Track coaching for 5th and 6th Graders

Uh oh, here we go again...

jog 2-4 laps

stretch

try football field strides. Run 100, walk back, run 90 walk back, etc,..

lecture group on track do's and don'ts (jogging/walking in lane #1, walking across track without looking, how to do a proper warm-up and warm-down, cheer for teammates)

jog 2-4 laps

hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

playing "indian" in groups is fun (last runner sprints to the front then jogs, etc for a few laps)

try field events

not a coach

ty

I like your suggestions

i like the 'square game too. take four cones and make a large square (say, 30x30). Give each kid a number, and tell them to play tag. Use a whistle, and every once in a while, blow the whistle and call out a number. The number you call is 'it'. it's a hard workout, but not too hard. i used to like to do it on grass.

eb

Relay races! Relays are the funnest part of Track, they'll love it!

A 10-mile steady-state should be a staple in your program.

Warm up

Around a football field four times

1st and third lap, start on short side, jog short sides, quick on long sides.

2nd and 4th lap, start on long side, jog long sides, quick on short sides.

Rest (1-2 mins?) after each lap

You can add to that later by more of these alternating laps and by timing the times for each lap to see what's happening.

Don't forget to put in games and relays

tb

I'd start with a 4 mile warm up at about 5:45-6:00 pace. After some light stretching I'd proceed to have them run 5x800 at 2:30's, 5x400 at about 63, and 10x200 at about 30 flat. Really wanna push 'em on these. Also a few long runs of 12+ miles or more would do it. End with a 5 mile cool down. No joke. Don't laugh.

Have as much fun as possible. I coached 3,4,5 graders and they loved it. Be creative. I did thing where the kids were "playing" and never realized how much they were running. Do not focus on the events. Make it fun as this age and you will hook them. I did things like set up a bunch of cones in a circle. At the "head cone" was a die and six notecards. They (a small group they chose) would roll the die and then have to do what ever the corresponding notecard said. Such as sprint to a cone, jog, sprint...or jog to the first cone, then play leap from to the next...or walk the whole way around...or do 5 push-ups at each cone...sprint the whole way around. The kids loved it. It was non-competitve and fun.

One good habit that our Phys Ed teacher from gym class put in me, was he "made/drilled in" us to run 5 yards past the finish line. In a photo finish, this came into play for me. This was just from gym class too.