Individual and Dual Sports

Athletics
Athletics
 Athletics, also called track-and-field sports or track and field, a variety of
competitions in running, walking, jumping, and throwing events.
 Athletics have become the most truly international of sports, with nearly every
country in the world engaging in some form of competition. Most nations send
teams of men and women to the quadrennial Olympic Games and to the official
World Championships of track and field
ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
 There is little in the way of definitive records of athletics’ early days as organized
sport. Egyptian and Asian civilizations are known to have encouraged athletics
many centuries before the Christian era. Perhaps as early as 1829 BC, Ireland
was the scene of the Lugnasad festival’s Tailteann Games, involving various
forms of track-and-field activity. The Olympic Games  of Greece, traditionally
dated from 776 BC, continued through 11 centuries before ending about AD 393.

 These ancient Olympics were strictly male affairs, as to both participants and
spectators. Greek women were reputed to have formed their own Heraea
Games, which, like the Olympics, were held every four years.

 Athletics as practiced today was born and grew to maturity in England.The first
mention of the sport in England was recorded in 1154, when practice fields were
first established in London . The sport was banned by King Edward III in the
1300s but revived a century later by Henry VIII, reputed to be an accomplished
hammer thrower.

MODERN DEVELOPMENT
 The development of the modern sport, however, has come only since the early
19th century. Organized amateur footraces were held in England as early as
1825, but it was from 1860 that athletics enjoyed its biggest surge to that date.

 In 1861 the West London Rowing Club organized the first meet open to all
amateurs, and in 1866 the Amateur Athletic Club (AAC) was founded and
conducted the first English championships.

 The first meet in North America was held near Toronto in 1839, but it was the
New York Athletic Club, formed in the 1860s, that placed the sport on a solid
footing in the United States.
 Athletics was well established in many countries by the late 1800s, but not until
the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 did the sport become truly
international.
  In 1912 the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was founded,
and by the time that organization celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1987 it had
more than 170 national members. Its rules applied only to men’s competition until
1936, when the IAAF also became the governing body of women’s athletics.
 Major international competitions before World War II included the Olympics,
the British Empire Games, and the European Championships, but after the war
athletics experienced its greatest period of growth, taking root especially in the
developing countries. By the 1950s world-class athletes from African, Asian, and
Latin American nations were enjoying great success at international meets.

EVENTS
The men’s track events at championship meets generally include
the:
 100-, 200-, 400-, 800-, 1,500-, 5,000-, and 10,000-metre runs;
 the 3,000-metre steeplechase;
 the 110- and 400-metre hurdles; and the 400- and 1,500-metre relays.
 high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw, hammer
throw and javelin throw.
 The decathlon, combining 10 track-and-field events, is also featured.

Women run much the same schedule, with a 100-metre hurdles event
instead of 110 metres. They compete in the heptathlon (seven events) rather
than the decathlon. Women walk up to 20,000 metres and men up to 50,000
metres.

RUNNING EVENTS
1. THE SPRINTS
A sprint is a short running race. In a track and field competition there are generally three
different sprint distances: 100m, 200m, and 400m. The original Olympic event, the
stadion race, was a sprint of around 180m.
 A sprint race starts out with the runners in starting blocks in their lane. The official
will say "on your marks". At this point the racer should be focused on the track,
have their feet placed in the blocks, fingers on the ground behind the starting
line, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, muscles relaxed.
• Next the official will say "Set". At this point the runner should get their hips
slightly above shoulder level, feet pushed hard into the blocks, holding their
breath and ready to race. Then there is the bang and the race has started. The
runner should exhale and run out of the blocks not jumping. The initial part of the
 race the runner is accelerating to top speed. Once top speed is achieved then
endurance kicks in as the runner tries to maintain that speed for the rest of the
sprint.

2. MIDDLE DISTANCE
The middle distance races are the 800m, the 1500m, and the 1 mile long runs. These
races require different skills and tactics to win that the sprints. They rely more on
endurance and pacing than just pure speed. Also, the runners don't stay in a single lane
for the entire race. They start out in staggered lanes, to make the distance the same for
each runner, but the race soon becomes open with no lanes and the runners must to
pass around each other to gain the lead.
3. LONG DISTANCE
There are three main long distance races: the 3000m, the 5000m, and the 10,000m
races. These races are similar to the middle distance races, but the emphasis is even
more on correct pacing and endurance.
4. HURDLE
A hurdles race is one in which obstacles are placed at intervals along the track that the
runners must jump over on their way the finish line. Typical hurdle races are the 100m
and 400m for women and 110m and 400m for men. Timing, footwork, and technique are
key in wining hurdles events. Of course you still need to be fast, but jumping the hurdles
in stride without much slowing down is how to win in the hurdles.
5. RELAYS
Relay races are where teams of runners compete against each other. There are
typically 4 runners and 4 legs to the race. The first runner starts with the baton and runs
the first leg handing off to the second runner. The hand off must typically take place
within a given area of the track. The second then hands off to the third and the third to
the fourth. The fourth runner runs the final, or anchor, leg to the finish line. Common
relay races are the 4x100m and the 4x400m.
JUMPING EVENTS
1. HIGH JUMP
• In the high jump event, the athlete gets a running start and must jump over a bar
without knocking it over. They land on a big soft cushion. Like many track and
field events, there is a key element to doing well in this sport, which in this case
is being able to jump high, but technique is very important as well. Timing and
leaving your feet at the right point as well as how you bend your body as you go
over the bar are all important.
• There have been many techniques used for high jumping over the years, but the
current, and most successful, is called the Fosbury Flop. The Fosbury Flop
technique involves leading with your head over the bar (vs. leading with your
 feet) and twisting such that your back is to the ground and closest the bar as you
go over it. Jumpers then land on their back.
2. LONG JUMP
• Long jump involves more skill and technique than just
being able to jump. First the athlete must have good
speed as they sprint down the runway to prepare for the
jump; next they must have very good footwork at the end
of their run so they can launch as close to the line as
possible without going over the line and faulting; third
they must make a good jump; and lastly they must have
proper form through the air and into the landing. All of
these techniques and skills must be executed to
perfection to pull of a good long jump.
• The long jump has been a popular track and field event
since the Ancient Greece Olympics. The current men's world record is 29.4 feet
by Mike Powell.
3. TRIPLE JUMP
• The triple jump is similar to the long jump, but there are three combined jumps
that go into the total length. These are called the hop, the step, and the jump.
The athlete will first run down the track gaining speed; at the start of the jump or
take off point they will jump from one foot and land on that same foot (hop); they
then jump again, this time landing on the opposite foot (step); next they jump as
far as they can and land on both feet (jump).

4. POLE VAULT
• While all of the field events take require technique to excel, the pole vault may be
the toughest to master. In this track and field event, the athlete runs down the
track holding a pole at one end. At the end of the run the plant the far in of the
pole into a metal box in ground and then propel themselves up and over a high
bar using both a jump and the spring of the pole to gain height.
• They must get over the bar without knocking it off. They then land on a large soft
mattress for safety. The world record for the pole vault is over 6m (over 20 feet!)
and is held by Sergey Bubka, probably the greatest pole vault athlete ever.
THROWING EVENTS
1. DISCUS THROW
• In the discus event the athlete throws a round disc, typically made of plastic with
a metal rim. The men's college and Olympic discus weighs 2 kilograms (4.4
pounds). The women's college and Olympic discus weighs 1 kilogram (2.2
pounds). The discus is thrown from a concrete circle that is about 8 feet in
 diameter. The athlete's feet can't leave the circle before the discus lands or the
athlete will fault and the throw won't count.
• The athlete will spin around to gain momentum and speed and then release the
discus in the proper direction. The athlete that throws it furthest from the front
part of the circle (and within the legal area) wins.
2. JAVELIN THROW
• The javelin is something like a spear. This event should be supervised at all
levels to be sure no one is hurt. The men's college and Olympic javelin weighs
800 grams (28.2 ounces) and is about 8.5 feet long. The women's college and
Olympic javelin weighs 600 grams (21 ounces) and is about 7 feet long. The
javelin must be thrown a specific way for it to be a legal throw. With the javelin an
athlete has to:
1) Hold the javelin by its grip and nowhere else
2) Throw the javelin overhand (we're not sure underhand would work too well anyway)
3) They cannot turn their back to the target when throwing (this means they can't spin)
• When throwing the javelin, the athlete jogs down a runway to gain momentum
and then must throw the javelin prior to crossing a line. The athlete cannot go
over the line until the javelin lands which means the athlete needs to leave some
extra space to slow down and have really good balance at the end of the throw.
The athlete that throws it furthest (and within the legal area) wins.
3. SHOT PUT
• In the shot put event athletes throw a metal ball. The men's college and Olympic
shot weighs 16 pounds. The women's college and Olympic shot weighs 4
kilograms (8.8 pounds). This sport actually started with a cannonball throwing
competition in the Middle Ages. The shot is thrown from a concrete circle that is 7
feet in diameter. The front of the circle has a metal board called a toe board. The
athlete cannot touch the top of the toe board or step over it during the throw. The
athlete holds the shot close to his/her neck in one hand.
• There are two common throwing techniques: The first has the athlete slide or
"glide" from the back to the front of the circle before releasing the shot. The
second has the athlete spin in the circle (like the discus) before releasing the
shot. With either technique the goal is to build momentum and finally push or
"put" the shot in the direction of the legal landing area. The athlete must stay in a
circle until the shot has landed. The athlete that throws it furthest from the front
part of the circle (and within the legal area) wins.
4. HAMMER THROW
• The hammer throw doesn't actually involve throwing a hammer like you would
think. In this track and field throwing event the athlete throws a metal ball
attached to a handle and a straight wire about 3 feet long. The men's college and
 Olympic hammer weighs 16 pounds. The women's college and Olympic hammer
weighs 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds).
• The hammer is thrown from a concrete circle 7 feet in diameter (just like the shot
put) but there is no toe board. Like the discus and the shot put, the athlete must
stay in a circle until the hammer lands. The athlete spins several times to gain
momentum prior to releasing and throwing the hammer. Balance is important due
to the force generated by having the heavy ball at the end of the wire. The athlete
that throws it furthest from the front part of the circle (and within the legal area)
wins.