Athletics: The Heave Throw

Australian Curriculum:
Practise specialised movement skills and apply them in a variety of movement sequences and situations (ACPMP061).
Participate positively in groups and teams by encouraging others and negotiating roles and responsibilities (ACPMP067).
Apply critical and creative thinking processes in order to generate and assess solutions to movement challenges (ACPMP068).

Aim:
Use running, jumping, throwing and catching in isolation and in combination; Develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and
balance in the context of the heave throw.
To throw for distance using a heave throw technique.
Resources/Equipment: Preparation:
Lesson Pack Warm-Up and Cool-Down Cards

Netballs, basketballs or soccer balls – per pair; cones; hoops; Skills Poster: Overhead Heave Throw
measuring tapes; pencils for recording throws. Area Plan: How Far Can You Throw?
Area Plan: Heave Throw Golf
Heave Throw Recording Sheet
Differentiated Non-Participation Sheet - as required
KWL Grid

Success Criteria: Key Questions: Key Words:

I can throw using the overhead How many sports can you name that involve throwing? Throw, heave throw, overhead
heave throw technique. How many different types of throws can you name? heave throw, throwing technique,
What equipment is thrown in different sports? What fundamental movement skills,
I can select the appropriate
does heave mean? Talk about one thing you did well hammer.
throwing technique to use in a
today. Name one thing you could develop further? How
game (for both distance
could you do this? Give yourself a star rating (out of five
and accuracy).
stars) for effort and for technique. What one thing did
I can evaluate my own and your partner do well? What one thing could your partner
other’s performance. develop further? How could they do this? Describe the
overhead heave throw technique. What have you most
enjoyed? Why? What have you least enjoyed? Why?
What do you like best about athletics? What have you
found most difficult this term in athletics? What would
you like to get better at? How can you achieve this? How
would you describe what athletics involves to someone
who doesn’t know anything about it?

Prior Learning: Ask students to complete the KWL Grid to ascertain their level of prior knowledge of throwing in athletic events.

Let’s Get Ready

Types of Throws: Slide 5: Prior to going outside, refer to the Lesson Presentation and ask How many
sports can you name that involve throwing? How many different types of throws can you name? What
equipment is thrown in different sports? Students answer the questions and share what they know
about throwing. Reveal some of the sports that involve throwing, throwing techniques and throwing
equipment using the Lesson Presentation.

Throwing in Athletics: Slide 6: Use the Lesson Presentation to explain the Olympic throwing events.

Primary Throwing: Slide 7: Use the Lesson Presentation to explain throwing in primary athletics.

Skills Snapshot: Slide 8: Very briefly introduce the skills to be covered in the lesson. These will be taught
in detail in the ‘Let’s Get Moving’ section of the lesson.

PE | Year 6 | Outdoor | Athletics | The Heave Throw | Lesson 6 visit twinkl.com.au

Let’s Get Moving
Warm-Up: Throw and Run: netballs, basketballs or soccer balls: Refer to the Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Cards for instructions on the warm-up activity, Throw and Run.

Skill – Overhead Heave Throw: netballs, basketballs or soccer balls: Ask What does heave mean?
Remind students that it means to lift or haul something heavy with great effort. In athletics, the hammer
throw involves athletes throwing a metal ball, that’s attached to a grip by a steel wire, using a two-
handed heave throw technique. The metal ball weighs 7.26kg for the men and 4kg for the women,
therefore requiring great power and force to move it over distances of over 85m for the men’s and 82m
for the women’s world records.
Today, we will be learning the technique for a two handed over the head heave throw which uses the
whole body. However, we won’t be throwing a metal ball! We will be throwing a netball or similar ball,
which if done correctly, should travel further than the distances achieved in other throws due to all parts
of the body contributing to the action.
Share the Skills Poster: The Overhead Heave Throw and carry out the suggested activities to practise
this technique, which is explained in detail on the Skills Poster.
• As the thrower is facing in the opposite direction to the throw, the coach has the responsibility of
making sure the area is clear before each throw.
• Work in pairs, taking it in turns to throw and play the role of coach.
• Practise the technique for the heave throw while being observed by the coach, who should give you
feedback on your technique where possible. Swap roles.

How Far Can You Throw? netballs, basketballs, soccer balls, cones and skipping ropes: Share the Area
Plan: How Far Can You Throw? to set up the activity and explain how pairs should organise themselves.
Emphasise that they should be trying to throw as far as possible in this activity and will need to record
their distances using the Heave Throw Recording Sheet.

• Take it in turns to overhead heave throw a ball as far as possible and measure the distance thrown.
• Cones should be placed at one metre intervals either side of the throwing area, so that a measurement
to the nearest metre can be obtained.
• After the ball is thrown, a cone is placed on the spot where it first lands - not where it ends up.
The pair then measure the throw together and record it on the Heave Throw Recording Sheet.

Emphasise the importance of making sure the area is clear before throwing.

Heave-Throw Golf: netballs, basketballs, soccer balls, beanbags and cones: Refer to the Area Plan:
Heave-Throw Golf to set up the game and explain how pairs should organise themselves.

• One to heave throw and the other to underarm throw.

• The aim is to get the ball into the first hoop (par two) with the fewest number of throws.
• Heave throwers tee off from the throwing line with an overhead heave throw.
• Underarm throwers stand at the side of the throwing area. Wherever the ball ends up, once it has
stopped rolling, is where the partner takes over with an underarm throw or roll.
• If the pair feel it is still too far away from the hoop, they may opt for another heave throw to get it
closer.
• They may aim for whichever par two hoop is closest to their ball or beanbag.
• The pairs swap over and then repeat the process with the par three hoop and so on.

Move the hoops closer; use a beanbag; Move the hoops further away; use a
use a light ball. heavier ball; add in a par four hole; set
up the hole to include obstacles such as
trees and play equipment.

Cool-Down: Yoga Poses: Refer to the Warm-Up and Cool-Down Cards for instructions on the cool-down
activity, Yoga Poses.

PE | Year 6 | Outdoor | Athletics | The Heave Throw | Lesson 6 visit twinkl.com.au

 Heave-Throw Golf: netballs, basketballs, soccer balls, beanbags and cones: Refer to the Area Plan:
Heave-Throw Golf to set up the game and explain how pairs should organise themselves.

• One to heave throw and the other to underarm throw.

• The aim is to get the ball into the first hoop (par two) with the fewest number of throws.
• Heave throwers tee off from the throwing line with an overhead heave throw.
• Underarm throwers stand at the side of the throwing area. Wherever the ball ends up, once it has
stopped rolling, is where the partner takes over with an underarm throw or roll.
• If the pair feel it is still too far away from the hoop, they may opt for another heave throw to get it
closer.
• They may aim for whichever par two hoop is closest to their ball or beanbag.
• The pairs swap over and then repeat the process with the par three hoop and so on.

Move hoops closer; use a beanbag; use Move the hoops further away; use a
a light ball. heavier ball; add in a par four hole; set
up the hole to include obstacles such as
trees and play equipment.

Cool-Down: Yoga Poses: Refer to the Warm-Up and Cool-Down Cards for instructions on the cool-down
activity, Yoga Poses.

Let’s Review
Heave Throw: How Did It Go? Slide 11: Once back in the classroom, pick three different questions to
answer in the Lesson Presentation. Talk about one thing you did well today. Name one thing you could
develop further? How could you do this? Give yourself a star rating (out of five stars) for effort and for
technique. What one thing did your partner do well? What one thing could your partner develop further?
How could they do this? Describe the overhead heave throw technique.

Unit Round-Up: Slide 12: Refer to the images in the Lesson Presentation to help recap on all the skills
that have been covered throughout the unit.

Unit Evaluation: Slide 13: Discuss and answer the questions in the Lesson Presentation. What have you
most enjoyed? Why? What have you least enjoyed? Why? What do you like best about athletics? What
have you found most difficult this term in athletics? What would you like to get better at? How can you
achieve this? How would you describe what athletics involves to someone who doesn’t know anything
about it?

Extra Time
If done correctly, the heave throw should travel further than the distances achieved in other throws. Investigate whether this is
the case.

Assessment
All Demonstrates some elements of the overhead heave throw
Students:
technique and work hard to improve on their personal best.

Uses different throwing techniques for distance and Students:

accuracy.

Most Demonstrates an effective technique for overhead heave Students:

throw technique and is able to gain good distance.

Effectively uses different throwing techniques for distance Students:

and accuracy.

Some Demonstrates power and strength with the overhead heave Students:
throw, thus gaining excellent distance with it.

Effectively uses different throwing techniques for distance Students:

and accuracy, leading to success in the game.

PE | Year 6 | Outdoor | Athletics | The Heave Throw | Lesson 6 visit twinkl.com.au