Understanding the Athletics – Athletics Basics

Athletics Basics

What is Athletics?

In reading through the Athletics Basics, it is fundamental to first find a detailed and complete answer to the question – what is Athletics
Athletics is an exclusive collection of physical sporting events that involve competitive walking, jumping, running, and throwing that requires physical skill and stamina.

Important to learning the Athletics Basics is discovering the most common types of athletics contests which are track and field, race walking, road running and cross country running.

As one of the most popular and enduring sports around, athletics is primarily considered as the “centerpiece” event of every major multi-sport competitions like the Olympics and World Championships.

In terms of prestige and popularity, the 100-meter dash and marathon are among the widely-followed athletics events. This section will conclude the inquiry and next we will focus on the how athletics action gets going, we will now look into on how to play athletics.

 

How to Play Athletics

Competitions in athletics are done in three events. They are:

  • Track events — A variety of running events set over various distances are held on the track which falls into three categories — sprints, middle-distance, and long-distance track events. Relay races feature teams comprising four runners each, who must pass a baton to their team-mate after a specified distance with the aim of being the first team to finish. Hurdling events and the steeplechase are a variation upon the flat running theme in that athletes must clear obstacles on the track during the race.
  • Field events – This comes in two types – jumping and throwing competitions. In throwing events, athletes are measured by how far they hurl an implement or tool, with the common events being the shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw. There are four common jumping events — the long jump and triple jump are contests measuring the horizontal distance an athlete can jump, while the high jump and pole vault are decided on the height achieved.
  • Combined events – This type includes the decathlon (typically competed by men) and heptathlon (typically competed by women), where athletes see action in a number of different track and field events, with each performance going to award a final points tally. The athlete who gets the most number of points is adjudged the winner.