Year 3-5 - Lesson 3 - Throw (Discus)
By Smart CoachPart of Smart Coach - Athletics
Notes
- Ensure that safety is the main priority for all activities.
- Make sure to review the plan carefully and ensure that you have all the necessary equipment before the lesson.
- Set realistic expectations for the children and provide positive reinforcement.
- Be prepared to make adjustments to the plan as needed based on the skill level of the children.
- Encourage participation and provide individual and group instruction as needed.
- Be patient and allow the children to work through the drills at their own pace.
- Make sure to provide feedback and correct incorrect techniques as needed.
- Discus
- Cones/Markers
- Batons
- Stops watch
- Safety Mats
Warm Up
Athletics (Throw) - Sling Golf
Pair students up along the end of a court or field. One person stands in front while the other stands 2-3m behind. The first person in the pair will have their turn to sling the beanbag, aiming for a hoop. The student will be standing side on, with the beanbag in their dominate hand with their hands out like an aeroplane. When the whistle blows their partner will go and collect the beanbag and the first person moves to the back. Their partner will then have their turn to sling the beanbag to try and get it to land in a hoop. Set hula hoops out in three coloured rows, one close to the students, one middle distance away and one row further away. On the first attempt the students aim for the closest row, second attempt middle row and last attempt the hula hoops that are further away. For each successful attempt the students receive one point. On the final attempt the students can choose to aim for any row, with one point being awarded to the closest, two points for the middle and three points for the one further away.
Modifications
Set the hoops up in a bigger area and make it like a golf course. Move the hoops closer / further away to alter difficulty. Use spots instead of hoops to alter difficulty.
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Activities
Athletics (Throw) - Discus
Pair students up along the end of a court or field. One person stands in front while the other stands 2-3m behind for safety. The first person in the pair will have their turn to sling the discus out. (The student will be standing side on with the discus in their dominate hand.) When the whistle blows their partner will go and collect the discus and the first person moves to the back. Their partner will then have their turn to sling the discus. For each sling focus on the following: 1. "Duck Beak" The discus should be held like a duck beak with the thumb underneath and the 4 fingers on top. 2. "Aiming arm at 45°" The hand without the discus is known as the aiming arm, this should be pointed out to where the student will be slinging the discus, at an angle of 45°. 3. "Around the clock, to 1 o'clock" The students slings their arm around from a starting position of 6 o'clock to a finishing position of 1 o'clock. For left handed students they sling from a starting position of 6 o'clock to a finishing position of 11 o'clock. 5. "Superman" When slinging the discus, the arm with the discus slings around so that it is beside the aiming arm - finishing like superman. 6. "Chin, Knee, Toe" Once the above technique has been achieved this step is added in between step 2 and 3 above. This means that the student will bend their back leg and lean back slightly so that their chin, knee and toe are vertically aligned. This will help to generate power. See the images for examples of each of these steps.
Modifications
For younger classes instead of focusing on "Chin, knee, toe" replace with simply bend your back leg to sling from. Start with students kneeling side on to isolate the correct arm technique first before progressing to standing.
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Athletics (Throw) - Bucket Discus
Place three or four buckets spread out in a line within slinging distance of your students. To prevent the buckets falling over place something heavy or a few bean bags in the bottom of each bucket. Pair students up along the end of a court or field. One person stands in front while the other stands 2-3m behind for safety. The first person in the pair will have their turn to sling the discus out, trying to get the discus to land in a bucket. The student will be standing side on with the discus in their dominate hand. When the whistle blows their partner will go and collect the discus and the first person moves to the back. The student must use the correct discus technique; "duck beak", "aiming arm at 45°", "Around the clock to 1 o'clock", "chin, knee, toe", "finishing like superman". For the student to successfully make it into the bucket the following rules apply; the discus cannot bounce into the bucket - it has to land in on the full, if the discus lands in the bucket but knocks it over this does not count, if the discus lands on the edge of the bucket and falls into the bucket then this does count.
Modifications
Move buckets closer or further away to alter difficulty. Use a bigger or smaller target (bucket) to alter difficulty. If the correct arm technique is not being used, have the students kneel side on instead of standing.
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