Recently, a healthy lifestyle has won the hearts of people around the world. But in addition to proper nutrition, activity is important for health, which for most is kept to a minimum. It’s good that fitness centers have begun to appear, where anyone can exercise for their own pleasure. More accessible places to keep your body in shape are stadiums and arenas, where current and future stars of world sports are trained in sports such as basketball, volleyball, football, weightlifting and athletics, and so on.
But even if your dreams are not to become an Olympic champion, it is worth considering that running has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole, so in this article we will talk about a graceful sport - athletics.
Types of athletics
Contrary to the stereotypical opinion, athletics is not only about running. Yes, it occupies most of the disciplines of this sport, divided into sprint (short), middle distance and stayer (long), as well as smooth running and obstacle course. In addition, athletics also includes throwing the shot, discus and other apparatus, various types of long jumps (standing, running, triple, etc.) and high jumps, all-around, relay running. Therefore, everyone can find something of their own in one of the most ancient sports.
For those who go in for sports not just for the soul, but for the results, there are special standards, upon completion of which a rank is assigned. They are different for each discipline, and in running even the location of the competition is taken into account - since it is more difficult to practice indoors, the standards there are more lenient than for outdoor running.
Do Russian athletics have any prospects?
The question asked in the title is familiar to specialists, professionals and fans of the Queen of Sports. Most will associate this with the inadmissibility of Russian athletes to international competitions, with the exception of those admitted in a neutral status. But in reality the problem is much deeper and more serious.
You should pay attention to the situation around the Russian national team and the organization of training camps.
First, let's analyze the TOP 50 results of the 2018 world ranking in summer athletics disciplines in the absolute and in age groups - junior (under 20 years old) and youth (under 18 years old). The picture is depressing.
Sprint group - among the top 50 in five men's disciplines in three age groups, only two Russians out of 750 results! Yes, one of them, Sergei Shubenkov, is the absolute leader in the hurdle sprint, but this is far from the case when one can say “there is only one warrior in the field.”
Women are a little better. But 9 out of 750 is a microscopic indicator. Less than 1.5 percent of the total ranking results. And here there are only two weak positives - 5th and 11th places in the younger age groups in the 400 m run.
The next group is endurance. Even more catastrophic. 31st and 37th places overall among men in 6 disciplines.
The women have five runners in the TOP 50 and the best result is 20th place among juniors - this is little consolation, given the long-term leadership traditions of domestic athletes.
The situation is much better in the jumping, throwing and all-around groups.
Thus, in men's jumping for 4 disciplines in 3 age groups, there were 22 TOP-50 results for men. For women - 31.
In throwing, there were 13 results for men in 4 disciplines in three groups, and 24 for women.
And finally, in all-around, one discipline in three groups accounts for 9 results for men and 8 for women.
Race walking is a special topic, given the non-standard situation with the Mordovian athletes who form the basis of the Russian team.
It is obvious that technical disciplines have a tendency to develop; there are promising guys and girls. And it would be logical to pay attention to them in the leadership of the national team, while simultaneously working with the regions on selection and identification of distant runners.
But instead, it is runners and walkers who are invited to the training camp. Walkers - in the absence of hopes of performing at international competitions (and up to 60 walkers take part in federal centralized training camps, of which in 2020 only two applied to participate in competitions under the auspices of the IAAF in a neutral status). There are talented girls in running disciplines. But only a few. Miller, Akinyimika, Soldatova. But these are the achievements of regional mentors. What has been happening in recent years with the best representatives of the reserve can be seen from the results in adulthood. Not just stagnation, but a real decline. Is this an indicator of effectiveness? But the leadership of the national team, led by Yuri Borzakovsky, does not notice this, especially since Yuri Mikhailovich took his classmates who did not have at least single achievements in coaching to key positions. Runners at the master's level level are invited to the training camp, but their age is far from that of a junior.
Even more surprising is the ratio of those invited to federal gatherings. 65 percent are runners and walkers, 35 percent are much more successful and promising jumpers, throwers and all-around athletes.
We will not raise other “strange” points in this article. Let’s just remember that training camps are not held at federal sports bases. Although, for example, the management of the Novogorsk training center proposed holding a free training camp at the end of the year. But the leadership of the Russian track and field team refused. A very strange refusal, as well as the inflated rates of some fees in comparison with those who come to the fees as self-preparation.
There are many such “oddities” in the work of the coaching staff of the Russian national team. There is only one question: will we not lose all hopes of winning prizes at the main international competitions, and by what criteria is the effectiveness of the work of the head coach of the Russian national team assessed?
Big and amateur sports
Do not forget that professional and amateur sports are very different from each other. If doctors claim that physical activity is good for the body and strengthens it, then this does not apply to big-time sports, when for the sake of results people are ready to train for several hours every day, despite fatigue, illness, when injuries can knock them out of their usual routine of life. several months when the motto is “Die, but do it!”
Nevertheless, running has a lot of advantages: training and strengthening the cardiovascular system, improving blood circulation, removing harmful substances from sweat, fighting depression, hardening the body and much more. The main thing is to jog regularly and not strive to achieve high results after the first workout.
The most accessible sport
Of course, parents whose children decide to connect their lives with athletics will be pleased with the fact that this is perhaps the most inexpensive sport for children in terms of material costs. Here, parents will not need to pay for all kinds of sports equipment, as is often the case. Beginning athletes do not need any special, expensive uniforms or shoes.
All this will be required only in older age groups, but all the same, the cost of this uniform will not put a big burden on the wallets of the parents of young athletes, especially since some sections provide children with uniforms completely free of charge. So, compared to other sports, athletics remains one of the cheapest and most accessible sports disciplines.
Where to start classes
As for weight loss, athletics is almost pure cardio, during which fat is burned. You should start your workout with a light jog, you don’t have to rush straight away and try to run a marathon, one kilometer of jogging is enough. Afterwards, you definitely need to stretch all your joints and stretch your muscles so that further actions do not lead to injury. The warm-up is over and the body is ready to begin the main workout. If an athlete gives preference to short distances, then it is preferable for him to do a lot of short accelerations; for stayers, endurance work is important - alternating running (fast - slow - fast) or long running at one speed. Throwers hone their skills with projectiles, and track and field athletes, long and high jumpers, go to the jumping areas. Everyone does what they like. After the main activity, it is useful to do strength training, strengthening or pumping up the body. And you need to finish everything off with a cool-down - stretch your tired muscles and jog a little, so that your pulse and blood pressure return to normal, and your body recovers faster.
Athletics Uniform
One of the important criteria for a good workout is sports form. It should be light, allow air to pass through well and not restrict movement. Different sports have their own comfortable uniforms, and shoes are especially different. In athletics, these are spikes (light shoes with sharp spikes on the sole, usually on the forefoot), but some athletes prefer comfortable sneakers to them. Nowadays, sports stores have a fairly wide range of running shoes, leggings, shorts, T-shirts, etc. to suit the taste and color of any buyer.
How to determine a child's ability for athletics?
Perhaps athletics is one of the few sports that parents themselves can determine their children’s aptitude for. You just need to carefully observe the boy’s behavior at home, on the street, in kindergarten or school. Athletics is suitable for active children who love to run and jump a lot, and are the ringleaders of all kinds of competitive games of speed and agility. Naturally, in athletics, as in other sports, concentration and attentiveness are required. Therefore, if your son is hyperactive, but his energy, so to speak, does not have a “vector of application” and it is difficult to call him to discipline, then you should not rush to give him this sport, otherwise it will be difficult for both the child and the coach during classes. Often, when sending a hyperactive child to the athletics section, parents think that they are helping him lose excess energy and become calmer. This is not always the case, because hyperactivity is, as a rule, not so much a physical quality as a psychological one.
The nervous system of such children is very labile, and in activities that cause a surge of emotions and sports excitement, the children become even more overexcited and the parental goal of “relieving bad energy” is not achieved at all. Therefore, parents of “reactive” boys need to consult with a neurologist and psychologist or simply wait until the child grows up and becomes more conscious.
Athletics sections for children
Athletics
- a voluminous concept. At school, children get “a little bit of everything,” but sports sections offer the following areas:
- Jumping
- Relays and all-around events
- Throwing and pushing
- Race walking
When a “special talent” is discovered, the specialization is narrowed, and the coach teaches the child
individually, right up to raising a champion.
A promising sport if you are naturally predisposed to it. This sport is called “medal-winning”, since at the Olympic Games 24 sets of medals are awarded among track and field athletes.
Prospects
Serious sports can develop into a profession. Some parents send their children to sports clubs, counting on good prospects in the future. The most “profitable” sports at the moment are hockey, tennis and football. But athletics also brings in a lot of money. Prize competitions can give the athlete good fees. There are also commercial tournaments in which athletes receive money only for participation. At the same time, investments in sports activities are minimal. In order for an aspiring athlete to have good prospects, it is important to choose the right school. In the OFP profi club you will find the best athletics coaches for children in Moscow
. They are preparing real future athletes.
Parents who decide to send their child to this sport will be pleased that there is no large financial investment. After all, you don’t have to purchase various sports accessories. The child will only need a comfortable uniform and suitable shoes. Athletics is one of the cheapest sports.
Of course, not all parents look far and calculate the future. Many people sign up their kids for athletics for children in Moscow
for general physical development and health promotion. And rightly so, because athletics helps develop endurance, speed, strengthen muscles and build a strong and athletic physique. It’s not for nothing that athletics is considered the queen of sports!
"Pros and cons"
All the pros when deciding whether to send a child to athletics will depend on the desires, capabilities and personal preferences of the child and his family, and the con may be the state of health. All types of athletics require physical exertion and even overexertion, so you need to consult with doctors, and it is best to go to a physical therapy room or a physical exercise clinic. The future athlete must have a healthy heart and lungs, and everything is in order with joints and muscles. Parents should know that among the professional diseases of track and field athletes, joint diseases, all kinds of dislocations and displacements of the vertebrae predominate.
As for the character of the child, here, as indeed in any sport, perseverance, the ability to concentrate, sports passion and the desire to surpass oneself are valued. It is natural to make sure that excitement does not turn into “obsession” and we must constantly teach children to soberly assess their capabilities.
Accessibility of athletics for children and parents
Athletics sections for children
usually free. This is due to the fact that the state is interested in the continuity of generations of this “medal-winning” sport, because at international athletics competitions Russians are considered favorites.
In addition, for the child to learn athletics
, you won’t need to buy expensive sports equipment, specific clothes or shoes.
Athletics began in Ancient Greece, when these competitions were included in the first Olympic Games.
At what age should a child be enrolled in athletics?
The best age to get acquainted with athletics is the 2nd or 3rd grade of a secondary school. At this time, children develop speed skills. And after 11 years, children begin to perform endurance exercises.
It is best if the child gets into an Olympic reserve school. This will give him the opportunity to participate in competitions and pursue a sports career.
The selection of young athletes can take place at school during physical education classes, where the most capable are offered to enroll in the athletics section. In summer, children train in open stadiums, in winter - in gyms. Group classes begin with a warm-up.
Tips for parents
Choose a sport that is useful, interesting and affordable. Before enrolling in a group, go through a medical examination with your child and find out the class schedule. If you cannot take him to classes or they continue to coincide with lessons at school, reconsider your choice in favor of another sport. Meet the trainers and learn how they provide first aid in emergency situations.
A child’s predisposition to a particular sport becomes clearly visible at the age of 5-7 years. When sending a girl to a sports section at an earlier age, parents rely on their instincts. Sports should reveal children's natural abilities. If you enroll your daughter in a section before the age of 5, take into account your body type and her psychotype.
