Athletics — Running Techniques — Year 3 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PE KS2 — use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination; take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges; compare performances with previous ones
Overview
Pupils develop sprint and endurance running techniques, understanding how posture, arm action and stride length affect performance. They practise baton exchange in a relay and explore pace judgement for a sustained run. Pupils begin to understand the physiological difference between anaerobic sprint effort and aerobic sustained running.
Learning Objectives
- Sprint with correct posture: upright, relaxed shoulders, arms driving forward and back.
- Perform a successful baton exchange in a relay without dropping the baton.
- Run at a chosen pace for three minutes, maintaining effort without walking.
- Describe the difference between how their body feels during a sprint and a sustained run.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Jog for two minutes around the field. Dynamic stretches: high knees, heel flicks, side shuffles, backwards jog. Sprint drills: A-skips (drive knee up, skip forward), B-skips (knee up then kick forward). Three × 20m acceleration runs at 70% effort.
Sprint technique focus: upright posture (not leaning too far forward), relaxed face and shoulders, arms at 90 degrees driving back and forward (not crossing the body), driving the knee up. Demonstrate poor vs. good technique. Baton relay: upsweep method — incoming runner holds baton below, outgoing runner puts hand back palm up, incoming runner drives it up into their hand. Practise exchange standing still, then walking, then jogging. Sustained running: start at a comfortable pace, not a sprint — the aim is to still be running at three minutes. Pupils try to maintain even pace rather than sprint and stop.
Groups of four practise relay exchanges: walk-through, then jog-through, then at 80% pace. Teacher checks: is the exchange happening in the zone? Is the receiver looking forward (not at the baton)? Sustained run: pupils run for three minutes, marking where they stop with a cone.
Relay race between groups: can they execute clean exchanges at full pace? Sustained run second attempt: try to pass the cone from the first attempt (beat previous distance). Pupils record observations: 'In the sprint I felt... In the long run I felt...'
Slow jog then stretches. Ask: why do you breathe harder in a sprint than after a slow jog? Introduce simply: sprint uses energy faster than your body can supply it; long run stays in balance (aerobic). What arm movement mistake makes sprinting slower? (Arms crossing the body.)
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils look back at the baton during relay exchange, causing loss of pace and dropped batons — train receivers to reach back and trust the incoming runner.
- Thinking you must start a long run fast — starting too fast causes exhaustion; pace judgement is the key skill.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Running and jumping events from Year 2 athletics.
- Personal best concept and self-measurement.
Want a personalised version of this lesson?
Use Staffroom to generate a complete lesson plan tailored to your class — add context about ability, recent learning, or specific pupils and get a plan ready to teach. Free trial, no card required.