Athletics is a very easy sport

by Manca Šverc

That is what everyone thinks, but is this the truth? I personally do not think so.

People think that if you are a track and field athlete that you just run, like a chicken without a head. But it is not like that.

Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running, jumping, and throwing. It is also one of the oldest sports.

This all seems like it is an easy sport, where you can win a competition without practice. But let me tell you it is not like that. I can tell that from my personal experience. I started to train track and field and when I was sprinting at my first competition I fell. I did not know how to run correctly. If you want to go on a competition and win you need a lot of training. You also need focus and a lot of motivation. When you practice you learn the correct running techniques. If you do not know them, you cannot really be successful.

The competition, when people sprint, racewalk or hurdle, is won by an athlete who finishes in the least time. The jumping and throwing events are won by those who achieve the greatest distance or height. The competitions also have a lot of rules. In the beginning you go to your starting position. There are a lot of different starts, because of the distance and it depends on which you compete in. But in general, you need to wait for a starter’s gun. For sprinting events, when you start, you need to be in your line all the time. If you are not, then you are disqualified. But for longest distance, you can go out of your line. You do that so you can have shorter distance.

Maybe this all seems like track and field is not a hard sport, but it is. You need to have some skills, or you will never succeed. I wrote this article, because many people told me that this sport is so easy and pointless. But if you joined one of our trainings you could see that it is actually a very difficult sport. You need to be in top condition because training is very hard.

I also train in Atletski klub Slovenj Gradec and in the future I hope I will be successful in athletics because I really love this sport and if you are thinking about taking up a sport, I recommend you try track and field.