How to Explain a Sport to Someone from a Non-Playing Nation
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Whether your acquaintance is only making a brief visit to your country or has moved permanently, understanding local sports can be one of the best ways to learn about and experience the culture. Sports are nearly universal, but the variety of different sports is nearly endless. Teaching a foreigner a new sport can be as frustrating as trying to learn one, but patience and clear communication can ensure a productive experience for both learner and teacher.
1 Understand their interest. Every situation is unique, so it is important to understand why your acquaintance wants to learn the sport. Perhaps s/he is a new arrival in your country and is looking for a source of integration and entertainment, or maybe s/he is a tourist wanting to take back a piece of cultural knowledge. A large part of understanding your student's mindset is understanding the sporting traditions of his/her home country because this can help you make comparisons as you explain the sport that is new to him/her.
2 Start with the basics. Your student may have some prior knowledge of the sport you are teaching, or they may be entirely new to it. Either way, s/he clearly has some interest in sports, or else s/he would not have asked you to teach him/her. Start with the most basic information: balls and other equipment, field setup, team configuration, objectives, and scoring. Make absolutely certain that your student has a solid grasp on these key components before moving on to the other rules; it is better to explain more now than to have to keep coming back to the basics later.
3 Look for comparisons. Most sports bear similarities to other sports in equipment, gameplay, or objectives. For example, baseball and cricket both require bats and involve scoring runs, although they do this in very different ways. Use whatever comparisons you have at hand to help your student understand the rules, but avoid confusion by explaining where apparent similarities are in fact differences. If no comparison is useful, that is perfectly fine; you can always teach them in different ways.
4 Go beyond the basics. Once your student has a firm grasp on the basics of the game and its similarities to games s/he may know, you can move on to more complex rules and basic strategies. Again, make sure that s/he understands each step so that you do not have to keep going back. The best way to do this is often to accompany him/her at a game of the chosen sport. While you can certainly explain many of the rules without watching, many circumstances will come up over the course of a game that is difficult to explain in words but that is much easier to show. The fast pace and complexity of college or professional athletics are sure to lead to some confusion on the part of your student, so stay patient. Emphasize that s/he does not need to understand everything at once; in fact, it can take a lifetime to truly understand what happens on the field/court. Do make sure, however, that watching a game reinforces the basic concepts that you have taught him/her, and that it allows him/her to see the rules and strategy in action.
5 Play ball. The final step in understanding and appreciating a sport is to get out and play. Of course, a solid grasp of the rules is crucial before playing, but this can only take you so far. The intricacies of every game are infinite, and playing is the best way to understand them for yourself. Tell your student not to be afraid to try; everyone starts as a beginner, and practice is the only way to change that.
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