PATTERING FEET AND HAPPY CHILDREN'S VOICES
SHINI: It’s time to get into your PE kit, because today, we’re going to be learning some of the skills we need for Para athletics.
We are going to be trying our hand at some of the special sports that you see at the Paralympics.
So Julie, what are we starting with?
JULIE: We’re going to start with guided running.
SHINI: I’m excited.
Are you guys ready?
CHILDREN: Yes!
SHINI: Guided runners have to be perfectly in time with their running partners, so that’s what we’re practising…
Our timing.
JULIE: So, we’ll start here and we’ll clap, two, three, four.
Move, two, three, four.
Ready, on the spot for four.
Ready?
Go.
One, two, three, four…
Move, two, three, four…
One, two, three, four…
Move, two, three, four.
Keep moving.
This time, you’re going to work with your partner.
You and your partner are going to try and walk in time to the splat spots at the end, turn around and walk back together.
Go.
Well done.
Stay together, stay together, stay together.
Stay together.
SHINI: You’re so in sync!
Stay together.
SHINI: Double high fives.
JULIE: You’ve done a great job!
Now, we’re going to work with our partner.
All the number ones, you are going to be the person who leads, guides your partner safely down your pathway.
All the number twos, you’re going to be the person who puts their hand on your partner’s arm or shoulder, and try and shut your eyes to see if you can move with your partner.
Go.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
And stop, and look, and turn.
Off we go.
SHINI: Oh, they’re really in sync, they’re doing really well.
JULIE: Yeah, they’re keeping that time, aren’t they?
SHINI: Yeah, really steady, trusting each other, keeping the tempo.
Well done.
SHINI: So Julie, we’ve just done guided running and that is a track event.
Can we maybe try a field event?
JULIE: Absolutely.
We’re about to do something called shot put.
And shot put is a way of throwing something.
We’re going to hold the beanbag.
We’re going to put it into our neck, and if I’m using my right hand, my left foot goes forwards.
I’m going to point forwards.
I’m going to lean, I’m going to push.
And I want my beanbag to go really high and drop down.
Are we ready?
Go!
Wow.
SHINI: Yours went so far, that was amazing.
It’s simple to adapt the over the line activity by throwing the beanbag from a sitting position on a chair or a wheelchair.
JULIE: So now, this one is going to be really powerful but really accurate.
We’re going to pick up a beanbag and we’re going to all try and get it over the green line.
Ready… Go!
We’re not trying to go far.
Go!
Push!
Go on…
Wow!
Well done, you got it over the green line.
SHINI: The last Para athletics sport we’re going to find out about today is the javelin.
Javelin is a field sport where athletes throw a pointed metal sphere called a javelin, as far as they can.
So Julie, we throw a javelin slightly differently to a shot put, right?
JULIE: We do.
So, the shot put is a push and it doesn’t have a back swing, but now the javelin has to have a back swing.
So we’re going to be really turning sideways still, and we’re going to bring the whole elbow through.
It’s going to require loads of power.
So, we’re going to try and get this over into this planet world and who knows, we might even get it to land in a star.
We’re going to hold our javelins around about the middle.
We’re going to take it back, turn and I push it forwards and up.
Ready? We’re going to try it.
One, two, three… Blast off!
SHINI: The rocket throw activities can also be adapted. The simplest way to do this is by sitting on a chair or wheelchair to throw the foam javelin.
JULIE: Go!
SHINI: Julie, what are the ways that we can add some levels of challenge to this activity?
JULIE: So, we’ve got another zone.
So we’re going over one planet land, into another planet for it to land.
And then we can bring in some little planets that we can get the javelin to land directly into, so it’s a bit of fun but it also gives them a target zone.
SHINI: I’ve loved trying out Para athletics with all of the different sports but let’s find out what everyone else thought.
Was it a bit tricky?
CHILD 1: Yeah, because when we had to go back like that, I needed to throw it over all the colours and it was hard to make it further.
SHINI: Would you guys want to do it again in the future?
CHILD 2: Yeah, because it was super fun.
APPLAUSE AND CAMERA CLICKS
PATTERING FEET AND HAPPY CHILDREN'S VOICES
Watch this film with British Sign Language
Watch this film with audio description
Watch this video with British Sign Language and audio description
Shini Muthukrishnan joins Athletics Coach, Julie Pearson as she runs through some of the skills required in Para athletics.
Skills
The skills learned in the activities are:
Guided Running
Timing: Learning to keep in time/ then learning to keep in time with their partner and at speed.
Working together and trust: in pairs, one pupil guides the other.
Shot Put
Learn how to push (not throw) the bean bag.
Learning how to throw accurately and add distance.
Learning how to increase the distance of their shot by using the correct stance.
Javelin
The pupils learn the basic throwing technique and work on their accuracy and distance.
Activities
Guided Running
Clap in Time
Children practise walking together in time with a partner.
Dream Team
In pairs, one child is the guide and the second child places their hand on their partner’s arm or shoulder and closes their eyes as the guide walks them down the room, turns, and walks back again.
Shot Put
Over the Line
Julie demonstrates how to throw a shot with a push.
Javelin
Julie shows how you throw the javelin differently to a shot. For shot put you need a push to throw the shot, whereas you need a back swing and a push to throw the javelin.
Rocket Throw
In this activity the children throw foam rockets instead of javelins, using the technique that Julie demonstrates. The children aim their rockets into a planet world of hoops. Then to make the activity more difficult, they aim for another group of planets beyond the planet world – into smaller hoops.
Activity cards
Download and print the activity card for guided running 5-7
Download and print the activity card for javelin 5-7
Download and print the activity card for shot put 5-7
