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      Training in teams for personal bests in sprint events

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can work with a team, with support, to improve my personal best in sprinting.

      Key learning points

      1. Move: an upright body position with arms swinging in coordination with leg movements produces an efficient technique.
      2. Move: staying relaxed enables stride length and frequency to be maintained.
      3. Think: cooperating within a team by sharing ideas and offering support creates a positive learning environment.
      4. Feel: challenging yourself to race builds confidence when performing under pressure.
      5. Connect: agreeing on roles within the group develops a sense of belonging and worth for all.

      Keywords

      • Teamwork - working together with others in the team to help each other improve performance

      • Cooperation - listening, sharing and working well with others during practice to improve as a group and achieve better results

      • Anaerobic - physical activity that is performed at such high intensity that your body's demand for oxygen exceeds the oxygen supply available

      Common misconception

      Everyone's sprinting technique should look the same.

      Everyone will have their own natural style of running. Forcing pupils to be too upright for example may be sub optimal for some. Pupils should find their natural position which may include a slight lean.

      Teacher tip

      Before this lesson, think carefully about the teams you put together using the data generated in lesson 1 to ensure a mix of abilities, personalities and equal likelihood of success as a team.

      Equipment

      stopwatches , 30+ cones, lesson worksheet

      Content guidance

      Risk assessment required - physical activity

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      How can you show good sporting behaviour?

      helping no one
      Correct answer: helping others
      helping yourself

      Q2.
      Where do you accurately measure a throw from?

      Correct answer: its first landing
      where it rolls
      it doesn't matter

      Q3.
      What is the effort of a continuous run?

      Correct answer: moderate
      hard
      easy

      Q4.
      What is it important to do before sprinting?

      race
      check form
      Correct answer: warm up

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What does anaerobic activity mean?

      Correct Answer: No oxygen present, energy stored in muscles, activity in short bursts, hard explosive effort, no oxygen

      Q2.
      How should your personal spiriting action look?

      Correct answer: relaxed and natural
      same as peers
      forced

      Q3.
      3. What does a good head position when sprinting look like?

      Correct Answer: forward focus, forward

      Q4.
      What does a personal best result mean?

      I participated
      I beat others
      Correct answer: my best result

      To help you plan your 8 physical education lesson on: Training in teams for personal bests in sprint events, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...