The moves in this dance sessions focus on an upper body workout - including push-ups - followed by a lower body workout including moves inspired by football training.
1. Pulse rates rising
Teachers please note: pupils are encouraged to check their pulse rates before and after the aerobic section of the warm up. Probably the easiest way to do this is to place two fingers on the wrist to find the pulse in the radial artery then, taking care not to press too hard, count the number of beats per minute. To monitor long-term fitness levels, pupils could continue to check their heart rate before and after exercise using a personal fitness record sheet.
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
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Lesson summary
Warm up: Aerobic phase designed to gradually raise the heart rate with a combination of high knee lifts and arm swimming actions - front crawl, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke - on the spot and then travelling. The aerobic phase of the warm up is followed by a selection of gentle stretches: chest, back, arms and legs.
Sequence 1 - Upper body workout: An energetic sequence of rhythmic box push-ups, followed by boxing ‘speedball’ arm movements (making fists then quickly rotating one wrist around the other).
Sequence 2 - Fancy footwork: Practising the quick, precise step patterns or foot drills often used by footballers and other athletes to develop speed and agility - high knee running, side-stepping and heel to bottom backwards steps.
Cool down: Gradually slowing the heart rate - walking through the spaces taking deep, controlled breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, followed by a series of gentle stretches on the spot to finish.
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