Three, two, one, all eyes on the ball. The ball drops, our participants whom we call our “angels,” are paddling up with watchful eyes to hit the ball or pass it to their teammates.
We are the Foundation for Disabled Youths consisting of intellectually/developmentally delayed youths ages from 16-32. We have been playing Takkyu Volleyball for a year. We were introduced to this sport by the UCLA team of professors who invited us to campus in April of 2024. We have been practicing every Saturday during our social recreation program here in the eastern San Gabriel Valley since.
Our angels look forward every Saturday to this activity and have grown to learn about team spirit and respect for each other as a sports team. They have learned to bow after every round to thank their opponent whether they win or lose. They have increased their hand-eye coordination, some are learning to exercise their emotional regulation when they get frustrated because they didn’t hit the ball to the right direction or they have committed a foul. For example, we have an angel who would pick up the ball and throw it across the table when the ball didn’t go his way. He, at times, gets so irritated that he would even throw the paddle, which of course, would result in an immediate foul and get him sidelined. These are some of the behaviors that we are addressing and the sportsmanship that is necessary to play this sport allows us to train for better team players and generally, just better behaved individuals.
We are so thankful for the introduction of this sport which allows us to work on a skill set and to learn the value of patience, practice and perseverance. More importantly, this sport cultivates emotional awareness and encourages them to practice their emotional regulation.
The benefits of Takkyu Volley are many and the parents are all so appreciative of this opportunity for their angels to participate in a sport that can foster learning and growing. A sport with such a universal appeal and it affords the opportunity for all levels of players. The outcome surely renders this sport one of the most accessible and dynamic in the intellectually/developmentally delayed world.
