My workout: ‘American football changed my life’

Kalaba Chibwe, 26, on the pain and pleasures of American football

The first time I played, my nerves were all over the place. I was in my third year at university. Both my flatmates at the time were American footballers, so I decided to join them. I remember seeing this massive person in front of me wearing these pads, and thinking, he’s going to kill me. I got tackled – hard. I was rattled. But then you realise, it’s just contact. You feel pain, he feels pain. You’re human, he’s human. I’ve been addicted since.

The fundamental aim of the game is to score touchdowns (loosely the equivalent of a try in rugby) by running with the ball into, or receiving the ball inside, the opposition’s end zone. It’s 11-a-side, and every player on the field has a set responsibility. I’m a running back. It’s my job, using my speed, strength and agility, to carry the ball and keep running until either I score or I get put down by an opponent. And yes, it does hurt.

Continue reading...
Share on Google Plus
    Blogger Comment
    Facebook Comment

1 comments :

  1. The catuaba tree is a small tree with orange and yellow flowers. It produces an oval-shape fruit that is not edible. The catuaba tree belongs to the genus erythroxylum, which contains several species from which cocaine is derived.Indigenous and local peoples have used catuaba for generations. http://guidemesupplements.com/biogenic-xr/

    ReplyDelete