushes your bottle forward towards your target. Once you figure out where your bottle typically ends up, adjust the placement of your recycling bin.
My students definitely love practicing these trick shots and they even impressed me by making up their own. I never thought trick shots would have such an amazing, positive impact on my gym class - and recycling - but I'm sure glad it has!
Why not bring trickshots into the classroom this year? Whether you teach in person or online, encourage your students to take trick shots or submit videos of their attempts. And try it yourself too! And don't forget to visit the Recycle Rally for more ideas on how to encourage schoolchildren to recycle.
