3º ESO - PE Workbook - IES Joan Miró – Physical Education Department

ATHLETICS

A bit of history
It is assumed that during prehistoric times,
primitive man had to walk, run, jump and throw
to survive.
With the first civilized human settlements,
these athletics competitions were held in
ancient Greece in honor of certain gods and to
commemorate events. The most important of
these events was held every four years in
Olympia (Olympic Games) and it is thought that
these games were held for the first time in the
8th century BC.
Modern athletics, as it is known today, began in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain.
British schools and universities thought that they were of great educational interest. In 1894,
the Olympic Games were re-established, thanks to the efforts of Frenchman, Baron Pierre de
Coubertin, and Athens became the home of the first modern Olympic Games (1896). Since then,
athletics have been the center of this competition, which has led the sport to develop and
spread through- out the world.

What are athletics?

Athletics is a name given to a particular

group of sports, sports disciplines, and
sporting events that involve competitive
running, jumping, throwing, and walking,
including track and field disciplines,
road running, cross country running, and
race walking.
It is commonly called “Track and field
athletics” because some of the events
take place in the track and others in the
field surrounded by the track.

Woods, parks and the mountains are used to hold cross- country competitions. The
streets of towns and cities usually provide the course for race-walking and popular
runs, which have a long history in this country, as well as marathons, like the ones held
in New York, Barcelona and the San Silvestre run in Madrid.

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 3º ESO - PE Workbook - IES Joan Miró – Physical Education Department

HURDLES

Hurdles are sprint events in which the athletes must run passing over 10 obstacles
(hurdles) in the shortest time possible. The fastest way to go over the hurdles is using
the “hurdle clearance” technique.
Hurdles is one of the most difficult events in track and field. It combines sprinting,
both short and intermediate, and jumping. Conditioning, speed, flexibility, coordination
and agility drills are necessary components for passing the hurdles.

The height of the hurdles and the distance between each hurdle in the events are:

100 m 110 m
EVENT: 400 m women 400 m men
women men
HEIGHT OF
THE HURDLE:
83 cm 106 cm 76 cm 91 cm
DISTANCE
BETWEEN 9.14 m 9.14 m 35 m 35 m
HURDLES:

The hurdle clearance can be broken down into three main phases – the “three T’s”;
1) Takeoff 2) Transition 3) Touchdown.

The Take Off – Attacking
the Hurdle
The take off phase consists
of moving from the running
to the jumping phase of the
race.
You must maintain the speed
as you approach the hurdle,
or even attempt to increase
it. You should be in good
running form, leaning the
trunk slightly forwards and
with power in the legs.
The lead leg (the leg that
goes first) reaches and
drives you up into the
hurdle.
- Lift the knee first
toward the hurdle, don’t
lead with foot.
- Flexed knee, not locked.
Transition – Over the
Hurdle
This process mainly
involves your trail leg
(the leg behind you).
- First, the lead leg has
now extended so that it
clears the hurdle and the
body follows.
- The trail leg is raised
with knee flexed, toe up,
and heel up keeping it at
knee level so that the bar
is not hit when you clear
the hurdle.
Arm action: synchronized
with the legs during
barrier clearance and
running action.
Touchdown – Back to Running
The final phase of the hurdle is
the end of the jumping phase
and the return to running.
The term “touchdown” refers
to when the lead leg has come
over the hurdle, and touches
down the track again.
The proper touchdown is with
the foot in an upright position,
your body slightly behind, but
almost on top of your foot. You
want to return your foot to the
ground as fast as possible
after clearing the hurdle...
As your body clears the hurdle,
move your trail leg´s knee up
and forward (“close the door”)
and return to the track in
running form.

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 3º ESO - PE Workbook - IES Joan Miró – Physical Education Department

Take off Transition Touchdown

“Attacking the hurdle” “Over the hurdle” “Back to running”

100/110 hurdles
- 8 steps to the 1st hurdle
(beginners may need to take 9
steps until they become stronger
and faster)

- 3 steps between each hurdle.

Stride length is decreased
between the hurdles in order to
fit the needed three steps.
Beginners may take more than
three steps between the hurdles.

- 5 - 6 steps off of the 10th

hurdle to the finish line.

400 hurdles

- Both genders run a full which also

includes 10 hurdles. With 35
meters from one hurdle to the
next, competitors use different
stride patterns between the
hurdles.

- Some hurdlers always clear the

barriers using the same lead leg,
but others can alternate legs.

- Ideally, all hurdlers stride over,

rather than jump, the barriers,
spending as little time in the air as
possible.

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 3º ESO - PE Workbook - IES Joan Miró – Physical Education Department

INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD EVENTS

There are two types of field events: jumps and throws.

In jumping competitions, athletes are judged on either the length or height of their
jumps. Jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault.

The throwing events involve projecting an implement (such as a heavy weight, javelin or
discus) from a set point, with athletes being judged on the distance that the object is
thrown. The throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer.

LONG JUMP
The long jump has four phases:

1. Approach or run up 2. Take off 3. Flight 4. Landing

To achieve maximum distance in the long jump the athlete will have to balance three
components - speed, technique and strength.

The Approach - Gradual acceleration is the first key aspect. After a few strides you
should be in the full upright sprinting position. It is very important to keep accelerating
until you get to the board, to convert your maximum controlled horizontal speed into
vertical speed. It will allow you to get the momentum you need for a good flight.
The penultimate step differs from the rest, it´s a bit longer, to prepare you to jump
longer. The last step is shorter to help maintain speed. Look straight ahead and not
down at the board.

The Take off - When you reach the board, power yourself up by driving your front leg
upward (strong leg). Look slightly upward so your body is directed up and out. Once
again, do not look down at the board. Do not try to jump too high, concentrate on
jumping for distance.

The Flight - Once you've taken off, force your body further through the air by circling
your arms. To get the most distance from the jump you have to try to increase your air
time. The next stage is to swing the arms down, and lift the legs up, before reaching
the sand.

The Landing- You should start preparing for your landing when you reach the peak of
your jump. Move your legs forward and extend them, during the landing, the athlete is
aiming to get the heels as far away from the takeoff board as possible. As you hit the
sandpit, bend your knees and move your body forward. You may need to lean to one side
to stop yourself from falling backwards.

The key to being successful at the long jump is to have a good technique at each
stage of the jump. A strong approach will lead to a better take off, which will
lead to a better flight and a longer jump.

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 3º ESO - PE Workbook - IES Joan Miró – Physical Education Department

Approach Take off Flight Landing

COMMON MISTAKES IN THE LONG JUMP

- Deceleration at take-off.
- Stepping behind the board.
- Stepping over the board.
- Jumping off the wrong foot.
- Low flight.
- Feet not getting in front of the body in the air before landing.
- Feet land under the center of mass, and not in front, so you land standing up in the sand pit.
- Allowing your back to fall far backwards after you land.