Getting Exercise 2 (Grade 11 NSC Matric Life Orientation): Revision Notes
Getting Exercise 2
Running is one of the most effective ways to improve your physical fitness, particularly your cardiovascular health. Sprint training helps develop both your fitness level and your running skills, which can benefit you in various sports and physical activities.
Why running matters for your fitness
When you engage in running, especially sprinting exercises, you're working on building your cardiovascular fitness. This means your heart becomes stronger and more efficient at pumping blood around your body. Additionally, running helps develop the fundamental skill of efficient movement, which is valuable for participation in games and sports.
Cardiovascular fitness improvements from running have benefits that extend far beyond just running performance - they enhance your ability to participate in virtually any physical activity or sport.
Preparing for sprint training
Before beginning any sprint drills, it's essential to warm up properly. You can use gentle jogging as an effective warm-up exercise to prepare your muscles and joints for more intense activity. This preparation helps prevent injury and ensures you get the most benefit from your training.
Never skip the warm-up phase before sprint training. Attempting high-intensity sprints with cold muscles significantly increases your risk of injury, particularly muscle strains and pulls.
Sprint drill activities
These five sprint drills will help you develop speed, coordination, and running technique. Each exercise targets different aspects of sprint development.
The drills are arranged in a logical progression, starting with coordination and movement patterns before advancing to pure speed work. This sequence helps your body adapt gradually to the increasing demands.
Activity 1: Side strides crossover
This drill helps develop lateral movement and coordination whilst maintaining forwards momentum.
Worked Example: Side Strides Crossover
Starting position: Begin jogging steadily on the balls of your feet
The crossover sequence:
- Cross your right leg in front of your left leg as you move sideways
- Then cross your left leg behind your right leg
- Next, cross your right leg behind your left leg
- Finally, cross your left leg in front of your right leg
Distance: Complete this crossover pattern twice over 50 metres
This exercise improves your ability to change direction quickly whilst maintaining balance and control.
Activity 2: Bound
Bounding exercises develop power and stride length, essential components of effective sprinting.
Worked Example: Bounding Technique
Setup: Start jogging with forwards momentum
The bounding motion:
- After a few metres, push off powerfully with your left foot
- Drive your right leg forwards whilst simultaneously driving your left arm forwards
- Take large, exaggerated strides
- Alternate legs and arms with each bound
Focus point: Make your movements look like an amplified running motion
Activity 3: Skip and clap
This activity combines coordination with rhythm, helping improve your running cadence and timing.
Worked Example: Skip and Clap Method
The sequence:
- Skip on the balls of your feet
- Lift your leg so your thigh is parallel to the ground
- At the same time, clap your hands together under your raised leg
- As you place your foot down, extend your arms out sideways
- Continue this pattern, alternating legs
Activity 4: Sprint faster and faster
This drill teaches you to accelerate gradually, an important skill for effective sprinting.
Worked Example: Progressive Sprint Setup
Course preparation:
- Mark out a 100-metre distance in a straight line
- Mark the halfway point (50 metres)
Execution:
- Start at one end and gradually increase your speed
- Reach full speed at the halfway point
- Maintain full speed to the 100-metre mark
- Return by jogging, then walking back to the start
- Repeat this sequence 10 times
This progressive acceleration helps you learn proper pacing and builds speed endurance.
Activity 5: Sprint routine
This comprehensive routine develops both speed and recovery skills over a longer training session.
Worked Example: Complete Sprint Routine
Setup: Mark out a 400-metre distance for your sprint training
The three-sprint sequence:
- First sprint: Run towards the 400m mark at about 60% of your maximum speed
- Recovery: Two minutes of slow jogging at comfortable pace
- Second sprint: Return to starting line at about 80% of your top speed
- Recovery: Two minutes using the same method as before
- Third sprint: Sprint as fast as you can (100% effort) towards the 400m mark
- Extended recovery: Two minutes or more until breathing and heart rate allow normal speech
Repetition: Complete this entire sequence five times
This routine builds both speed and the ability to recover between high-intensity efforts, which is crucial for sports performance.
Key training principles
Progressive intensity: Notice how the activities progress from coordination drills to full-speed sprints. This gradual increase helps your body adapt safely to higher intensities.
Recovery periods: The longer sprint routine emphasises the importance of proper recovery between high-intensity efforts. This allows your body to maintain quality performance throughout the training session.
Technique focus: Each drill targets specific aspects of running technique, from coordination and power to speed and pacing.
The principle of progressive overload applies to sprint training - your body needs time to adapt to increasing demands. Rushing the progression or skipping recovery periods can lead to decreased performance and increased injury risk.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Running and sprinting are excellent ways to improve cardiovascular fitness and develop essential movement skills for sports participation
- Always warm up with gentle jogging before beginning sprint drills to prevent injury
- Each sprint drill serves a specific purpose - from developing coordination to building pure speed
- Progressive acceleration (gradually building speed) is more effective than trying to reach maximum speed immediately
- Proper recovery between high-intensity sprints is essential for maintaining training quality and preventing fatigue-related injuries
- These exercises can be adapted for different fitness levels by adjusting distances, speeds, and repetitions