How Boffer Sports Teach Honesty

Do your kids know what honesty means? Do your kids practice it?

I’m sure that most parents have taught their kids the meaning of the word honesty. Maybe they have an expectation that their kids are honest with them most of the time, usually when stakes are pretty low. However, without the repetition of practicing honesty - it is usually more a concept than it is an embedded characteristic. Boffer sports are unique in that it is an almost entirely honor based sport. When contact is made from an opponent, it is up to the individual player to “make the call” on whether or not that contact was made.

This can certainly cause problems where dishonesty would allow for players to stay on the field, but as this kind of behavior becomes associated with the player, fewer people will want to continue playing with them. In this sense, only honest players continue to have people playing with them - while “cheaters” typically become shunned. This environmental accountability creates an environment where honesty is constantly tested, practiced and evaluated by members of the community.

Boffer sports provide more than just physical activity, but an environment which allows one to develop virtues. Honesty, as important as it is, is only one of many virtues. Our Oath of Fairplay is created with the intention of teaching many more of these virtues. We aren’t just looking to create foam warriors, but principled individuals that will succeed both on and off the field.