Tchoukball in School
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TCHOUKBALL IN SCHOOL
Patrick Erard and Marc Veuve, Michel Favre, Frédéric Roth
FOREWORD
One can say about Tchoukball that it the best original work about the theory of constitutes the first example of a team sport physical education, considered from the created scientifically. Its design, guided by biological, pedagogical, psychosocial, and a total taking into consideration of its technical points of view. implications at the physiological, The prize was awarded for the first time pscychomotor, psychological, and in Lisbon in August 1970 to Doctor psychosocial levels, sufficiently upsets the Hermann Brandt for his book, “Etude current scale of values so that with critique et scientifique des sports d’équipe” Tchoukball one has one of the principal [Critical Scientific Review of Team Sports], educational sports of the future. based practically on profound comparative This text should enable teachers, whether research and on the analysis of a new game, or not they are responsible for physical Tchoukball, that he created himself. education, to become acquainted with this In his thesis, the author begins by new sport game. We shall therefore give a explaining the conditions that a sport must quick description of the context and the satisfy to be useful and beneficial to man by reasons that brought about the creation of integrating itself within the complex Tchoukball in spite of the plethora of sports processes of his bodily as well as his psychic already existing. Then we shall indicate the hygiene. He then quickly defines the game principal characteristics of the game, while that he has invented. The first idea was highlighting them with some comments. given to him as far back as 1938, when he We shall devote the largest part of this discovered the Basque pelota. However, booklet to the different concrete means of despite his interest in the sport, it was introducing Tchoukball in school by impossible for him to adapt it outside of its proposing a range of basic exercises. natural context. This manual contains the greater part of Later on, having become aware of the the knowledge acquired while playing this existence of Cheftel’s framework, he game during more than thirty years within a resumed his project of a bouncing ball game, club, but also during experiences in easily transposable even in rudimentary teaching. Each generalist should find in it conditions, thanks to a practical set-up. matter for reflection, and at the same time, various methods for introducing Tchoukball Biography of the Inventor properly into his classes. Hermann Brandt was born on October 6, 1897 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He took his INTRODUCTION baccalaureate examination there in 1918, Background History then he undertook his medical studies in The International Federation of Physical Geneva. After having occupied several Education created the Thulin Prize to reward posts as assistant, he set himself up as a 2
country doctor. He settled in Geneva in Doctor Hermann Brandt died on October 1927. November 15, 1972, after having courageously endured a long and painful Always interested in the problems of illness. physical education, traveling across Europe to know the different aspects of specialized The Reasons for a New Sport pedagogy, he became one of the pioneers of sports medicine by opening his institute of We have a very vast range of diverse medical gymnastics. sports disciplines, which should enable each person to find a way to satisfy his need for He created in Geneva the first and the action according to his tastes. In such a only official office of sports medicine, context, Tchoukball takes on a growing which he directed until the age of retirement, importance, not by virtue of its originality while devoting himself concurrently to but above all because it meets a real need. numerous educational physical activities. During consultations in his medical- He also contributed to the launching in sports office, Dr. Brandt was amazed to Switzerland of university sports, sports for meet numerous patients [with] lesions that the handicapped, and basketball, and he was were often so serious that the aftereffects one of the founding members of the Swiss would persist throughout their lives. He was Volleyball Federation. also sensitized by some psychic traumas that He published several of his works; those sportsmen showed after having played relating to bicycle technique and studies on certain sports. the relations between age, size, and physical These observations led him to undertake performance should be pointed out in a wide reflection about the world of sports. particular. He worried in the first place about the His great preoccupation consisted above educational value of modern physical all of highlighting, among the works of the activities that, according to his expression, great schools of physical education, that must not result in the systematic which was original and effective. To manufacturing of champions, but contribute achieve that, he set up as far back as 1938 a to the edification of a worthy human society. study group that he led until 1971. With his This implies a considerable effort to reach students, and with the collaboration of the largest number of persons by offering Michel Favre, as early as 1968 they put in them a truly educational physical activity. place numerous clinical and physiological The latest discoveries regarding tests, and they ordered the specific values of “neurogenesis,” the birth of new neurons the methods of application of physical (approximately 89,00 per day), have shown education that are found in the elaboration that regular physical activity doubles the of the book “De l’éducation physique aux number of cellular divisions in the sports par la biologie” [From Physical hippocampus, which increases in particular Education to Sport Through Biology]. the number of new neurons (reference “Pour la Science” [For Science], March 2004). To crown these activities, he invented Tchoukball, which constitutes the global Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that solution to meet the fundamental at the current time team sports lead to requirements of physical education. numerous criticisms. In most cases, they represent a school of violence, of which the general tactic relies on man-to-man that is 3
based on a technique of personal attack, the subjecting the body, in particular the brain, aim of which is the destruction of the to efforts comprising high educational adversary’s game. The sports press provides coefficients. [The fact] that these irrefutable evidence that it is more and more constraints concern the physiological, appropriate to have a total physical psychological, or even the sociological engagement mainly channeled against the fields, and in a way without the student opponent, who often becomes under these realizing it, appears to be a happy solution. circumstances an enemy. To maintain and develop the physical and For almost all team sports, the race to intellectual abilities while meeting the innate gigantism is all the rage, and only need for movement, and compensating for individuals having above-average size and the drawbacks of the current sedentary life. resources can expect to reach the highest level. The consequences of such excesses Principal Objectives of Physical are indicated by a limitation of the number Education of players and of their longevity. To ensure a better bodily availability by Tchoukball keeps the structure of a team developing psychomotricity and the faculties sport by virtue of its numerous positive of adaptation. psychosociological effects, but while To prepare a healthful occupation of eliminating the aforementioned dangers. Its leisure time and to encourage the personal rules make of it a non-aggressive game par taking responsibility for health by excellence, and [one that is] accessible to transmitting elementary knowledge in the everyone, whatever his age, sex and athletic field of sports and of physical condition. aptitudes may be. The following chapters will demonstrate how that works practically. To participate in the social education of the child by teaching tolerance and mutual The First Sport Created aid, and by collaboration with partners. Scientifically To contribute to the formation of the The rules of Tchoukball all result from a child’s personality by developing his spirit reflection on all of the scientific knowledge of decision and his creative abilities, by of practical application in the field of teaching him to surpass himself, to master physical activities, which was the object of his impulses, to live joys fully and to take studies and technical experimentations for upon himself the difficulties. many years. They pay particular attention to After this enumeration of the principal all the functions of the body, such as the objectives of physical education, it is cardiovascular, psychomotor, psychosocial appropriate to describe how and to what or pulmonary systems. They meet the extent Tchoukball satisfies their criterion that requires that physical activities requirements. can only be legitimated according to their educational possibilities. With regard to the physical abilities, its scientific design guarantees a harmonious The great principle of the organizers of development of the cardiovascular, Tchoukball has become with experience, respiratory, muscle-joint and cerebrospinal and always while striving to combine that systems. The rich range of gestural which is useful with that which is enjoyable, possibilities that the shots, the passes and the to try to pass through the sport game to achieve the educational objective by 4
defense of Tchoukball offer contribute to the comfort also serve to make rare the improvement of bodily availability. opportunities for physical exercises. Run properly, Tchoukball, sport game for On the other hand, in contrast, one sees all, enables the competitor to compare the development of the tendency to involve himself to the others or top his past younger and younger children in trainings performances while avoiding involving with a view to high performances. Even if pride and the over-estimation of his abilities. this method sometimes produces spectacular results, it remains debatable on many points. One of the essential objectives of Research has not yet demonstrated all of the Tchoukball is certainly social education. harmful effects of a training [that is] too Usually planning is aimed above all at advanced for a body that is still being psychomotor behavior at the expense of the formed, but we already notice an accelerated social and affective domains. Better than aging of certain joints, for example. any other team sport, Tchoukball, by its state of mind, is a school of tolerance and of It is certain that training plays a large role respect for the adversary. in the development of physical aptitudes; however, the modifications and adaptations Finally, the personality also draws certain of the body must not be overestimated. advantages from the potentialities of Endurance training of an eleven-year-old Tchoukball. No other team sport, apart from child makes it possible to improve his
provided by a well-paced and varied The shots, the passes and the catches activity. come mainly from handball and from volleyball. The player maintains great Comments on the Rules freedom in these domains, not being Tchoukball is played on all kinds of hindered by an adversary, and he can give fields. The size of the latter constitutes a free rein to his fantasy, which gives the determining factor, and it must be game a variety of very interesting and established according to the physical and educational movements. The technical technical aptitudes of the students. The moves have an effect on the quickness of the more the dimensions of the field become game and on its spectacular side. If there larger, the more the area to be defended exist specific shots that everyone should becomes considerable, which requires a know, one also finds a vast panoply of shots more and more advanced tactic and an that are the specialty of a certain player , increase of spurts and of long and precise according to his build, his strength, his passes. character, or his imagination. This maximum freedom enables the development The ball must not frighten the students, of the student’s creativity. The leader, the and the choice of a ball lighter than that of trainer, or the teacher of physical education handball gives good results. However, an must be perfectly aware of this and excessively light ball is not satisfactory, for encourage it for a better blossoming of the it has unpredictable effects that sometimes personality. make it difficult to control. There exist on the market numerous balls [that are] not too Not to walk with the ball in the hand heavy and [that] meet these criteria. prevents one or two players from monopolizing the game. Tchoukball is, In principle, the game authorizes play on essentially, collective and calls for a the basis of one against one. This situation participation of all the players. One must is found during certain training exercises. not conclude however that this rule implies So that the game leads to a certain immobility. Tactically one seeks, as soon as performance, it is necessary, however, to mastery of the basic moves allows, an begin with three against three or four against evolution in the game that is based only on four on half of the field, or even only in the moving passes. The sense of placement then area of the goalkeeper of handball. As soon takes on a very important and immobility as the students master the shots and the becomes absolutely inconceivable. catches, Tchoukball can be introduced by means of little games. If the spirit of the To be able to keep the ball for three game is learned and respected by the seconds enables the beginner to judge the students, Tchoukball certainly permits the situation and to play unhurriedly. During mixing of the sexes of the players or also the the first lessons, the students must benefit to participation of persons of different ages. In the maximum from this rule and in that way addition, size and physical force being only avoid bad passes. Even better players should secondary factors, the game is open to all begin slowly until concentration reaches a the students. It is clear that the same good level. tolerance must be shown with regard to the less skillful, but this is a part of the game and of sports education.