What are the six categories of specialized sports skills?

According to the current "Compulsory Education Physical Education and Health Curriculum Standards (2022 Edition)", special sports skills are clearly divided into six categories: ball sports, track and field sports, gymnastics sports, water or ice and snow sports, traditional Chinese sports, and emerging sports. However, I have been teaching and researching physical education in primary and secondary schools for almost ten years. To be honest, the boundaries of these six categories are not monolithic. The classification is flexible in different scenarios, and there are many disputes.

Take the most common ball games as an example. Basketball, football, and badminton leagues usually held in schools are all included in this category. But is shuttlecock considered a ball game or a traditional sport? Many colleagues have different opinions. If you take the competitive shuttlecock route, it will generally be classified as a ball game. If you want to play fancy shuttlecock, it will usually be classified as traditional sports. The choice depends on the school's teaching direction. Many people's impression of track and field is still that of running and jumping. In fact, it has been relaxed a long time ago. Outdoor sports such as orienteering and field survival are also included in track and field in many places. Our district just held a primary and secondary orienteering competition last month, which is a special exhibition of track and field. Children can also recognize maps while running, which is much more popular than running 800 meters.

When it comes to the category of gymnastics, you frown first. It is not a professional competitive event that allows you to do somersaults or balance beams. Cheerleading, rhythmic gymnastics, technical sports, and even figure skipping can all be classified into this category. The cheerleading teacher our school recruited last year is now part of the gymnastics teaching and research group, and the team he led also won the first prize in the city competition. Water, ice and snow were once a big problem for schools in the south. After all, given the geographical conditions here, you can’t dig a swimming pool or build a snow field out of thin air, right? In fact, there are already alternatives. Dry land curling, simulated rowing, and roller coasters are all expansion projects of this type. They do not require hard cards and require real ice and water. Our school held a fun dry land curling competition last year. The children were sweating while playing, and the effect was no worse than on real ice.

The weight of traditional Chinese sports has become higher and higher in recent years. In addition to the familiar martial arts, dragon and lion dance, traditional minority sports such as diabolo, archery, and Mongolian boxing are also included. Last year, we took students to the provincial traditional sports exhibition and won the third prize in the dragon dance event. Many children were happier than receiving certificates for cultural classes. Finally, let’s talk about the most controversial emerging sports. Many people are confused about what counts as this category. Some people even think that anything they have never seen before can be counted. In fact, the course standards clearly give reference: rock climbing, skateboarding, Frisbee, roller skating, etc. are all counted, as is the now popular pickleball. There are many places that fall into this category. Our school just launched the Frisbee elective course last week, and the seats were taken up in two minutes. Some parents asked if it was "just playing around". In fact, it is a serious sports skill, with rules and techniques no less than basketball.

In fact, for our front-line teachers, the division of these six categories is more like a reference frame. There is no need to stick to the boundaries. As long as the children can find the projects they are interested in and practice one or two sports skills that can last a lifetime, it is better than anything else.