Gym Class Dad – Teach your kids P.E. at Home!

A major part of keeping my kids engaged and happy with the rigors of daily exercise and PE at home is keeping it fun and incorporating games and sports into some of the sessions. I played football in high school and always enjoyed it when my father would toss around the football with me. My kids at the time we started tossing the football around were 7 and 9. I always had a full-size leather football in the garage and my kids had a hard time catching it. It was too hard and large for them to consistently catch and throw. I went on the search to find a smaller softer football option that my kids could learn throwing and catching techniques before graduating up to larger leather balls. As a kid in elementary one of my fondest memories is playing two-hand touch during recess. I remember having foam Nerf footballs that even as little kids we could bomb downfield for epic touchdowns. My search for a good starter ball led me to two Nerf options I thought would work well for teaching my kids some basics: the Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football and the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football. After trying both of these footballs with my kids we all settled in on liking the Weather Blitz Football the best. Read on to learn more about this awesome football. Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football Product Description The Nerf Weather Blitz Football is a foam football with a grippy rubber-like texture that covers the tips of the ball and spirals around the center of the ball. The rubber raised texture is excellent for gripping and catching the football. The football comes in two color sets that I’ve seen, a black and orange football and another in blue and light bright green color. My kids liked the black and orange version best. Nerf touts the football as a durable all-weather football that is capable of standing up to hard play and harsh elements. We’ve used the football in the rain and it held up well not getting too soaked and heavy as some footballs do. For a foam football, I would say that it is relatively firm and not too squishy like you see in some foam footballs. The football is much smaller than a full-size football, but not so small that it detracts from functionality. I have larger hands and it feels good in an adult hand and my kids can easily throw it. How well does the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football Throw I like how the Nerf Weather Blitz football throws. The ball feels good in the hand and the way the rubber spirals around the ball my fingers fit well into the groove. If you are expecting something similar to the laces on real leather football, it is different but doesn’t detract from throwing performance. I by no means have a cannon arm, but I’m able to get the ball downfield easily with nice tight spirals. My kids also enjoy throwing this football around. Both my 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter can easily grip the ball and throw it well. It does have a little bit of weight to it so my daughter did have some initial trouble throwing it with any distance. I think that will improve overtime as she gains strength and throwing technique. Overall the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football is a joy to throw for both myself and my kids. How well does the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football Catch The Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football is easy to catch. The football has just the right amount of firmness and texture to make it a consistent easy catch whether catching with the fingers and hands or with the arms and body. One issue that can come up is catching the ball in cold weather. The rubber texture can get hard in very cold weather and if thrown hard can hurt fingers. It’s not too much of a difference compared to a frozen leather ball but does happen with the rubber ribs of the football. What do kids think of the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football? The Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football is the first football that my kids reach for when we have football day in our daily P.E. routine. They like throwing this football and since practicing with this football have become more confident getting in front of it and making a catch. I must admit I also enjoy this football and it is fun and easy to throw nice tight spirals to them. Final thoughts and recommendation on the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football When we were testing out footballs we tried a few options and sizes from foam to rubber and leather. We also had a hard look at the Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football which is a softer foam version without the rubber spirals. My kids found this football slippery and too soft. The Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football came out on top and is kid and dad-approved for use. The football has been great for teaching the basics of football throwing and catching and will be a nice bridge to larger real footballs. I would highly recommend this football for starting your kids on throwing and catching footballs or just to have around anytime for fun toss and catch sessions for kids and adults alike.

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