England Athletics movement skills for running, jumping and throwing Day 1 exercise progressions and key coaching points Double leg squat o Feet at hip distance apart and toes turned slightly out if required o Hips back, knees out, chest up o Encourage parallel or deeper hip crease below top of knee Single leg squat o Sit hips back o Knee over toes o Pelvis level o Non-support leg straightened and out in front Forward lunge o Exaggerated step forwards and drop into deep lunge o Hips square, maintain vertical torso with shoulder over hip o Lead shin at 90 o o Ascend by pushing though the heel and buttocks of front leg
Push (with band) Press-up as alternative option against wall o Assume a ¼ squat stance o Brace through the trunk and keep shoulder blades down o Press the band horizontally with hand finishing in line with the breast bone o Keep the elbow high & just below the level of the shoulder Pull (with band or towel) o Assume a ¼ squat stance o With a neutral grip draw the shoulder blade back and down before execution o Keep the elbow close to the body when pulling and finish with hand just below the chest o Brace the trunk throughout
Twist (with band) o Feet shoulder width apart with slightly flexed knees contract through buttocks o Evenly distribute the weight through the base of support o Take hold of the band with the outside hand placing the other hand over the top o Rotate around the vertical axis keeping the hips square and arms straight o Cue the athlete to resist rotation and stay tall as they unwind Brace (Front plank) o Elbows underneath shoulders and feet hip width apart o Brace through the body without allowing the lower back to sag o Maintain normal breathing
Double leg jumping Double leg Squat Jump (vertical) o From a squat position o Extend in sequence the hip, knee and ankle with NO movement down before up o Maintain straight body o Foot up as soon as leaving the ground o Land flat footed in a triple flexed position (squat) o Centre of mass is over base of support Double leg Broad Jump (horizontal) o From a squat position o Move Centre of Mass forwards over base of support o Extend in sequence the hip, knee and ankle with NO movement down before up o Foot up as soon as leaving the ground o Collect legs in flight and project forward in front of Centre of Mass o Land flat footed and triple flex hip knee ankle in to controlled squat at landing
Single leg and double leg jumping progressions Single Leg Step (Left to Right and Right to Left o Sit hips back, Knee over toes, Pelvis level o Non-support leg and foot behind o Extend hip, knee ankle of stance leg & bring Non-support leg through o Land flat footed and stable on opposite leg Single Leg Hop (R to R and L to L) o Sit hips back, Knee over toes, Pelvis level o Non-support leg knee in front of stance leg (stork) o Move Centre of Mass forward & extend hip, knee ankle of stance leg o Land flat footed and stable on same leg pointing knee in same direction as toes Counter-movement jump (CMJ) o Squat-like posture and even weight distribution across foot during rapid descent o Explosive triple extension in sequence through hips, knees, then ankles o Short, rapid upward arm swing for explosive triple extension
Multi-Directional Hops 1) Zig-zag over a line side to side travelling forwards o Assume semi squat on one leg and brace trunk o Hip, knees and ankle in line; no collapse inwards of knee o Explosively triple extend o Dorsiflexed foot and mid-foot landing, maintaining centre of mass over base of support o Repeat for assigned repetitions 2) Back, Forward, Side to side and diagonally using a cross as the centre
Throwing Chest Pass - Push Throw o Semi-squat stance with ball against chest o Stand upright and brace trunk throughout o Explosively triple extend followed by elbows to release the ball horizontally as in a netball chest pass Overhead Forwards Throw Pull Throw o Ball overhead, elbows flexed, shoulder blades down o Initiate movement by flexing knee then hip extension o Whip the torso in to flexion and extend elbows o Release ball in front of head as in a throw in Side Throw (Sling) - from power position. Single response o Evenly distribute weight through midfoot o With rotated trunk vigorously unwind and release ball horizontally o Hips should remain forwards during execution o Keep arms extended
Vertical Toss o Semi-squat stance, weight evenly distributed through feet o Rapid triple extension - hip, knee and ankle o Dorsi-flex feet immediately after leaving ground o Toss ball in a vertical path for height with straight arms Reverse Chop Heave Throw o Drop in to semi-squat position; hips back, Knees out, extended back o Weight evenly distributed on feet and ball outside knee o Explosive extension hip knee and ankle o Diagonal release rapidly over opposite shoulder Single Leg Chest Pass - push throw. Single response o Stand on one leg with knee slightly flexed o Stand upright and brace trunk throughout o Explosively triple extend followed by elbows to release the ball horizontally
Running drills Buckets & balloons Heel recoveries o Tip pelvis backward and forward pouring water out of the front or back o Keep the water in the bucket o Imagine a helium balloon tied to the crown of head so it pulls the spine long or tall o Lift the sternum (avoid sticking it out) o Run without and with bucket and then without and with balloon and then with both o Pop the thigh and flex knee with the heel coming up to the backside o Cue imagine an elevator going straight up (heel path) o Strike back down under the hips keeping a tall posture o Arm action sockets to pockets and shoulders low A skips o Adopt tall upright posture and Hips high (bucket & balloon) o Skip with a parallel thigh and cocked foot under the raised knee o Rhythmically switch sides by driving the free foot underneath the hip o Progression; L-L-R-R-L-L-R-R, L-L-R-L-L-R, R-R-L-R-R-L-R-R-L Stepping over mid shin o Pop the thigh o Cut the foot through the calf o Present the foot with laces up and contact the ground with heel just off the ground o Be reactive off the ground
Stepping over the knee Wall drives o Ask the athlete to think about running through tall grass o Step over the knee with laces up and heel up o Heel comes up under backside and thigh parallel to ground o Land with heel just off the ground (credit card space) and keep hips high o Athlete stands feet shoulder width apart leaning into the wall at approximately 45 0. With straight arms o Lift one foot off the ground o Match shin angle with opposite leg o Raised foot cocked active toes pulled toward shin. Head in alignment with spine. o On loud command Go or Clap athlete drives raised foot down and back. o Progression; single leg drive (no opposite action), switching foot positions, double action 1-2, triple action 1-2-3, single arm support.