The purpose of this article is to introduce readers to a novel curriculum for teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and share appropriate techniques for use in school-based settings. The traditional BJJ has been modified (e.g., submissions are excluded) to provide a safer version that includes fundamental strategies and content that teachers and…

The purpose of this article is two fold including how to use functional movement exercises as part of a warm-up routine and how to embed functional fitness movements into youth sport practice sessions.

The SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards have long been the foundation for best practices in quality physical education. Following the 10-year cycle for revising the standards, a task force with diverse professional backgrounds convened to update the National Standards with special consideration for stakeholders who will be impacted…

Physical activity stations are a simple approach to engage in physical activity breaks during the elementary school day. This article describes the procedures involved in creating physical activity stations that can be implemented in elementary schools nationwide.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an effective strategy for improving health-related fitness in youth. With continued trends of reduced physical education activity time, disturbing youth obesity rates, and outdated fitness testing practices, HIIT training becomes a viable option to use in physical programs to increase physical health and…

One method for physical educators to increase their contact hours with their students is curricular integration, which consists of combining two or more subject areas with the goal of fostering enhanced learning in each subject area. This article provides an example of a possible integrated lesson plan involving physical education and art.

Teachers are often challenged with trying to determine the most effective way of developing task progression. Following developmentally appropriate steps that will lead to effective skill development can facilitate student learning. Using the acronym NEMWPT--which stands for No equipment, Equipment, Movement, Wall work, Partners, and Teams--may…

The use of technology to promote physical activity has been rapidly gaining popularity as technological advances find ever-broadening applications. Though some technology aspects (i.e., on-screen video games) were for long perceived to be incompatible with efforts to diminish physical inactivity, evolving technology has made incorporating newer…

This article provides three movement-based activities for teaching health concepts to elementary school students. Two activities focus on nutrition concepts and the other focuses on teaching body systems. Diagrams are provided to show the setup of activities, as well as links for accessing materials to help implement the activities.

Each year, physical educators are asked to incorporate even more math, language arts, science and social studies into their curriculum. The challenge is how to do this without sacrificing the essential health and life skills provided by a quality physical education program. One program, Math & Movement, is a great aid for physical educators to…

Many schools now decorate their outside hard surface areas with maps. These maps provide color and excitement to a playground and are a terrific teaching tool for geography. But these maps can easily be integrated into physical education as well to promote both physical activity as well as knowledge of geography. The purpose of this article is to…

The development of fundamental movement skills is essential in quality physical education. It has become widely accepted that school-age children who fail to reach the automatic phase in fundamental movement-skill development may choose physically inactive and unhealthy lifestyles. Therefore, physical educators must continue to discover ways to…

The importance of regular moderately intense exercise for overall wellness has been well documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Reductions in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis, and increased brain function can be achieved by being active throughout life. Quality…

This article discusses the background of Zumba, the need for it as a result of its growing popularity, the national standards it supports, and the necessary steps that need to be taken to properly implement Zumba in physical education programs. When taking a closer look at the standards that Zumba supports, it is evident that Zumba can serve as a…

All physical educators want to provide lessons that foster success. Particularly essential to the movement education framework is not only providing lessons that foster motor success, but also to develop knowledge about movement to help the learner develop skill in executing all different types of movement. The framework and examples provided in…