Athletics I
Athletics I
Athletics I
776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of
the International Association of Athletics Federations.
• The athletics meeting forms the backbone of the modern Summer
• Track events A variety of running events are held on the track which fall
baton to their team-mate after a specified distance with the aim of being
the first team to finish.
• Hurdling events and the steeplechase are a variation upon the flat running
theme in that athletes must clear obstacles on the track during the race.
• Field events- The field events come in two types – jumping and
throwing competitions.
• In throwing events, athletes are measured by how far they hurl an
implement, with the common events being the shot put, discus,
javelin, and hammer throw. There are four common jumping
events: the long jump and triple jump are contests measuring the
horizontal distance an athlete can jump, while the high jump and
pole vault are decided on the height achieved.
•Combined events -Which include the decathlon (typically
competed by men) and heptathlon (typically competed by women),
are competitions where athletes compete in a number of different
track and field events, with each performance going toward a final
points tally.
Values and Purpose of Athletics
It provides competition and exercise outside the wellness class
for those who have been given athletic talent.
This competition allows the athlete to develop traits such as
character, discipline, and persistence that will benefit him later
in life.
Athletics is a focal point to help develop genuine school spirit.
• Running
which is outdoors during summer competition and indoors during the winter.
• The track is made with a rubber surface to improve grip and lessen the risk
endurance.
• An outdoor track, usually dirt or all-weather material, has eight lanes, and
• The winner crosses the finish line in the shortest amount of time.
• Races of different distances start at different places on the track, but
all races end at the same finish line.
• Running events are usually grouped into several classes, each
requiring substantially different athletic strengths and involving
different tactics, training methods, and types of competitors
Chapter 2- Fundamental techniques in athletics
Track events
The Sprinting race (100m-400m)
• Sprinting is the art of running as fast as possible. Power and
(stride length) and how quickly they are made (stride frequency).
Sprinting: - It can be broken down into nine components: the start,
acceleration, maintaining Momentum and the finish.
1.The Warm-up
• The competition warm-up is often overlooked when evaluating the entire
front support phase and a drive phase) and a flight phase (which can
be divided into a front swinging phase and a recovery phase).
• In the support phase the sprinter’s body is decelerated (front
• Technical characteristics
• Landing is on the ball of the foot. (1)
• Knee bend of the support leg is minimal during amortization; the
swing leg is doubled up. (2)
• Hip, knee and ankle joints of the support leg are strongly extended at take off.
• Thigh of the swing leg rises quickly towards a horizontal position. (3)
B. Drive at support phase
• Objective- To minimize deceleration at touchdown and to maximize forward drive.
• Technical characteristics
• Landing is on the ball of the foot. (1)
• Knee bend of the support leg is minimal during amortization; the
swing leg is doubled up. (2)
• Hip, knee and ankle joints of the support leg are strongly extended at
take off.
• Thigh of the swing leg rises quickly towards a horizontal position. (3)
2. Flight phase
A. Recovery
• Objective-To maximize the forward drive and to prepare for an effective foot
plant at touchdown.
• Technical characteristics
• Knee of the swing leg moves forwards and upwards (to continue the
• drive and increase stride length). (1)
• Knee of the support leg flexes markedly in the recovery phase (to achieve a
short pendulum). (2)
• Arm swing is active but relaxed.
• Next support leg sweeps backwards (to minimize the braking action
• at touchdown). (3)
Flight Phase
B. Front Swinging
• Objective To maximize the forward drive and to prepare for an effective foot
plant at touchdown.
Technical characteristics
• Knee of the swing leg moves forwards and upwards (to continue the
• drive and increase stride length). (1)
• Knee of the support leg flexes markedly in the recovery phase (to achieve a
short pendulum). (2)
• Arm swing is active but relaxed.
• Next support leg sweeps backwards (to minimize the braking action at
touchdown). (3)
Basic Exercises for Sprinting
• Objectives: To develop basic running skills.
• Use the basic exercises to complete the warm-up:
• Ankling, High Knees, Heel Kick-up, High Knees with extension
• BASIC DRILLS
• Objectives: To develop the drive phase and specific strength
• Pursuit runs
• Objectives: To develop reaction speed and acceleration.
• Acceleration runs
• Objectives: To develop acceleration and maximum speed.
Middle & Long Distance /800m- 10km/
• Phase Description
• The structure of a middle and long distance stride is similar to a sprint stride
• Extension of the hip, leg and foot in the drive phase can be complete (middle
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‘short’ are relative to the stage of development of the athlete and their fitness levels.
• The same distance might be a ‘short’ run for one athlete and a ‘long’ run for another
athlete.
• The other type of continuous training which may be used throughout the year is
‘Fartlek’ training, where the athlete ‘plays’ with a variety of running speeds or
rhythms.
• Repetition Training: Repetition training is breaking a total distance into smaller
units which are repeated, hence repetitions, where the pace, distance and
rest/recovery intervals and activity are prescribed.
• Usually done on the track but may be done in a park on grass or anywhere.
Repetition training can be divided into two main types by pace or running
rhythm: extensive and intensive.
• When the training emphasis is on general endurance, extensive repetition
training is used.
• when the emphasis is on event specific endurance, particularly for the middle
parameters:
• Pace, rhythm or running speed (min/km, min/mile, seconds per 400m lap, etc.)
• Volume can be described by the running distance (m, km, miles) or the running time
• But in the ‘New Interval Training’, which is used because of its effectiveness
in developing both the aerobic and lactate energy systems, the recovery in the
intervals is a very active ‘roll-on’, running recovery.
• This roll-on, active running recovery will depend on the fitness and experience
of the athlete.
• For an experienced athlete a 100m roll-on recovery, for example, is frequently
less than 25-30 seconds.
• New interval training, then, is a specific type of repetition training where the
training effect occurs in the interval between the faster sections.
• Only repetition training that has the training effect taking place in the interval
should be called ‘interval training’.
• To compare a classic repetition session of 15 x 400 (3000m pace) [90 secs] with
new interval training:
• Examples of new interval training sessions based on a classic repetition session:
• a) 15 x 400 (5000m pace) [100m roll-on]
• b) 3 x 5 x 400 (3000m pace) [100m roll-on & 3 mins]
• c) 3 x 5 x 400 (5000m, 3000m, 5000m, 1500m, 5000m) [100m roll-on & 800m
roll-on].
• All repetition training can, therefore, be varied by:
• Repetitions The total number of repetitions in a session - may be divided into
sets.
• Duration Length of time or distance of one repetition
• Intensity Rhythm, pace, speed or velocity of the repetitions
• Recovery Time of the intervals between repetitions and sets
• Recovery activity From a walk to easy running or more active running, as in new
interval training.
Pace for Endurance Training
• Pace can be used as a guide for an athlete’s running rhythms for either their
rhythm as the athlete would have used mid-race if they had been racing in a
3000m race that day. Coaches planning training for running sessions should
avoid using ‘target times’ for most of the year for their athlete’s repetition
training because these ‘targets’ do not reflect actual running rhythm.
• For example, an 82 seconds time for 400m might be an ‘easy’ effort for an
athlete on a day when they are ‘fresh’. The same time of 82 seconds may feel
much harder, be a different rhythm and produce a different physiological
response for that same athlete, if the athlete is very fatigued.
Developing Event Specific Endurance
• Event specific endurance is developed mainly through intensive repetition
training. The pace used for this method should usually be the athlete’s running
rhythm for that event, but may be based on ‘goal pace’, the target time for the
• competition distance very close to and during the competition period.
• Note: The most intense ‘intensive repetition’ training (called acidosis training)
leads to high concentrations of acid in the body and should be used carefully, if
at all, with younger athletes.
• In developing the skill of being aware of and controlling rhythm, experience has
shown that athletes of all abilities have a greater or lesser sense of rhythm, just in
the same way that some individuals are naturally more ‘musical’ than others.
Experience has also shown that all athletes can develop their sense of rhythm, in
the appropriate environment
• Increasing the Training Load
• Increasing the training load within an annual training programme, or in
successive training years, should be individualised, carefully planned and
systematic. The following steps provide a guide:
• Continuous Runs and Extensive Repetition Training:
• number of efforts).
• Step 1: Increase the volume of a session by adding sets (maintaining the same
• Step 2: Increase the volume of some sessions by increasing the length of the
• Step 3: Increase the intensity (pace and running rhythm) of the efforts.
• Step 4: Decrease the rest between efforts or, with new interval training, look for
• Heel Flick
• High Knees
acceleration zone.
• The receiver begins running in the acceleration zone but the baton can
only be passed within the exchange zone. In the relay, runners do not
switch hands when carrying the baton.
• Therefore, if the first runner holds the baton in the right hand, the second
runner will receive the baton in the left hand, the third will receive and
carry the baton in the right hand and the final runner will handle it in the
left hand.
The Acceleration Zone
• Also known as the pre-changeover zone, it is the section of the track leading up to the
changeover zone which allows the athlete who is going to receive the baton to start
and pick up speed.
• NOTE: The baton cannot be exchanged in the acceleration zone but the outgoing
place. It is 20m long and the baton must be exchanged in this zone. A mark is
usually put down on the track by the runner to let the outgoing runner know
when to start, this mark is found through training before the event, usually 15 -
20 foot before the outgoing runner is
• The Changeover Zone
• This is the area in which the changeover of the baton to the next athlete
takes place. It is 20m long and the baton must be exchanged in this
zone. A mark is usually put down on the track by the runner to let the
outgoing runner know when to start, this mark is found through training
before the event, usually 15 - 20 foot before the outgoing runner is.
• Relay Baton: - One relay baton is needed for each participating
facing up and a wide angle between the thumb and the rest of the fingers.
The incoming athlete passes the baton in a downward movement into the
receiving hand. The advantage of this method is that it will require no
manipulation of the baton to safely make the next baton exchange. A
disadvantage is that it is not a natural position of the outgoing athlete's
hand to receive the baton.
Push- Pass Technique
• The outgoing runner's arm is extended out behind them parallel to the
ground and the hand is open with the thumb pointing down. The
incoming runner holds the baton vertically and pushes it straight into
the open hand.
AGoodSelectionof Team Members
• First Leg - Priority goes to an athlete who has a good start, can run the bend
passing the baton, runs well in the straight and possesses sufficient speed
endurance.
• Third Leg - The selection goes to the sprinter who is confident and reliable in
receiving and passing the baton, can run the bend well and possess sufficient
speed endurance.
• Fourth Leg - Here we normally select a runner who receives the baton well, is
efficient in running the straight and has a high degree of competitive spirit.
• 4 X 400 Meter Relay: - is the final running event in a track meet, so
the result of that event could very well determine the outcome of the
entire meet. However, even if a team has lost the overall meet a strong
effort in the 4 x 400m can lift an entire team‘s sprit. As with the 4 x
100m relay, a team that passes the baton well can gain on every ex-
change over a team that does not.
Team Selection
• Your six best 400m runners, whether they are 100/200m specialists,
hurdlers, 800m runners , should be the group from which you choose
the four members of your 4 x 400m relay from meet to meet.
• The Exchange Zone of 4x400m
on the track by lines that cross all lanes of the track. Unlike the 4 x
100m relay, there is no acceleration zone in the 4 x 400m relay, and
the outgoing runners must stand within the 20m zone to await the
incoming runner. The baton must be received within the exchange
zone to be a legal pass.
• Responsibilities of the Incoming Runner:
• Drive all the way to the finish line and through the exchange zone.
Do not decelerate as the baton is extended to the outgoing runner.
• Do not extend the baton until you are close enough to make the pass to the
outgoing runner.
• Do not try to place the baton in the hand of the outgoing runner. Make the baton a
steady target and let the outgoing runner take it from you.
meters changeover zone. So that the outgoing runner can achieve maximum
acceleration at baton exchange the athlete can commence his/her run 10
meters before the changeover zone.
• The baton exchange should occur 5 meters before the end of the changeover
zone. Because of this, each athlete has to sprint more than 100 meters:
of the lane
• second runner takes the baton in the left hand and runs closer to the
• third runner takes the baton in the right hand and runs close to
the inside of the lane
• fourth runner takes the baton in the left hand
SPRINT HURDLES
• Hurdle events are rhythmic events. Speed is a basic requirement for
hurdling, but the ability to express speed within a rhythmic pattern is
more important. Hurdle events are not jumping events.
• In the hurdle clearance element the hurdler minimizes the time in the air
and prepares for the next running stride.
Approach phase
• To maximize acceleration to the first hurdle and speed between the
hurdles.
• Technical characteristics
• Usually eight strides to the first hurdle (take off leg is in the front
• Angle between the thigh and lower leg is about 90° or less.
• Ankle of the trail leg is dorsiflexed markedly. Toe is tilted upward. (1)
• Knee of the trail leg is kept high as it pulls through. (2)
Landing phase
• Objective- To make a fast transition to running.
• Technical characteristics
• Landing leg is ‘stiff’. Landing is on the ball of the foot. (1)
• Body should not lean backwards on landing.
• Trail leg stays tucked until touchdown then it pulls quickly and actively
forwards. (2)
• Contact with the ground is brief, the first stride is aggressive.
Steeplechase
• Phase Description
minimizes time in the air and the disturbance to the running action.
• In the barrier and water jump clearance elements the runner
minimizes time in the air and the disturbance to the running action.
WATER JUMP CLEARANCE
• Take Off Phase
Technical characteristics
• Take off angle is relatively flat.
• Hip, knee and ankle joints of the support leg are fully extended.
so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground, so that no
visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs.”
Two basic rules therefore define Race Walking:
• 1. One foot must be on the ground at all times, the front foot must
• 2. The support leg must be straightened (i.e. not bent at the knee) from
the moment of first contact with the ground until the vertical upright
position.
• Phase Description
(which can be divided into front support and rear support phases)
and a Double Support Phase.
• The single support phase provides acceleration and includes
• Technical characteristics
• Front foot lands smoothly on the heel while the rear foot is in a
heel up position.
• Both knees are extended.
SINGLE SUPPORT PHASE
• Front Support
• Objective -To minimize the braking forces.
• Technical characteristics
• Foot placement of the front leg is active with a backward sweeping
motion.
• Deceleration phase is as short as possible.
• Knee of the front leg must be extended.
• Swinging leg passes the support leg with the knee and the lower leg
kept low.
• FOOT Placement
• Objective -To place feet correctly for achieving optimum
stride length.
• Feet are placed in a straight line with the toes pointing straight
ahead.
• Touchdown is on the heel and is followed by a rolling movement