EDTE3530 – W5
Workshop 5 – Athletics
Athletics workshops
Focus on the three Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) of running, jumping and
throwing
Running
In an athletics context, there are sprinting and distance events
In a primary school setting, focus is on correct running technique – especially
focused on sprinting
Warm-up activity when focusing on running in athletics
o Want something that incorporates Gross-Motor activity/game
o Want a ‘huff and puff’ activity that ensures all students are moving
Gross-motors skills are those that require whole body movement
Examples include:
Bullrush
Stuck in the Mud
Chain Tag
To introduce concept of running and technique associated, is to get students to
focus on their 4 main body parts
o Legs
o Torso
o Arms
o Head
Have class lined up behind some type of court marking etc
Focus on one body part at a time
Legs
o First movement, run with no bend in their legs
travelling from point A (starting line) to point B
(finishing line)
o Second movement, be light on their feet and bringing
their knees up, running back to point A
o Third movement, run back to point B, this time with
their legs flicking out (from knee)
After this, you would then question your
students:
“what was the most comfortable? What was
easiest? What allowed them to travel from
point A to point B with speed?”
The aim of running is to get from point A
to point B with speed
After Legs, the next body part would be Torso
o First movement, ask students to run in a tall position
, o Second movement, to run in a forward bend (bent at
the hips, facing the floor)
o Third movement, to run in a backward bend (backs
arched, facing the sky/roof)
After these three are done, engage in the same
style of questioning.
We are trying to draw out for the students what
they found most comfortable to have them
thinking about effecting running technique
Moving from the Torso to the Arms
o First movement, run with their arms pinned to their
sides
o Second movement, bend at their elbow and the arms
are driving forward and back (controlled swinging
motion)
o Third movement, have the arms traveling across the
body
Then engage with questions and discussion as
which arm position was most comfortable and
why. Which did they think would be most
effective when running, why?
Finally, from Torso, move to the Head
o First movement, eyes down (slight forward bend in the
neck)
o Second movement, looking up (slight backward bend in
the neck) or swinging their head from side to side,
trying to maintain a conversation with their peers
o Third movement, head facing forward, eyes focused
and ‘up’
Go through questioning session about which
was easiest position for their head to be in
while running
After addressing each individual body part, have a concluding
questioning act6ivity where you draw from those 4 areas and
then you determine the overall best running
technique/position
Main teaching cues when teaching sprinting is around head
facing forward, eyes focused. Running tall, so upright torso.
Arms bent at the elbows, driving forward, swinging back and
forth. Legs, light in feet, knees coming up.
After good running technique has been established with students, incorporate this
into some fun and engaging activities
Relays are a fantastic way to practice good running technique
o With Early Stage 1 (ES1) and Stage 1 (S1) students, you would focus on a
novelty style relay, straight relays
Workshop 5 – Athletics
Athletics workshops
Focus on the three Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) of running, jumping and
throwing
Running
In an athletics context, there are sprinting and distance events
In a primary school setting, focus is on correct running technique – especially
focused on sprinting
Warm-up activity when focusing on running in athletics
o Want something that incorporates Gross-Motor activity/game
o Want a ‘huff and puff’ activity that ensures all students are moving
Gross-motors skills are those that require whole body movement
Examples include:
Bullrush
Stuck in the Mud
Chain Tag
To introduce concept of running and technique associated, is to get students to
focus on their 4 main body parts
o Legs
o Torso
o Arms
o Head
Have class lined up behind some type of court marking etc
Focus on one body part at a time
Legs
o First movement, run with no bend in their legs
travelling from point A (starting line) to point B
(finishing line)
o Second movement, be light on their feet and bringing
their knees up, running back to point A
o Third movement, run back to point B, this time with
their legs flicking out (from knee)
After this, you would then question your
students:
“what was the most comfortable? What was
easiest? What allowed them to travel from
point A to point B with speed?”
The aim of running is to get from point A
to point B with speed
After Legs, the next body part would be Torso
o First movement, ask students to run in a tall position
, o Second movement, to run in a forward bend (bent at
the hips, facing the floor)
o Third movement, to run in a backward bend (backs
arched, facing the sky/roof)
After these three are done, engage in the same
style of questioning.
We are trying to draw out for the students what
they found most comfortable to have them
thinking about effecting running technique
Moving from the Torso to the Arms
o First movement, run with their arms pinned to their
sides
o Second movement, bend at their elbow and the arms
are driving forward and back (controlled swinging
motion)
o Third movement, have the arms traveling across the
body
Then engage with questions and discussion as
which arm position was most comfortable and
why. Which did they think would be most
effective when running, why?
Finally, from Torso, move to the Head
o First movement, eyes down (slight forward bend in the
neck)
o Second movement, looking up (slight backward bend in
the neck) or swinging their head from side to side,
trying to maintain a conversation with their peers
o Third movement, head facing forward, eyes focused
and ‘up’
Go through questioning session about which
was easiest position for their head to be in
while running
After addressing each individual body part, have a concluding
questioning act6ivity where you draw from those 4 areas and
then you determine the overall best running
technique/position
Main teaching cues when teaching sprinting is around head
facing forward, eyes focused. Running tall, so upright torso.
Arms bent at the elbows, driving forward, swinging back and
forth. Legs, light in feet, knees coming up.
After good running technique has been established with students, incorporate this
into some fun and engaging activities
Relays are a fantastic way to practice good running technique
o With Early Stage 1 (ES1) and Stage 1 (S1) students, you would focus on a
novelty style relay, straight relays
