KS3PE4 · Athletics: running, jumping and throwing | KS3 Physical education

Revise the key ideas

Event demands — Athletics includes running, jumping and throwing events with different combinations of speed, endurance, coordination, strength and power. A successful movement is event-specific and within the rules. Use teacher-led progressions and suitable equipment rather than assuming maximum effort alone produces the best performance.
Movement phases — An event can be analysed as preparation, action and recovery/follow-through, the controlled movement after the main action and return to a stable position. A jump might involve approach, take-off, flight and landing; a throw can involve preparation, coordinated release and recovery. These phase labels help observation but do not replace event-specific instruction.
Selected jump-analysis phases: approach, take-off, flight and landing. This conceptual aid is not an instruction for an unsupervised specialist jump. Full-size diagram
Safe organisation — Check the surface, landing area, runways and separation of groups. Throws occur only under the supervisor’s signal and retrieval procedures; nobody enters a throwing area while an implement may be released. High jump, hurdles and specialist implements require appropriate direct teaching and facilities.

Sprint technique — Sprint learning includes controlled acceleration, coordinated arm/leg action and efficient posture appropriate to the phase. Relaxed purposeful movement can be more effective than excessive tension. Practise teacher-selected short tasks and compare a specific technical cue rather than forcing a copied elite position.
Pacing — Pacing distributes effort over a distance or time. Starting a sustained run too fast may cause a large later slowdown; an appropriate pace depends on the task and individual. Compare segment times with how controlled the effort felt, using an agreed safe challenge rather than prescribing one speed for everyone.
Starts and finishes — A start involves responding to the agreed signal and applying the taught method within the event’s rules. Continue the intended effort to the finish rather than slowing before it. Starting blocks and specialised techniques need direct instruction; timing a reaction alone does not assess the whole sprint.
Relay exchanges — A relay combines running with a coordinated transfer under the rules of the chosen activity. Agree communication, roles and teacher-taught exchange technique, beginning at a manageable speed. A faster runner is not enough if the exchange is poorly timed or outside the permitted area.

Approach and take-off — A controlled repeatable approach helps an athlete reach a suitable take-off position. Speed, angle, coordination and control interact; more approach speed can reduce success if the take-off becomes inaccurate. Work on a specific teacher-selected cue and use a safe landing arrangement.
Flight and landing — The event’s technique and rules shape flight and landing. In a supervised horizontal-jump progression, a controlled landing and balanced exit are part of success, not only the distance. Do not attempt advanced rotations or specialist high-jump techniques from a written description alone.
Consistency — Record several comparable attempts and examine variation as well as the best result. A repeatable approach may produce more useful progress than one unusually long jump with frequent faults, attempts that break the event’s rules and therefore do not count. A valid attempt and a personal best require the activity’s measurement and rule procedures.

Coordinated action — A throw transfers force through a coordinated action suited to the implement and event. Grip, stance, movement and release need specific teaching; a shot put is not simply an overarm ball throw. Learn with suitable modified implements and a controlled target area before greater demands.
Release and recovery — The direction, speed and angle of release influence flight, alongside implement design and conditions. There is no single optimum angle that applies unchanged to every real throwing event. A controlled legal recovery/follow-through matters for both safety and a valid attempt.

Measurement quality — Use the agreed start, finish and reference points with suitable units. Record a run in seconds and a jump/throw in metres or centimetres as appropriate. Human timing, surface and weather can affect results; acknowledge these before attributing every difference to training.
Personal best — A personal best is the learner’s best comparable valid performance in an event. Progress can also include better technique, consistency or confidence before the best result changes. Compare with prior evidence and suitable personal goals rather than ranking everyone against one body type or maturation stage.
Targeted improvement — Choose one evidenced technical or pacing issue, agree a safe practice method with the teacher and retest under comparable conditions. Explain how the teacher’s cue could improve the chosen feature. For example, an agreed pacing plan might make the early and later sections of a run more consistent; compare section times and observations to test that idea. and evaluate whether the data and observation support the claimed improvement.

50 questions · Random sets of 10. These quick checks support revision; practise longer explanations and justified judgements too.