The purpose of this article is two fold including how to use functional movement exercises as part of a warm-up routine and how to embed functional fitness movements into youth sport practice sessions.

Taking weight on hands is an important skill that should be taught in physical education. Many teachers shy away from integrating such gymnastics-based skills into the curriculum. This could be for a variety of reasons such as limited knowledge of the content, lack of equipment, students' perceived interest, and fear of injury. The information in…

Ice skating, also called figure skating, can be categorized as a lifetime fitness endeavor. Figure skating has many benefits that allow skaters opportunities to learn and understand motor skill movement and patterns on the ice. The purpose of this article is to share best practices when teaching the fundamentals of figure skating. Included in…

Golf develops physical skills, provides opportunities for recreation and socialization, and is a lifelong physical activity -- making it a worthwhile addition to any physical education curriculum. This article provides information on how a three-day golf unit can be implemented with students in grades 2 and 3.

This article provides coaches with a guide for using technology and imagery to improve athletes' sport performance of closed motor skills. During the associative phase of skill learning, when young athletes are still learning to refine their technique, it can be difficult for coaches to change athletes' movements and develop their sport skills.…

In today's physical education classroom, many teachers feel starved for fresh, innovative activities to teach. This article presents team handball (TH) as one such activity. Although TH is not a new activity (it was first played toward the end of the 19th century in countries such as Denmark, Germany and Sweden), for many students in the United…

Historically, gymnastics has served an essential role in physical education and the development of physical fitness. Participating in gymnastics-related activities can improve the physical and motor fitness of children of all ages and can make significant contributions to the goals of physical education. This article describes the importance of…

An increasingly popular, nontraditional sport called Socci (pronounced "SOCKee") offers physical educators an effective means of teaching tactics and strategies through the tactical games approach. This novel sport also challenges students to apply the tactical knowledge they have learned from participating in traditional sports such as…

Approximately 100 years ago, Clark Hetherington articulated the primary aims of physical education by identifying four separate areas: (1) psychomotor, which refers to motor skills; (2) organic, the fitness factor; (3) intellectual, or the cognitive component; and (4) character which refers to the affective domain. These categories can be used to…

Six common sporting miscues are examined and analyzed for their meanings and ramifications. The miscues involve accurate basketball and volleyball shots; overarm patterns; volleyball spikes; softball pitching; and basketball defense moves. (CB)

Children who do not develop a foundation of basic motor skills are less likely to participate in regular physical activity. An excellent way of teaching basic motor skills, as well as health-related fitness, is through gymnastics. Many young teachers, however, think that teaching gymnastics is too challenging and do not know how to incorporate it…

Sporting cues, phrases, and key words are used extensively in coaching and teaching sports skills. If the meanings and ramifications of these cues are analyzed in terms of laws of motion and anatomy as well as current research, they may be found to be miscues. Six commonly used miscues are examined. (MT)

This syllabus, designed for use by administrators, program developers, and teachers, provides local education agencies with a framework for establishing a required physical education instructional program in New York's public schools. Information is presented on education laws and commissioner's regulations regarding physical education, as well as…

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate procedures to teach four moderately and severely mentally retarded students the standing long jump and the 50-yard dash, using task analysis and a training package of prompts and response consequences. Results showed acquisition and maintenance of the two athletic skills. (Author/CL)

Strategies are described for combining students of different ability levels in games and sports with consideration of movement and fitness demands, purpose and skill complexity, environmental considerations, and cognitive and social considerations. (CB)