BODY CONDITIONING

Imagine your class is divided into two teams for a basketball game during a PE class. Team A skips warm-
up and jumps straight into playing. Within minutes, one player twists an ankle, and another struggles to
keep up. Meanwhile, Team B spent 10 minutes warming up with stretches and light drills—they’re
moving faster, playing smarter, and avoiding injuries.

What’s the difference?

Team B understood body conditioning—preparing the body for physical activity to boost performance
and safety.

This by the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Know Your Body

- Identify how your body moves during physical activities (e.g.why do goalkeepers need strong legs?
Why do dancers stretch daily?)

2. Safety precautions

- Apply safety rules (e.g., wearing shoes, avoiding collisions).

3. Understand Warm-Up/Cool-Down Routines.

- Perform safe exercises before/after activities (e.g., arm circles before volleyball, slow stretches after
sprinting).

The body during physical activities.

There are natural physical differences between boys,known as sexual dimorphism, and these influences
how each gender performs physical activities.

Boys:

- Typically develop more muscle mass (especially upper body) helping them in energy-demanding
activities like throwing farther in sports like shot put or cricket.

- Often have broader shoulders(helps in swimming, boxing).

Girls:

- Usually more flexible, being advantageous in gymnastics, dance.

- Often have better balance useful in netball, yoga.

Think & Discuss:

- Why might a boy and girl in your class have different running speeds?
- How can a girl’s flexibility help her in volleyball?

Body changes during physical activities.

While exercising,the body's conditions are adjusted to match the energy being used, and these are;

- the heart beats fasterband pumps more blood, feeling breathless after a race for instance.

- there is sweating to cool the body down.

- Muscles get stronger and more flexible for vigorous stretching in order to ensure proper cycling daily.

- Stamina improves,like in running longer without tiring.

Safety in physical activities.

Sports and physical activities are done with movements and shapes and patterns involving energy and
speed, making them injury-risky. Athletes this have to prepare before, during and after in order to play
safely

Before physical activities.

- Wear proper sports attire and safety gear.

Shoes: Running shoes for athletics, studs for football

Protection: Knee pads for volleyball, helmets for cycling. Never ever play sports in sandals!

-Warm Up Properly(5-10 minutes)

Light jogging and Jumping jacks andDynamic stretches (leg swings, arm circles) to prepare muscles/heart
for action and prevent injuries like pulls/strains

- Check Environment

Remove rocks/debris from field

Ensure equipment is secure (e.g., football goalposts)

- Hydrate with small amounts of water,and eat Little energy-giving foods.

During Activity

-play well and use the right techniques when being instructed.

- Observe periods or intervals of rest.

-listen to the instructions from your coach, fellow player or even teacher.

- follow Rules

- No dangerous tackles.

- Fair play in all games

- Hydrate by sipping water every 15-20 mins (especially in hot weather)

- Listen to your body,stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness/breathlessness

After activity

- Cool Down (5-10 minutes) by slow walking and Static stretches of the hamstrings/quads

- Rehydrate & Refuel by taking water + banana/energy bar to replace lost nutrients

- Check for Injuries treat the blisters/cuts immediately. Report serious pain to coach/teacher

- Have enough rest thereafter to enhance recovery.

Warming up for physical activities.

A warm-up is a series of physical activities that are done before the main physical activity. A simple jog
done before a sprint is a warm-up activity while a slow cycling activity before increasing intensity can
also constitute a warm-up. The purpose of a warm-up is to prepare the body for a more demanding
physical activity.

Importance of warming up.

1. Prepares the Body: Gradually increases heart rate, blood flow, and muscle temperature.

2. Reduces Injury Risk: Warm muscles are more flexible and less prone to strains.

3. Enhances Performance: Improves coordination, reaction time, and skill execution.

4. Mental Preparation: Helps athletes focus and get into the right mindset for the activity.

Basing on these impotances, warmup is structured to achieve them in phases, namely the pulse raiser,
stretching and skill-related activities.

1. Pulse Raiser
This is the first phase of a properly constructed warm-up. It prepares the body for a mobility session. It is
usually used to raise the heart or heartbeat rate. One common and effective pulse raiser is jogging. One
can vary his/her pace and it requires no equipment. Other pulse raisers are skipping and cycling. Pulse
raiser activities should have movement patterns related to the activity you are preparing for. For
different sports one raises his/her pulse with the following activities;

- Football/Soccer: Light jogging around the field

- Basketball: Slow dribbling while moving

- Swimming: Arm circles and slow freestyle laps

- Athletics: Brisk walking progressing to slow jogging

2. Stretching

We can have static and dynamic stretches. Static stretches are done without rhythm in one position and
last about 10 minutes. Dynamic stretches are done with rhythm while moving. Stretches are appropriate
after the pulse raiser when the muscles are warm and more elastic. This reduces the likelihood of injury.
Dynamic stretches are considered to be the best. They can as well be sport-specific. Static stretches are
more appropriate the cool down. During warm-up, dynamic stretches are encouraged. For different
sports activities include the following dynamic activities;

- Football/Soccer: Leg swings (forward/side-to-side)

- Basketball: Arm circles and torso twists

- Volleyball: Lunges with a twist

- Athletics: High knees and butt kicks

3. Specific Skill-Related Practice

Movement patterns that will be used during the activity should be practised during this phase of warm-
up. They improve coordination, reaction time and accuracy during sports performance. Examples
include shooting drills in netball, passing drills in netball, dribbling drills in soccer, serving drills in
volleyball, and bowling drills in rounders.examples of these skill-related drills include;

- Football/Soccer: Short passing and receiving drills

- Basketball: Layup practice and free throws

- Volleyball: Serving and setting practice

- Netball: Shooting and quick passing drills

1. Pulse Raiser: 5-minute jog around the field

2. Stretching: Dynamic stretches like leg swings and high knees

3. Skill Practice: Passing and shooting drills .

Cooling down

Cool-down is a series of gentle exercises done after physical activity to gradually lower heart rate and
help the body recover. Just like warming up prepares the body for activity, cooling down helps it return
safely to rest, restoring the initial body condition. Cooling down is administered in the following steps:

1. Light Activity (Pulse Lowering)

which gradually reduces heart rate and breathing, and could last around 5 minutes. Activities here are
much less intense compared to the actual activity, as exemplified:

- After Football: Slow walking around the field

- After Athletics: Easy jogging progressing to walking

- After Swimming: Gentle floating or slow strokes

- After Basketball: Light dribbling while walking.

2. Static Stretching, which relaxes the contraction of muscles back to rest. Hold each stretch 15-30
seconds, and repeat 2-3 times. static stretches help improve flexibility and prevent stiffness. Examples
include;

- Hamstring Stretch: Sit and reach for toes (hold 15-30 sec)

- Quadriceps Stretch: Standing leg pull (hold each leg)

- Shoulder Stretch: Arm across chest (hold both sides)

- Calf Stretch: Lean against wall with one leg back

3. Recovery Activities.

These help the body fully recover after exercise and include;

- Hydration: Drink water or electrolyte fluids

- Nutrition: Eat a banana or energy bar

- Breathing Exercises: Deep inhales/exhales to relax

Importance of Cool-Down.

1. Prevents dizziness as it gradually lowers heart rate.

2. Reduces muscle soreness as it helps remove lactic acid

3. Improves flexibility by stretching while muscles are warm

4. Speeds recovery by prepares body for next activity.

Thus, after a netball match,engage in;

1. Light Activity: 3 minutes of slow walking

2. Stretching: Hamstring & shoulder stretches

3. Recovery: Drink water + eat a fruit

Remember cooling down is just as important as warming up!

Activities.

activity one

Your team has an important match in 30 minutes. Demonstrate and explain how you would properly
warm up, mentioning:

1. Your pulse raiser activity

2. Two dynamic stretches

3. One skill-specific drill

Then, after the match, describe your cool-down routine.

activity two

During a game, a player pulls a muscle while jumping. The coach asks you:

1. What warm-up step might they have skipped?

2. Which stretch (dynamic/static) should be done BEFORE play?

3. How would you cool down to prevent this next time?

activity three
Your teacher asks you to lead a 10-minute warm-up for a mixed-gender class before athletics day.
Design a routine that includes:

1. A pulse raiser suitable for all

2. Two dynamic stretches

3. A skill drill for sprinting

Explain why each phase matters.

activity four

After a 400m race, you feel dizzy and your legs cramp. Your friend says, ‘Cooling down is for weak
people!’*

1. List 3 cool-down steps to help your body.

2. Explain why your friend is wrong.

3. Demonstrate one stretch to relieve cramps.