Oh, it's rough. It's rough as hell. Sometimes it seems one can never break the cast. All the cards are set against him, and no-one ever seems to really want, the boy who was, and is picked last in gym class. I was there, I know how it is. But there's hope yet, believe me.

Maybe they just never expect the quiet ones. Or maybe they don't pick the unpopular ones. Or whatever. But hopefully, the day will come, when they just aren't as strong as they thought. Then is the time to strike. With all the pain and contempt the others showed, show them how to win at their own game. Show no mercy. They must know fear, and know that for every move your three times as intense. If they run, show that you can still catch up, no matter what. And when all is said and done, walk quietly away, and know that the boy picked last is gym class can be another.

Needless to say, those have been some violent Soccer games ; )
We used to play punch-ball when I was a kid in the early 1970s. Punch-ball is like batless/pitcherless baseball. You toss the ball up with one hand and punch the ball as hard as you can with the other, then run bases.

When I started going to the school, I didn't know anybody. Nobody wanted to pick the new kid. I ended up getting picked last. Unfortunately, I just sucked at punch-ball. I could barely get the ball out of the infield, and at best I made it to first base (I could run fast). So, with the double-onus of being new and sucking severely at the sport, I was either picked last (they needed to fill out the team) or I wasn't picked at all (they had enough kids).

One thing I had on my side was that I read a lot, and in my reading I learned to analyze and research. I broke down how I hit the ball, and analyzed it using what I learned from some (low-level) physics books I had recently read. I would toss the ball up with my left hand and basically push the ball away. I then watched the best player, and saw that he tossed the ball a little further away and swung his whole arm in an arc. He was able to get momentum and power, where I was just pushing the ball away from my body.

I spent a week working on adopting the form of the good player. It took a bit before I could get the timing down (it's like learning to serve in tennis with your other hand). I finally got it down, and the next Monday I showed up to play. Luckily, they needed the extra body, so I again was picked last.

My first time up, I hit the ball using my old method. I actually made it to first base. I did this to remind the players that they could move in when it was my turn to swing.

The next time I was up, they all moved in for the easy out. I used the new form, and I whomped the shit out of the ball. It went over all of their heads, and I made it home. The next three times I swung, I made it to third base or home. Since I was bigger than all but two of the players, I had more power in my swing.

From that day forward, I was either the first or second kid chosen. When new kids showed up, I passed on my technique.

If you don't want to be picked last, sometimes you can do something about it.

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