Learn Running

Pacing

The skill of managing effort and speed so it lasts the whole distance or event.

Breathing

The skill of controlling the breath rhythmically to sustain effort and stay relaxed.

Sprinting

The skill of running or riding at maximum controlled speed over a short distance.

Running form

The skill of running with efficient, relaxed and balanced movement.

Quick check: Learn the core skills

1. In sport, what does “Activation” mean?
In golf, a score of three strokes under par on a single hole.A stroke played with the back of the hand facing the direction of the shot, on the opposite side to the racquet arm.Activation refers to warm-up exercises that switch on and prime specific muscles so they contribute properly during the main session.An implement used to strike the ball, from the willow blade of cricket to the rounded baseball bat and, in British usage, the table-tennis paddle.
2. In sport, what does “Muscle Fibre Types” mean?
A one-rep max is the heaviest weight a person can lift for a single, full repetition of an exercise with proper form.Competitive sport organised for athletes with a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment.A personal best (PB) is the best result an individual has ever recorded in a given event or exercise.The classification of skeletal muscle fibres into slow-twitch (Type I) and fast-twitch (Type II), which contract at different speeds and suit different demands.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Name the core skills
Practise the two or three that matter most first
Get feedback on one skill

Common mistakes

• Chasing flashy skills before the fundamentals are solid
• Practising without any feedback loop

Practice goals

◎ Perform the core skills at a basic, repeatable level
◎ Know which skill to work on next

4

Build your technique

How specific movements and shots are performed. Learn these once the basics feel comfortable, one at a time.

Milestone: You understand how the key techniques are performed and when they are used.

Lessons

Technique

Sprint Start

The explosive start of a sprint from a set, crouched position, driving forward low before gradually rising to full stride.

Technique

Running Form

The efficient posture and stride mechanics of distance running, keeping the body relaxed and the cadence smooth.

Quick check: Build your technique

1. In sport, what does “Activation” mean?
In golf, a score of three strokes under par on a single hole.A stroke played with the back of the hand facing the direction of the shot, on the opposite side to the racquet arm.An implement used to strike the ball, from the willow blade of cricket to the rounded baseball bat and, in British usage, the table-tennis paddle.Activation refers to warm-up exercises that switch on and prime specific muscles so they contribute properly during the main session.
2. In sport, what does “Muscle Fibre Types” mean?
The classification of skeletal muscle fibres into slow-twitch (Type I) and fast-twitch (Type II), which contract at different speeds and suit different demands.A one-rep max is the heaviest weight a person can lift for a single, full repetition of an exercise with proper form.Competitive sport organised for athletes with a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment.A personal best (PB) is the best result an individual has ever recorded in a given event or exercise.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Break a key technique into its steps
Practise it slowly before adding speed
Film or check your form

Common mistakes

• Adding power or speed before the movement is grooved
• Copying a pro’s style without the underlying basics

Practice goals

◎ Perform a key technique with sound, safe form
◎ Self-correct one common fault

5

Understand tactics & strategy

How the game is actually played and thought about — the tactics and bigger-picture strategy that turn skills into a game.

Milestone: You can follow how the game is played tactically, not just physically.

Lessons

Drafting

Riding, running or swimming close behind another competitor to save energy in their slipstream.

Pacing strategy

Planning how to distribute effort across a race so energy lasts the full distance without fading.

Negative split

A pacing tactic where an athlete covers the second half of a race faster than the first.

Interval-training strategy

Structuring a workout as bursts of hard effort separated by recovery to build fitness efficiently.

Strategy

Pacing and Energy Management

Pacing and energy management is the overarching plan for distributing a limited supply of physical effort across an event so you avoid fading early and finish strong.

Strategy

Adapting to Conditions

Adapting to conditions is the strategy of shaping your game plan around the venue, surface, weather, altitude and home-or-away setting you face.

Quick check: Understand tactics & strategy

1. In sport, what does “Activation” mean?
Activation refers to warm-up exercises that switch on and prime specific muscles so they contribute properly during the main session.In golf, a score of three strokes under par on a single hole.A stroke played with the back of the hand facing the direction of the shot, on the opposite side to the racquet arm.An implement used to strike the ball, from the willow blade of cricket to the rounded baseball bat and, in British usage, the table-tennis paddle.
2. In sport, what does “Para Sport” mean?
A personal best (PB) is the best result an individual has ever recorded in a given event or exercise.Competitive sport organised for athletes with a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment.A strategy of consistently choosing the option most likely to succeed rather than a lower-probability, higher-reward play.Moving up from a lower division to a higher one, usually earned by finishing near the top of the table or winning a play-off.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Learn one simple tactic or pattern
Watch how better players use space and timing
Try the tactic in a low-pressure game

Common mistakes

• Learning tactics before you can execute the skills
• Copying complex strategy without understanding why

Practice goals

◎ Apply one tactic deliberately in a game
◎ Explain why a common tactic works

6

Find your position or role

Where you fit in — the positions and roles players take on, and what each one does.

Milestone: You know the positions or roles and what each one is responsible for.

Lessons

Player role

Pace-Setter

The player who sets and controls the tempo of play or the rhythm of an endurance effort, dictating how fast the game or race unfolds.

Quick check: Find your position or role

1. In sport, what does “Activation” mean?
In golf, a score of three strokes under par on a single hole.Activation refers to warm-up exercises that switch on and prime specific muscles so they contribute properly during the main session.A stroke played with the back of the hand facing the direction of the shot, on the opposite side to the racquet arm.An implement used to strike the ball, from the willow blade of cricket to the rounded baseball bat and, in British usage, the table-tennis paddle.
2. In sport, what does “Periodisation” mean?
Rotating the body around one stationary foot to change facing or protect the ball without travelling.Progressive overload is the principle of gradually increasing training demand over time so the body keeps adapting and improving.Periodisation is the planned division of training into phases so that workload and focus are varied to peak performance at the right time.The player who leads the offence in American football, receiving the snap and starting most attacking plays.

Answer all 2 to check.

Practice checklist

Learn the positions or roles
Try more than one to find a fit
Understand your responsibilities in a team

Common mistakes

• Locking into one position too early
• Not knowing what teammates around you are doing

Practice goals

◎ Play a position competently
◎ Describe what each role contributes

7

Train your body for it

The physical qualities the sport asks for, and ways to build them. Educational — not a personalised plan.

Milestone: You know which physical qualities the sport asks for and, in general terms, how they are built.

Lessons

Interval Training

Interval training alternates short bursts of harder effort with easier recovery periods, letting you accumulate more quality work than a single continuous push.

Steady-State Cardio

Steady-state cardio means holding one comfortable, continuous pace for the whole session, building an aerobic base without the peaks of interval work.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, packs short, hard efforts against brief recoveries into a compact session, making it a time-efficient way to train.

Tempo Training

Tempo training holds a firm, controlled 'comfortably hard' pace for a sustained stretch, teaching the body to sustain effort without tipping into a sprint.

Fartlek

Fartlek — Swedish for 'speed play' — mixes faster and easier efforts freely and by feel within one continuous session, blending steady and interval work.