Teaching Blind Soccer to Students

The first group of kids were between fourth and sixth grade, and I was impressed with how much they were willing to learn. They were a bit nervous about putting on the blindfolds to play, but once they got the hang of listening to the ball and communicating with each other, they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I wanted to learn how to play too, so the instructor would teach me first, and then I would demonstrate to the kids. It was fun because I could actually hear where the ball was. I put a blindfold on even though I didn’t need it because I wanted to set a good example for the kids, and I don’t have a problem wearing blindfolds because it doesn’t affect me.

After the kids warmed up, I demonstrated how to kick the ball at the wall. It was actually a challenge for me because I’m used to balls that beep, but it was fun. I could hear some of the kids saying how nervous they were to put on the blindfold and kick the ball at the wall, but once they tried it, I could tell they that they became confident. We worked on passing the ball to someone in front of us, and it was nice to see them realize they had to talk to each other more since they can’t see. When it was time for them to learn to kick the ball at the goal, they were really good at listening to the sighted person clapping behind the goal for a sound cue.

Soon it was time for them to actually play a game. The students split up into two teams. When someone has the ball, they have to say the word “Voy” to let your teammates know you have it, and let the opposing team know so they can try to take it from you. Those kids picked up on it so fast, and they were told the instructions and the rules just one time. I was so impressed with how quickly they picked it up. When their session was over, they wanted to keep playing, so we gave the gym teacher some blindfolds and told her where to find a ball with bells so they can practice some more. It warmed my heart seeing how excited they were to learn how to play soccer without sight. One of the girls even came up and thanked me for the demonstrations.

The next group was somewhere between middle and high schoolers, and they weren’t nearly as enthusiastic as the younger kids. They wouldn’t even stay quiet during instructions and demonstrations. We thought it would be harder to keep the younger kids focused and engaged, but really it was the older kids who gave us problems. They would kick the ball too hard when we would tell them to kick it softly, they weren’t listening to the sound cues for the goal, and it just seemed like they weren’t paying attention at all. That made this group a little less fun to teach because they just wouldn’t pay attention, so they didn’t know how to play when it was actually time to play the game. It seemed like they didn’t want to do it. It kind of reminded me of high school when people would take PE for the easy A. It was a little sad because we came there to teach them a new way to play soccer, and they wanted nothing to do with it.

Other than the second group not paying attention, the overall experience was great! It was cool for kids of different ages to get a new perspective playing soccer without sight. I think it was definitely an eye opener for some of them, and that’s what I’d like for more kids to learn in school. People with disabilities can do anything a sighted person can, just with accommodations. I would like to do more things like this in schools because I think schools should teach their kids more about people with disabilities. If the students encounter someone with a disability in the real world, they’ll know how to properly address them. They won’t see them as different because they’re blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair. I hope more schools implement things like this in the future.

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