Jumping Take-Off and Landing

Overview

Lesson 3 of 10 in Mastering Throwing, Jumping, and Catching. Students develop safe, controlled jumping by practising take-off, flight and landing, then apply these skills in progressive partner challenges and a jumping game. Activities can be simplified for younger students or made more challenging for Years 7–8.

Learning intentions

• WALT use a two-foot or one-foot take-off with control.
• WALT land safely by bending our knees and keeping balance.
• WALT show awareness of space, others and safe movement.
• WALT describe one technique that helps us jump and land effectively.

Success criteria

• I can swing my arms and push strongly from the ground.
• I can land quietly with bent knees and balanced feet.
• I can stop safely and check the space before jumping.
• I can give a partner kind, specific feedback about their technique.

Curriculum links

• Movement concepts and motor skills: developing body control, balance, coordination and jumping technique.
• Positive attitudes and challenge: participating confidently, persevering and setting an appropriate personal challenge.
• Relationships with others: cooperating, giving feedback and encouraging classmates.
• Health and physical education: managing risk and making safe choices in physical activity.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome, hook and safety briefing Meet students in a marked area and open with the jumping hook and learning intention slides. Ask: “What would happen if we landed with straight legs?” Demonstrate a safe landing and an unsafe landing without impact. Establish rules: jump only on the signal, land in personal space, look before moving, and stop immediately on “freeze”.

2. 5–10 minutes – Warm-up: Jump, freeze, balance Students move around the area using a range of locomotor movements. Call “jump” for a small vertical jump, “freeze” for a still landing, and “change” for a new direction. Progress from two-foot jumps to small one-foot hops; younger students stay with two feet, while older students add quarter turns.

3. 10–16 minutes – Teach and practise the technique Use the take-off, flight and landing technique slides to show the key cues:

• Take off: feet ready, knees bent, arms swing, push through the floor.
• Flight: eyes forward, body controlled.
• Land: feet apart, knees and hips bend, chest lifted, arms forward. Students practise three “jump and stick” repetitions on the teacher’s signal. Pause to check that landings are quiet and controlled.

4. 16–26 minutes – Jumping stations Organise five groups of five. Each group completes two-minute rounds at five safe stations, rotating on the signal. Use the station instruction slides to display the sequence. Stations include: vertical jump and stick, forward jump and stick, side-to-side line jumps, low obstacle jump, and a personal-distance jump. Students choose a distance that allows safe control. No student jumps over another person.

5. 26–35 minutes – Partner coaching challenge In pairs, one student jumps while the other observes from the side, then they swap. The observer gives one positive comment and one next step using the cues “bend”, “swing”, “push” or “stick”. Complete three rounds: jump for height, jump for distance, and jump with a controlled shape. Years 7–8 may compare which arm action or knee position improves their result; younger students focus on a stable landing.

6. 35–41 minutes – Team game: Island Jump Place hoops or floor markers around the area as “islands”. Students travel safely between islands using the called movement: two-foot jump, one-foot hop, side jump or long jump. On “storm”, students must land on an island and hold their balance for three seconds. Remove no islands; the challenge is to improve control, not eliminate players. Use the Island Jump rules and challenge slides.

7. 41–45 minutes – Cool-down and reflection Students walk, breathe slowly and complete gentle lower-body stretches. Gather students and show the reflection and exit-question slide. Ask them to demonstrate their best landing to a partner, then share: “One thing I did well was…” and “Next time I will…”. Reinforce that a safe, controlled landing is more important than jumping the furthest.

Resources

• Cones to mark boundaries, stations and safe waiting lines.
• Hoops or floor markers for Island Jump.
• Low, stable obstacles such as foam blocks or short ropes.
• Floor lines or chalk markings.
• Five station signs or cones.
• Whistle or clear stop signal.
• First-aid kit and access to drinking water.
• the jumping technique and activity deck

Assessment

• Observe whether students bend their knees, use their arms, land quietly and hold balance for three seconds.
• Use questioning during pauses: “Where should your eyes look?” and “How can you make your landing safer?”
• Listen to partner feedback and note students who need support with balance, space awareness or movement control.

Differentiation

• Support: use smaller jumps, wider landing spaces, a line or wall for orientation, and two-foot take-offs throughout. Allow students to practise without obstacles.
• Support for EAL and SEN: use the repeated visual cues “bend, swing, push, stick”, demonstrate before explaining, and pair students with a supportive peer.
• Extension: challenge students to jump further or higher while maintaining a quiet landing, add a quarter turn, or explain how arm swing changes their jump.
• Adjust for the group’s age: Years 1–4 use playful imagery such as “soft cat landing”; Years 5–8 analyse force, balance, body position and personal improvement.