"Watch out!" my 12-year-old warned. "I'm on fire!"

My youngest son picked up speed on the elliptical trainer. His face was flushed. Sweat percolated off his brow. His eyes narrowed as he hunched over the machine, testing its limits.

I was impressed that someone so young could be so focused.

I remember when I was 12. Stationary machines were for old people or for the few who worked out at the gym.

At 12, I had no idea what cardiovascular system or aerobic activity meant.

My idea of any form of activity was to invite neighborhood kids over to our yard for a game of football, or we would all meet at the park to play dodge ball.

We modified the original dodge-ball setup. One of the kids was designated as the "beaner." He was responsible for hurling the ball at the rest of us. He was allowed to target any part of the body — with the exception of the head.

The rest of us poor souls would line up with our backs against the concrete wall of the park pavilion.

The beaner's weapon was a small, red rubber ball. It fit neatly into the palm of his hand. He would whip the ball at no one in particular.

If you were unfortunate enough to get hit, you would sit out for one round.

We would work up quite a sweat. Sometimes red welts would appear on our skin, depending on how hard we got hit.

This form of exercise helped us with cardiovascular and hand-eye coordination, but it also taught us a lot about how to deal with conflicts.

Arguments would often erupt over a bad call, and we had no parent or adult to intervene. We had to work it out ourselves.

The arguments would sometimes get out of hand. But the next day we would all get together and play the game, again.

In long-ago times, children would entertain themselves with a chant that coaxes sea creatures to crawl out of their shells: "Aia ko kane, i ka lawai'a, ho'i mai he 'ope'a ka i'a."

Translated, it means: Your husband has gone fishing and returns with bats for meat.

It's unfortunate that my kids won't have those same experiences. If they want to play football for their school team, that means they have to train. It means attending football camps to hone their skills.

Whatever happened to the days when a red rubber ball and a group of friends was all we needed to stay fit?

Reach Ka'ohua Lucas at Family Matters, 'Ohana section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Hono-lulu, HI 96802; fax 525-8055.