Agility, balance and coordination
Physical Education · Key Stage 1 · The School
Three words worth knowing
AGILITY is changing direction quickly. BALANCE is staying steady. COORDINATION is making parts of the body work together. Almost every sport needs all three, in different amounts, and naming them helps you practise the one you find hardest.
Practising each
Agility: run a zig-zag between markers. Balance: stand on one leg and pass a ball round your body. Coordination: bounce and catch, or skip with a rope. Do a little of each rather than a lot of one — the body learns better spread out.
Which sport needs what
A gymnast needs balance above all. A footballer needs agility to change direction. A drummer needs coordination. Pick a sport you like and say which of the three it needs most, and why — this is analysis, and it is what PE lessons ask for later on.
AGILITY: run a zigzag between five cones and time it. BALANCE: stand on one leg, eyes closed, and count the seconds until you wobble. COORDINATION: bounce a ball against a wall and catch it, counting how many in thirty seconds. Now compare your three results with a friend's. Almost nobody wins all three — which is why they are three separate qualities and not one thing called 'sporty'.