“Nice swing!” called Head of Middle School Physical Education Nick DePaola, eliciting a beaming smile from the 7th grader at the opposite end of the batting cage.
This student—and fellow members of Class 7—were sharpening their softball skills as part of their diamond games unit in P.E. On one side of the sun-filled Athletic Center, against the floor to ceiling windows, students practiced their swing using a tee and a plastic ball. On the other side, students were working in pairs to perfect their throwing, catching and fielding with guidance from P.E. teacher Ali Levy.
The netted batting cages were set up in the center, with students taking strong swings at pitches generated from a pitching machine. The students were rotating through the stations, with each getting a chance inside the batting cage.
Ms. Levy began to ask her group, “Do you remember in Lower School…” but before she could even finish her question, the students recited the popular rhyme “Thumb to thigh, goose to sky, let it fly!” (Our Lower School P.E. teachers use this slogan to help teach our younger students the proper way to throw a ball.)
“Exactly! Remember to step with the opposite foot when you’re throwing,” Ms. Levy added. She also explained how to protect the ball by using your non-dominant hand to cover it when catching. “Don’t let your other hand just float around!”
Inside the batting cages, Mr. DePaola advised each seventh grader on her swing. “Move your hands a bit further up the bat,” he said, noting that doing so creates better control and more power. “That’s called ‘choking up.’” The student took another swing, cracking the ball right in its center. “Nice contact!” Mr. DePaola cheered.
“Bend your knees a bit,” he told another student, reminding her to take an “athletic stance,” with feet shoulder width apart and relaxed elbows.
As time progressed, the students on the far side of the gym began to work on grounders, scooping the ball up into their glove, and catching pop flies. “Let me see your arc!” Ms. Levy instructed.
While P.E. classes like these are very fun, our students are busy mastering motor skills and movement patterns with mature techniques; enhanced strategies and tactics; good sportsmanship and, of course, engaging in physical activity!
