Ideally
each student will have a balero so all can play at the same time however
it is still effective to break students into groups of 2 or 3 to share
baleros.
An
assortment of all sizes with mostly medium and large baleros is recommended
(10 to 40). A few balero copa for those who find the regular balero
too difficult is also good.
In
Mexico you can find Baleros at markets in almost every city. In the
USA baleros are rare, they can be found at some Mexican Specialty Stores
in the southwest or in major cities. The quality varies widely and low
quality baleros are most common, made of softwood they dent, scratch
and peel rapidly. The BPA sells high quality hardened wood
baleros available on the Internet or by telephone or mail order.
The
Baleros pictured to the left are high quality hardened wood baleros
from Michoacan, Mexico. The painted baleros in the background and the
picture above are typically softwood.
Teacher
Preparation:
It’s
not ultimately necessary for the teacher to be able to perform well
with the Balero but the teacher should know a few balero basics. It’s
a good idea to have a minimal proficiency with the balero. As long as
the motions can be shown and the throws described, (in Spanish and English)
the students can then try the throws and figure them out.
It
is recommended to learn the 3 basic throws: recto, columpiando and capirucho,
straight up, swing throw and flip off the stick, respectively.
Balero Terms: El tambor,
la cuerda y el palo, the drum, the string, and the stick respectively.
A Bolero is a Latin American musical genre and a balero jacket is a
Spanish style women’s dress jacket. You could wear a balero jacket
while listening to some boleros and playing balero for the class, all
at the same time!
Rules:
It is a game of skill. There are losers and winners. You have to catch
the drum on the stick to score. (or the ball in the cup) Different throws
score different points. When you miss, it is the next players turn.
Procedures
/ Activities:
After
a brief introduction have students play with baleros.
Make
speaking Spanish mandatory (as much as possible) while playing with
Baleros. Students count misses and catches out loud and learn to count
very quickly.
Describe
everything to do with the games, throws, players, etc. in Spanish and
English. Develop as many Spanish phrases and statements as possible
that students can use while playing.
Once students are getting a feel
for the game, break them into groups and play competition games like
11, 21, Points or horse. As skill levels become apparent, seed students
into groups based on their skill level and have tournament competition(s)
to determine a Champion Player who wins a trophy or prize. In a tournament
players compete one on one. Elimination of players should occur as in
tennis or NCAA basketball tournaments.
Baleros
are hand made and not all are exactly the same. Some Baleros are easier
to be successful with than others are. During competition players should
trade off and use the same balero to ensure they are all on the same
level playing field.
Homemade
Baleros are perfect for elementary school students. Real wood Baleros
are recommended for Jr. High and High School students.
Real
World Usage:
Variations
of the original biboquet can be found in just about every country of
the world. Baleros can be found in every country of the Americas. Baleros
are an excellent tool for culture in the classroom.
Bilboquet
in Europe and Kendama in Japan have seen more central organization historically
than Balero in the Americas. In France and Japan the sport has been
organized for centuries.
Organizations include in
the USA the BPA (Balero Players’
Association – International), in Mexico the FIBA (Federacion Internacional
de Balero Asoceichon), in France the FIB
(Fédération Internationale de Bilboquet), and in Japan one of many is
the JKA (Japan Kendama Association). Students
(and teachers) can join the BPA
and share pictures and videos, log their personal best scores and get
into contests and competitions including World Records and Championships
of Balero.
There
is a huge diversity in the ways the game has evolved in Europe, Japan
and the Americas. Balero has flourished for hundreds of years throughout
Latin America, but in N. America it has only existed within our indigenous
cultures.
Why
should we, in the USA and Canada, be overlooking this ancient game,
when we even have our very own, unique variations of it right here?
(See History of Balero)
Surely it is time to embrace
this great game, teach it in our schools and take advantage of the lessons
it has to offer. In a foreign language or social studies class balero
is a good aid for teaching language and culture. In a physical education
class balero is a good competition game and improves coordination and
response time. In an industrial arts class balero is an excellent project
for the wood lathe. But perhaps the most important lesson balero has
to offer is that concentration and persistence will bring success, which
applies in all classrooms and beyond.
Each
form of the game has it unique qualities and features. It’s not
that one is better than the other is, it’s that they are similar
but different. All are cool and none are lame.
When you first look at
an old toy it does not look all that inviting. Maybe because the material
that is used is so common, just a piece of worked wood, a stick and
a piece of string, and because they only summon up life when life is
manipulated into them, for instance, The Balero. But this lack of interest
ends when you start to play. To do capirucho is not a big thing, but
to do 10, 20 or more, one after another, is an act worthy of admiration,
that requires much practice, and that not just anyone can obtain.
Additional
Web Resources:
Balero
Players’ Association International – Contains information
about balero, pictures, videos and more:
View the teacher message board: