What is athletics?

Athletics is the name given to a group of sports that includes track and field events.

Track events involve all forms of running and walking.

Field events are the throwing and jumping events.

Athletics events and games are the oldest form of organized sport, having developed out of the most
basic human activities, running, walking, jumping, and throwing. They are a truly international group of
sports, with nearly every country in the world engaging in some form of competition.

The Olympic Games feature many athletics events and take place once every four years.

Another athletics competition that takes place every four years, is the Commonwealth Games. They
feature countries from the Commonwealth of Nations and first took place back in 1930!

What are some athletic events?

Track athletics events

100-metre sprint

The 100-metre sprint is one of the most popular and prestigious events at the Olympics. The winners of
this race at the Olympics are labelled the “fastest woman or man in the world”.

400-metre sprint

The 400-metre sprint is another popular event and includes competitors running the full length of the
athletics track.

Relay

The aim of a relay race is to cover a certain distance as fast as possible as a team.

This event involves passing a baton around a circuit. The key to a successful relay team is good
organisation, timing, communication and smooth baton changeovers.

The main relay events in athletics are the 4 x 100 m and the 4 x 400 m.
Hurdles

Hurdling is the act of running over an obstacle at speed. It is a highly technical event.

The runner’s aim is to clear the obstacles, known as hurdles, in their stride without it interfering with
their running style or pattern too much and crossing the finish line as fast as possible. The hurdles are set
at exact heights and distances apart.

Field athletics events

Long jump

During the long jump, athletes take a run-up to the take-off line, and jump as far as possible into the
sandpit.

The triple jump

The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump, is a field event, similar to the long
jump.

The athlete runs down a track and takes off from a special board trying to get the furthest distance
possible by performing a hop, step and then jump into a sand pit.

The high jump

The high jump involves athletes jumping over a horizontal bar, which is positioned at different heights,
without knocking it off.

The pole vault

Similar to the high jump, the pole vault requires athletes to take a run-up and jump over a bar without
knocking it down. In the pole vault, athletes use a long, flexible pole to vault themselves up and over.

Shot put

The shot put is a track and field event involving putting a heavy spherical ball as far as possible. The shot
put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and the
women's competition began in 1948.

Discus throw

The discus throw is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc called a discus, aiming
to throw further than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, that is by the fifth century BC Myron
statue called Discobolus. It was one of the events of the Ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be dated
back to at least to 708 BC.

Javelin throw

The javelin was first used as a weapon in battle. It was a long wooden spear with a metal tip. Today they
are made with lightweight metal. Athletes are tasked with running up to the throw line and throwing the
javelin as far as possible into the grass.

Pentathlon

A pentathlon is a content which features five events. The events included in a pentathlon have changed
over the years and the last time it was featured in the Summer Olympics was in 1980. The events in the
women’s pentathlon in 1980 were, the 100-metre hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump and 800
metres.

Heptathlon

The heptathlon consists of seven athletics events. The men’s competition includes:

 A 60-metre sprint

 Long jump

 Shot put

 High jump

 60-metre hurdles
  Pole vault

 1000-metre run

The women’s competition includes:

 100 metre hurdles

 High jump

 Shot put

 200 metre

 Long jump

 Javelin throw

 800-metre run

How can I teach athletics?

Have you heard of Twinkl Move? It’s a huge package of teaching materials designed to help those who
teach PE feel confident and knowledgeable ahead of their lessons. There are PE schemes of work that
have been aligned to the PE national curriculum for reception right up to year 6.

Our dedicated team of experienced educators enjoy spending a great amount of time researching new
and engaging teaching resources, to provide you with fresh and interesting materials your children will
love - ultimately making them enjoy physical activities and set them up for healthy and fit adult lives.

Activity year 3

During this unit your class will develop their running, jumping and throwing skills as they
work through activities that cover sprinting and the overarm throw technique.
By the end of this scheme of work, most of your children will be able to:
 apply and try to improve existing running, throwing and jumping skills;
 demonstrate increasing control and coordination when running and performing a
jump or throw;
 identify and demonstrate how different running techniques can affect their
performance and focus on improving their sprinting technique;
 demonstrate some rhythm and technique when running over obstacles; and
 perform the standing long jump using the correct technique to achieve the
furthest possible distance.

Athletics in year 4
In year 4 you can focus on refining the skills your class have learnt so far. They will
work on their timing as they run, aiming to beat their scores and learning how to finish
fast. You’ll introduce teamwork as they learn relay running, and they’ll finally get to
throw a javelin (or a foam one at least!) At the end of the unit, your children will compete
in their very own pentathlon competition.

Don’t forget that positive reinforcement goes a long way when it comes to physical activity. Consider
downloading these PE certificates to help keep you class engaged.

Athletics in year 5

In year 5, the competition might start to heat up, but the fun doesn’t end! Your class will concentrate on
throwing and jumping as they learn the fling throw, thinking about throwing for distance and accuracy.
They’ll complete a vertical standing jump experiment and start to run longer distances in this teacher-
made unit pack.

Athletics in year 6

Spend as much time as possible teaching outside this summer term using this brilliant year
6 athletics planning from Twinkl Move. You'll find everything you need to cover a variety of skills vital for
fine-tuning the class’s skills needed for athletics events including the hurdles and the heave throw.

By the end of this athletics unit of work, most of your children will be able to:

 demonstrate an improvement in reaction speed;

 execute the underarm throw with accuracy and success in isolation and in game play;

 understand what an effective springing technique involves and work hard to improve theirs;

 work well with team members to pass and receive the baton using the learned technique; and

 assess their performance and point out areas that need improvement.

Assessing progress in athletics

Take a deep dive with this teacher-made resource that outlines all the specific objectives for the athletics
lesson plans by Twinkl Move. Each year group has its own aims so that children's development in
athletics can be accurately identified. Plus, it’s super easy to download and outlines the Move intent,
implementation and impact to help you with your planning.

Athletics in the national curriculum

Athletics is not a required topic in physical education, but it is the perfect choice to help you hit the
following curriculum aims:

 use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination;

 develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance; and

 compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve
their personal best.