High School PE Lesson Ideas

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Name of Activity: Olympic Sprint Training

Purpose of Activity: Working with a partner, the students will observe and analyze their partner while they run fast, and teach each other up to eight cues to improve speed and technique.

Prerequisites: Knowing what the ball of the foot is, what relaxed running means, and how to use a stopwatch.

Suggested Grade Level: 9-12

Materials Needed: Reciprocal task sheets, stop watches, pencils.

Description of Idea

Teaching Suggestions:

Emphasize practicing one of the items at a time

If students finish early, or run with perfect technique, have them make up their own checklist for sprinting, walking, jogging etc...

If you do not have enough stop watches, ask students to use their own watch. Students without a watch can pair up with someone with a watch.

If you have access to a video camera and TV/VCR with jog shuttle (slow play), it makes it more fun when students get to watch themselves run in slow motion.

You need to limit the timed run to 3 trials...they tend to keep timing themselves without working on technique.

Most of the time, kids times will get worse. Try timing a longer distance. Many times this happens because the kids are thinking too much, and consequently run too tight or rigid. If this is the case, emphasize running relaxed.

For homework, have the students write up their own checklist, or describe their feelings as to why they did or did not run faster.