Track and Field Unit September Skills and Written Overview

We are beginning the Olympic Games Track and Field Unit on Sept 5th and the unit will run until the September 30th. The objective of the unit is to introduce four track and field events to juniors and seniors in the class. Students will be broken up into teams of four and each member of the team will compete in one of the four events . We will have 2 days of instruction covering each event, 2 days of practice, and 2 days of trials.

Skills Tests will be given during the week of Sept 26th Web Link: https://sites.google.com/site/luceswebsite/jr-sr-pe/track-and-field-unit-september-skills-and-written-overview/track-and-field-skills-assessment

Written Test will be a in class assesment in class the week of Oct 3rd

Shot Put

Overview

For those who are just beginning to learn how to throw a shot put, the key is to develop proper technique in the throw itself. Advanced competitors use techniques such as the glide, slide and spin to increase their distance, but beginners should focus only on the power throw, which many refer to as fronting out. The power throw is made up of four parts: the gather, the explosion, the release and the follow-through.

History

Original Greek Olympics Sport

Mens World Record: Randy Barnes 75ft 10.2 in (1990)

Womens Wolrd Record: Natalya Lisovskaya 74 ft 2.9 in (1987)

Mens Disc: 16.01 lbs Womens Disc: 8.8 lbs

Shot put video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nueqqrGfJg&NR=1

DISCUSS

Overview:

In the discus throw, the athlete will complete one-and-a-half rotations in the ring, yet the thrower actually moves forward in approximately a straight line, from the back of the ring to the front. Proper footwork is vital to produce the speed necessary for a strong throw. Beginning throwers should start by performing standing-throw drills before attempting full throws. The following step-by-step description assumes a right-handed thrower.

Original Greek Olympics Sport

Womens Record: Gabrielle Reinsch (GDR) 251 feet 11.6 in (1988)

Mens Record: Jurgen Schult (GDR) 243 feet .5 in (1986)

Only Record that a Womens Distance in a event is further than Mens

Mens Disc: 4lb 7oz Womens Disc: 2lb 3oz

Discus video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx9TrHqu8Pk&feature=fvst

Discus Technique

Holding the discus

· Place discus in your throwing hand

· Spread fingers out with index finger inline with wrist

· Place fingers first knuckles over the disc

Arm swings

· The thrower stands with feet shoulder width apart

· Place the disc into throwing hand

· Swing the disc level with the shoulders back and forth catching it in your left hand

· The athlete should feel the discus pushing out on the hand

Release the discus

· When releasing the discus have your palm down

· Squeeze the discus out (bar of soap)

· The disc will come off the index finger

· The disc will spin in a clockwise direction for a right handed thrower

Long Jump

Overview: The Long Jump was a original Greek Olympic Sport. The keys to the process is making sure you geta clear jump off the line, hang and reach forward in the air, and land with your body moving in forward progress.

Mens Record: Mike Powell (U.S.A.) (29.4 ft) (1991)

Womens Record: Galina Chistyakova (Former USSR) (24.7 ft) (1988)

Long Jump Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RSkyoafO1o

Steps

Finding the right steps is quite easy. It just takes a few easy steps. Starting at the white line facing the runway and your back should be towards the pit. Be sure your foot is centered on the white line. Then, sprint down the runway like you normally would. Count how ever many steps you would like to take. Seven or nine steps with your dominant foot is usually a good number to start with. You would only count ever other step that way. Once you have run your desired amount of steps stop and mark that spot. Just start from your spot and don't jump but run towards the pit. If your foot lands in the middle of the white line you have done it right, but you should do it at least three times to be positive.

Speed (running)

Speed is very important to gaining distance when you jump. You need speed to pull you through the air so you will go further. To gain speed you have to run up on your toes and use your arms. You arms should go from your mouth to your pocket. When you are running practice saying mouth, pocket, mouth, pocket and you will get the correct form. Also, you must run all the way through till you jump. If you think your steps are messed up and you stutter you have just lost distance. So remember run hard.

Height

The longer you stay in the air the further you go. Therefore, it is important to gain lots of height so you will not fall as quickly to the ground. Although, gravity will still pull you down if you go high you will be held up longer. To stay up you must go off one foot and bend the other one up to your chest. Then you have keep your butt in the air for as long as you can. Some people find it helpful to put their feet straight out and reach for their toes with their hands.

Distance

This is the most important thing in long jump of course. The person who jumps the furthest wins. Although it sounds easy you still have to concentrate very hard because someone who jump a tenth of an inch further than you will win. Everything you do counts. The is not a lot to distance that you don't already know. Basically all you have to do is combine what we talked about earlier, height and speed.

Landing

Landing is a very important part of long jump. If you have the perfect jump but land wrong you have just ruined the whole jump. You should land steady and with your feet as close as they can be to together. If you jump with your legs straight out you should land on your bottom. Your jump is measured from the furthest back point so you do not want to put your hand back when you jump. Landing is not complicated if you get it right it is quite simple.

High Jump

Overview: The high jump is a technical event and was a original event in the Ancient Greek Games. While most jumpers feel that the bar clearance is the most important aspect of high jumping, it is not. Just as with the other three jumping events (LJ, TJ, and PV), the run-up or approach is probably the most important aspect of the event

Using the flop high jump technique (which is really the only technique used these days), the athlete will run a curved approach towards the bar. The foot on the inside of the turn will be the takeoff foot, and the athlete will actually clear the bar with his/her back facing the bar.

Men’s World Record: Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) 8 ft (1993)

Women’s World Record: Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) 6ft 10 in. (1987)

High Jump Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFOkVxry738&feature=pyv&ad=10106360393&kw=high%20jump

THE APPROACH RUN

This is really not as difficult as many individuals make it out to be. The main concept with an approach run is to develop a lot of horizontal velocity, directly towards the pit. A sharp, curving turn at the end of the approach run creates rotation, allowing the athlete to jump with his back to the bar. Horizontal velocity pro- vides for two things:

1. Translation of increased horizontal velocity into vertical velocity results in greater jump heights.

2. The greater the horizontal velocity, the farther away an individual can take off, allowing for a more gradual takeoff angle. This is also advantageous because it provides the athlete with more time to reach peak height.

3. The approach run shares many characteristics with the approach runs of the other jumping events. It is developed by consistent practice. Ideally, the athlete is at his fastest at the end of the run. The athlete should enter each competition with the ability to "measure off' the starting point of the approach run. The high jump approach is unique, however, in that it curves!

THE CURVED APPROACH RUN

There are a variety of ways to coach athletes to develop the shape of the approach run. They usually fall into one of two categories:

1. All athletes are required to use the same curve. This is very beneficial when you are working with a large number of athletes, since they will all be following the same curve. They should all begin to turn at the same time, and you as the coach can even trace down an arc for all of your athletes to practice with.

1. Each athlete uses a curve that is matched "exactly" to his or her abilities. From a biomechanics standpoint, this makes the most sense, as athletes have different stride lengths, speeds, heights, etc. When coaching a great number of high jumpers, this approach is more difficult to manage, though, as each athlete will have his own curve.

BAR CLEARANCE

In may respects, this is the easy part of the jump. If the athlete has performed the approach run and the takeoff correctly, there will be little problem with bar clearance. When jumping at higher heights, the athlete needs to be sure to have patience and wait to begin bar clearance when he is high enough for it to be a factor. In essence, he must "wait" for the jump to bring him high enough to have to go over the bar.

Bar clearance involves trying to "wrap" the body over the bar. Never-the-less, the athlete needs to try to keep as much of the body below the level of the bar at all times. Once the head and shoulders clear the bar, the athlete must arch the back, thrusting the hips towards the sky. The legs should be kept relaxed.

As the hips clear the bar, the athlete must be sure to maintain his arch, although he can relax slightly. Few things are more frustrating than clearing the bar only to "sit" on it halfway through the jump.

However, the legs must also clear the bar. Many athletes try to kick the legs out of the way, which sometimes work well. Raising the head, so that the chin is on the chest, is another effective way to move the legs out of the way.

Citations: acheson-creative, steve patrick, long jump basics, mark harsha, mike rosenbaum