Movement mechanics: levers, force and technique
Technique is physics you can practise. Change where force is applied, or how long it acts, and the same athlete produces a very different result.
Part of your national curriculum
- Technique and performance: Develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports, such as athletics and gymnastics
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports, such as athletics and gymnastics
Key learning points
- • The body as a system of levers
- • Force, momentum and impulse
- • Balance and stability
- • Analysing and correcting technique
This lesson at a glance
- 24 minutes
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Watch first
Movement mechanics: levers, force and technique
Force arrows and lever action behind a fast, well-timed movement.
In a nutshell
Develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports, such as athletics and gymnastics
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · The body as a system of levers
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
Learn
The body as a system of levers
Every lever has a fulcrum (joint), effort (muscle) and load. First class: fulcrum in the middle — nodding the head. Second class: load in the middle — rising onto the toes at the ankle, which gives a mechanical advantage and moves large loads. Third class: effort in the middle — the elbow in a biceps curl. Most body levers are third class: poor at lifting heavy loads, excellent at producing speed at the end of a long limb, which is why a longer arm can throw faster.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
Learn
Force, momentum and impulse
A bigger force applied over a longer time changes momentum more — that is impulse. A sprinter's drive phase pushes hard and long against the blocks; a long jumper converts horizontal speed into a fast, well-angled take-off. The reverse also matters: bending the knees on landing, or drawing the hands back to catch a hard ball, spreads the impact over more time and reduces the peak force on joints.
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Rising onto the toes at the ankle joint is an example of which lever class?
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Balance and stability
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
Learn
Balance and stability
Stability increases with a lower centre of mass, a wider base of support, and keeping the line of gravity inside that base. A rugby player braces low and wide before contact; a gymnast on the beam narrows the base deliberately and must control the line of gravity precisely. Losing balance is almost always the line of gravity leaving the base of support.
Explore the idea
Part 11 of 20
Learn
Analysing and correcting technique
Break a skill into preparation, execution and follow-through, then compare each phase with a model performer. Video is ideal because it slows the phases down. Correct one fault at a time, starting with the earliest phase — a poor preparation guarantees a poor execution however hard the athlete tries to fix the finish.
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Quick check
Part 14 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 15 of 20
Worked example
Worked analysis: a javelin-style overarm throw
Preparation — side-on stance, wide base, weight back: stability high and the throwing arm long. Execution — hips rotate first, then chest, then arm, so force builds through the body and acts over a long time (large impulse). The arm is a third class lever, so its length adds speed at the hand. Follow-through — the front leg blocks and the body decelerates over several steps, spreading the force. Fault to correct first: an early arm, before hip rotation, which loses most of the impulse.
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
Rising onto the toes at the ankle joint is an example of which lever class?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Movement mechanics: levers, force and technique
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Rising onto the toes at the ankle joint is an example of which lever class?
2. Bending the knees on landing reduces the force on the joints because it:
3. Which change increases stability?
4. When correcting technique, you should usually fix faults:
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
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Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover
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Develop their technique and improve their performance in other competitive sports, such as athletics and gymnastics