Individual Sports
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Tactics for long distance track races
Reading time: 3 minutes
Long distance running – that track stretches out in front of even the most able of students. To improve and gain confidence, students need focus, goals and strategies.
But what are the best strategies for long distance track races? Is it just about training and ability or is there anything that you can do to achieve better performances through tactical race management?
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5 training tips…to help prepare for a marathon
Reading time: 3 minutes
Whilst preparing for a marathon, thorough and effective training is required for maximum performance and to avoid injury. Marathons require serious stamina and a steady pace.
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How running 400m regularly can benefit your 100m times
Reading time: 2 minutes
If you try to simply sprint for the finish line when you’re running the 100m, you’ll never reach your full potential. To get the best time takes more than running flat out; a combination of speed, endurance and impeccable technique produce the best results.
Therefore when you’re coaching athletes to run this shortest sprint, it can be beneficial to add in some other distances too such as the 400m.
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Is elite sport accessible to students at state schools?
Reading time: 2 minutes
State school students are still finding it more difficult to gain entry to the top ‘elite’ sports of rugby union, tennis, cricket and athletics.
But why is there such a clear divide between those in private education and the rest who are in mainstream schooling?
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Implementing a Bikeability scheme at your school
Reading time: 2 minutes
For many schools, the battle against childhood obesity is a significant issue. A combination of lack of funding for PE and extra-curricular activities, and a generation of children addicted to smartphones, computers and gaming consoles, has created an unhealthy environment for our children.
While almost 20% of children in Year 6 (aged 10-11) are obese, a further 14.2% are overweight…..9.1% of children in Reception (aged 4-5) are obese and 12.8% are overweight.
A Basic Guide to Squash
Reading time: 3 minutes
England Squash and Racketball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for squash in England and is the umbrella that makes the decisions that affect everyone who plays squash. The first ever squash court was built in 1864 in England with over 50,000 courts in more than 185 countries worldwide.
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Triathlon
Reading time: 2 minutes
The effect that the Brownlee brothers have had on British Triathlon cannot be underestimated as they have dominated the sport and put triathlon on the map for many people in the country.
Alistair and Jonathon Brownlee are at the front of world Triathlon, with Jonny being on the podium for 42 races consecutively between July 2010 and May 2014, while Alistair is the current Olympic, Commonwealth European and former World Champion.
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Tennis – Training for Different Surfaces
Reading time: 2 minutes
Tennis is a sport that is played on a number of surfaces over the calendar year, therefore the athletes need to adapt to different conditions in order to train successfully. Some athletes do suit certain surfaces, such as Rafael Nadal who is widely considered as the “king of clay” thanks to his dominance at the French open where he has won 9 out of the last 10 tournaments. The three different surfaces are clay, grass and hard courts.
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Track and Field Conditioning
Reading time: 2 minutes
Athletics as a sport is all about being the best in a given discipline; who can sprint the quickest, who can run a best distance in the fastest time, who can jump the furthest or who can throw the longest distance.
This is why training strategies such as strength conditioning plays such a huge part, especially to elite athletes who are trying to break world records and win medals. Strength and conditioning coaches will work alongside the athlete’s other coaches to calculate and form a precise training schedule to meet the needs of the sport.
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Paula Radcliffe’s Impact on Running
Reading time: 2 minutes
Paula Radcliffe is one of the most recognisable female marathon runners of the last 20 years and the London Marathon 2015 will be the last time she may participate in the event. At the age of 41, when she competes in this year’s London Marathon it will not be as a member of the elite athletes, rather she will run as part of the masses.
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Cycling Proficiency
Reading time: 2 minutes
Cycling in Britain has never been as popular as it is today, with year upon year more and more people deciding to cycle to work, take up cycling as a hobby or as a sport. This could be attributed to the fact that the health benefits of the activity are more widely known now to the general population, but also the success of elite level cyclists since the 2008 Beijing Olympics such as Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton.
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Teaching Table Tennis
Reading time: 2 minutes
Table Tennis England is the National Governing Body (NGB) for table tennis, which works in close co-operation with English Schools Table Tennis Association (ESTTA), and the British Table Tennis Association for People with Disabilities (BTTAD).
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Gymnastics
Reading time: 2 minutes
British Gymnastics is currently seeing a purple patch with medals for both males and Females, such as Beth Tweddle, Louis Smith MBE & Max Whitlock winning numerous medals over recent years.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a female only competition in the Olympics and the athletes can be 16 years old when competing at the highest level.
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Dance in the Curriculum
Reading time: 2 minutes
As stated in the PE National Curriculum, dance is first taught to pupils from Key Stage 2. At this stage, pupils perform dances using a range of movement patterns, which is developed to where the pupils should be able to perform dances using a range of movement patterns at KS3.
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Ice Skating – How to get started
Reading time: 2 minutes
The basic skills outlined by Skate UK, who are part of the National Ice Skating Association of Great Britain & N.I, are ranked in levels from level one up to level eight. The difficulty degree rises as the levels get higher with beginners starting at level one. After undertaking each of the levels, which consists of 8 weeks’ worth of coaching, assessment is taken on the eighth week and if successful, a certificate is given to the individual. They will then be allowed to progress to the higher tier of the system.
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Racket Sports – Badminton and Tennis Technique
Reading time: 2 minutes
Technique is a topic which is heavily discussed in sport as people of all ages strive to achieve the “text book” technique of their sport, whether that be a volley in football, hurdling in athletics or serving in tennis. All the professional tennis and badminton players around the world had to start somewhere, usually involving a PE teacher showing them a “perfect example” of a current world-class athlete in the sport.
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Teaching Cross Country
Reading time: 3 minutes
Cross country is a sport that is all about fitness and stamina, two elements which can have a positive impact on a child’s cognitive function outside of PE (Mokgothu, 2007).
Sport should be accessible to all, regardless of background or physical ability. Teachers and coaches, whether in a classroom or outside on the school field, are the ones who can inspire anyone to thrive in a given subject. Within the curriculum, PE is about increasing participation and incorporating a competitive element to develop physical literacy.
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Skeleton Bob
Reading time: 2 minutes
Due to the nature of skeleton, it is not as simple as going down to a local sports shop and getting the appropriate equipment, as the sport requires a specialised sled, footwear, clothing and helmet. However, the popularity and media coverage of the sport has improved over recent years. This has combined to make skeleton the fastest growing Olympic winter sport.
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Golf in Schools
Reading time: < 1 minute
May is National Golf Month, an initiative encouraging people of all ages to get playing golf.
As the New PE National Curriculum encourages a diverse range of sports to be offered in schools, the benefits offered in golf are extensive, making it a great sport to include in your department.
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Skipping in Schools
Reading time: 4 minutes
It was a beautiful sunny day in St Anton, Austria and two snowboarders were cutting their way through the snow high in the mountains. They’d already done this route an hour previously and so were really enjoying the weather, laughing and having a great time.
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