History of Track and Field 776 BC 393 Ad The first games marks the start of competition in track and

field. The Olympic Games were stopped. Track and field athletes no longer had the opportunity to compete against one another. The sons of rich men were trained in running and jumping. The interest in track and field began to grow again. The first modern Olympic Games, at which track and field athletes from all over the world had the opportunity to compete, was held. The international Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), the governing body for track and field was formed. There are many competitions around the world in track and field but the Olympic Games remains the most highly respected and valued.

900 1700 1896

1912

2005

What are the Track and Field Events? Both men and women compete in all the track and field events but men compete against men and women compete against women. Track Events These are races of varying lengths which usually take place around a 400m track. Sprints: 100, 200 and 400m Middle distance: 800, 1500 and 3000m Long distance: 5000m and 10000m Hurdling: 110mhigh hurdles (100m for women) and 400m intermediate hurdles Relays: 4 x 100m and 4x 100m Race walking: 10, 20 and 50 km commonly conducted on open roads

Field Events Field events take place off the track or on the field. Field events can be divided into two categories: Throwing events: Shot put Javelin throw

Discus throw

Jumping events: High jump Long jump

How do you start a race? There are two basic ways to start a race, the crouch start and the standing start. The crouch start is used for all sprint events, while the standing start is used for the middle and long distances. The first thing you need to know when learning how to start a race is which of your legs is your lead leg and which is your trail leg. How do you determine which is your lead leg? Your lead leg is the leg that you usually step forward with first when you move. You can find out which is your lead leg by standing with both legs together, then leaning forward as far as possible until you need to take a step back to stop yourself from falling. The leg that you step back with is your lead leg. The other leg is your trail leg. The crouch start If you know which is your lead leg and which is your trail leg, you can now measure for the crouch start. Your lead leg is the leg that takes the first step from the crouch start. Your lead leg is the leg that takes the first step from the crouch start. Runners who lead with their left leg will start by moving their left foot and then following the same sequence. Once you have marked out you crouch start, keep your feet in that position, then do the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Bend your knees and go down to the ground Place the knee of your lead leg on the ground The knee of your trail leg should be pointing in the direction in which you intend to run Place the bridges formed by your thumbs and fingers just behind the starting line Relax, lean your head down; you are now on your mark.

When you hear Set: 1. 2. 3. 4. Raise your hips above your shoulder level Lean forward Support most of your weight on your arms and shoulders Relax your neck and listen for the signal to go

When you hear the signal to go: 1. 2. 3. 4. Move your arms and legs quickly Make short quick steps Keep your body low during the early part of the race Lean forward and use a high knee action

The standing start The standing start is used for races that are longer than 400m. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Stand just behind the starting line Keep your trail leg just behind the line Keep your lead leg a comfortable distance behind Bend your knees slightly Bend your back slightly Look forward Lean forward Put your weight on your trail leg or the leg in front Listen for the starter Move as soon as you hear the signal to go

The layout of the Track and Field Stadium The diagram below shows a track and field stadium that consists of an eight lane athletics track with various marked areas. All races take place on the track. Within the field are specially marked areas for high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin and discus 100m This diagram shows where the 100m race takes place on the track. The finish line remains the same for all races. The starting and finish lines for the 100m are shown by the yellow lines in the diagram. The 100m is run along a straight part of the track. 200m The starting and finish lines for the 200m race are shown by the yellow lines in the diagram. This is half of the distance around the track. 400m The 400m race is one lap around the track. It starts at the starting line which runs across different points at each lane in order to make sure that each athlete runs the same distance to the finish line. Athletes must keep to their own lanes throughout the entire race in all sprint events.

Field Events Throwing Events: Shot put The shot put is a solid steel ball that is pushed away from the body into the air, in an effort to get it to travel some distance before it lands on the ground. The following table shows the weights of shots that should be used by different age groups. Weight of shot (kg) 2 3 4 Girls (years) 9 12 13 15 Boys (years) 9 -11 12 - 13 14 - 15

How do you hold the shot? Hold the shot with the pads of your fingers, but do not let it rest flat against your palm. Remember the phrase dirty fingers and clean palm. The Throwing area for the shot put The shot put event takes place from within a 2.135m circle and the shot must fall inside a 40 degree sector which starts from the centre of the circle. After executing the shot, you must leave the area from the back half of the circle. How do you execute the shot? The shot is executed in the following way: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Stand in the circle Grip the shot properly Place the shot under your jaw bone If your right arm is your throwing arm, keep your left foot close to the stop board. If your left arm is your throwing arm, keep your right foot close to the stop board. Keep your feet apart Stand facing the opposite direction in which you are throwing Put your weight on your back foot Bend the knee on your back foot Keep your chin in line with the knee and toes of your back foot Keep the shot against the neck and jaw Keep the elbow of your throwing hand pointing away from your body Rotate your body forward Transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot Turn your head as you push the shot upward and forward

15. Flick your wrist on the point of release 16. Follow through but stay within the circle The discus throw The discus is a fairly flat disk that is thrown using a side arm action. World record Event Discus Female 76.80m male 74.08m

How do you hold the discus? To hold the discus properly, do the following: Support the discus with your non-throwing hand Place your throwing hand flat over the discus Spread your fingers Bend the first joints of your fingers over the edge of the discus Keep your palm against the flat side of the discus

The throwing area for discus The discus is very similar to the shot put. It is thrown from within a 2.5m circle and it must fall inside a 40 degree sector. How do you throw the discus? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Hold the discus properly Stand with your feet apart Face the opposite of the direction on which you want to throw Put your weight on your back foot Bend your knees Pivot on the balls of your feet Rotate your hip forward Swing your throwing hand forward quickly from a low point to a high point Release the discus at the highest point Follow through with the rotation

Jumping Events Long Jump The long jump is an event in which you run very quickly, jump and try to cover maximum distance before you land in a sand filled pit

World Record Event Long jump Female 7.52m male 8.95m

How to jump 1. Decide which foot you are jumping off 2. Measure your run-up by starting on the take-off board and running up the runway, taking the number of steps you want your run to be (11 17steps) 3. Place a marker at the starting point of your run up 4. Start running down the run way 5. Increase your speed 6. Look forward 7. Hit the take-off board at full speed 8. Raise your hands and legs forward 9. Reach forward as far as possible 10. Land with your feet first 11. Continue with the forward movement

Relay Exchange Down sweep 1. thumb and index finger forming a v 2. arm is extended out backwards parallel to the ground 3. hand is open with the thumb pointing down

Up sweep 1. 2. 3. 4. Thumb and index finger forming a v Arm is placed close to the side with slight bend to the elbow Hand is open with the thumb pointing down The receiving hand is placed with the palm facing down