ATHLETICS
STEM-Based
ATHLETICS
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
MERIT BADGE SERIES
“Enhancing our youths’ competitive edge through merit badges”
Athletics
If meeting any of the requirements for this merit badge is against the Scout’s reli-
gious convictions, the requirement does not have to be done if the Scout’s par-
ents and the proper religious advisors state in writing that to do so would be
against religious convictions. The Scout’s parents must also accept full responsi-
bility for anything that might happen because of this exemption.
Requirement 2a is being added for health and safety, and to provide consistency
with the Personal Fitness merit badge.
1. Do the following:
(a) Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter
during athletics activities, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent,
mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
(b) Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur
while participating in athletics events, including sprains, strains, contusions,
abrasions, blisters, dehydration, and heat reactions.
2. Do the following:
(a) Before completing requirements 3 and 5, have your health-care practitioner
give you a physical examination, using the Scout medical examination form.
(b) Explain the importance of a physical exam.
(c) Explain the importance of maintaining good health habits, especially
during training—and how the use of tobacco products, alcohol, and other
harmful substances can negatively affect your health and your performance
in athletic activities.
(d) Explain the importance of maintaining a healthy diet.
3. Select an athletic activity that interests you, then do the following:
(a) With guidance from your counselor, establish a personal training program
suited to the activity you have chosen. Follow this training program for
three months.
(b) Create a chart to monitor your progress during this time.
(c) Explain to your counselor the equipment necessary to participate in this
activity and the appropriate clothing for the time of year.
(d) At the end of four months, review the chart you created for requirement
3b, and discuss with your counselor what progress you have made during
training. Tell how your development has affected you mentally and physically.
4. Do the following:
(a) Give the rules for two athletic activities, one of which is the activity you
chose for requirement 3.
(b) Discuss the importance of warming up and cooling down.
(c) Explain to your counselor what an amateur athlete is and the differences
between an amateur and a professional athlete.
(d) Discuss the traits and importance of good sportsmanship. Tell what role
sportsmanship plays in both individual and group athletic activities.
5. Complete the activities in FOUR of the following groups and show improvement
over a three-month period:
Group 1: Sprinting
(a) 100-meter dash
(b) 200-meter dash
Group 2: Long-Distance Running
(a) 3k run
(b) 5k run
Group 3: Long Jump OR High Jump
(a) Running long jump OR running high jump (best of three tries)
(b) Standing long jump OR standing high jump (best of three tries)
Group 4: Swimming
(a) 100-meter swim
(b) 200-meter swim
Group 5: Pull-Ups AND Push-Ups
(a) Pull-ups in two minutes
(b) Push-ups in two minutes
Group 6: Baseball Throw
(a) Baseball throw for accuracy, 10 throws at a target (distance to be determined
by age): ages 11 to 12, 20 feet; ages 13 to 15, 30 feet; ages 16 to 17, 40 feet
(b) Baseball throw for distance, five throws (total distance)
Group 7: Basketball Shooting
(a) Basketball shot for accuracy, 10 free-throw shots
(b) Basketball throw for skill and agility, the following shots as shown on
the diagram:
(1) Left-side layup
(2) Right-side layup
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(c) Explain to your counselor the equipment necessary to participate in this
activity and the appropriate clothing for the time of year.
(d) At the end of four months, review the chart you created for requirement
3b, and discuss with your counselor what progress you have made during
training. Tell how your development has affected you mentally and physically.
4. Do the following:
(a) Give the rules for two athletic activities, one of which is the activity you
chose for requirement 3.
(b) Discuss the importance of warming up and cooling down.
(c) Explain to your counselor what an amateur athlete is and the differences
between an amateur and a professional athlete.
(d) Discuss the traits and importance of good sportsmanship. Tell what role
sportsmanship plays in both individual and group athletic activities.
5. Complete the activities in FOUR of the following groups and show improvement
over a three-month period:
Group 1: Sprinting
(a) 100-meter dash
(b) 200-meter dash
Group 2: Long-Distance Running
(a) 3k run
(b) 5k run
Group 3: Long Jump OR High Jump
(a) Running long jump OR running high jump (best of three tries)
(b) Standing long jump OR standing high jump (best of three tries)
Group 4: Swimming
(a) 100-meter swim
(b) 200-meter swim
Group 5: Pull-Ups AND Push-Ups
(a) Pull-ups in two minutes
(b) Push-ups in two minutes
Group 6: Baseball Throw
(a) Baseball throw for accuracy, 10 throws at a target (distance to be determined
by age): ages 11 to 12, 20 feet; ages 13 to 15, 30 feet; ages 16 to 17, 40 feet
(b) Baseball throw for distance, five throws (total distance)
Group 7: Basketball Shooting
(a) Basketball shot for accuracy, 10 free-throw shots
(b) Basketball throw for skill and agility, the following shots as shown on
the diagram:
(1) Left-side layup
(2) Right-side layup
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
(3) Left side of hoop, along the key line
(4) Right side of hoop, along the key line
(5) Where key line and free-throw
line meet, left side
(6) Where key line and free-throw
line meet, right side
(7) Top of the key
(8) Anywhere along the
three-point line
Group 8: Football Kick OR Soccer Kick
(a) Goals from the 10-yard line,
eight kicks
(b) Football kick or soccer kick for distance,
five kicks (total distance)
Group 9: Weight Training
(a) Chest/bench press, two sets of 15 repetitions each
(b) Leg curls, two sets of 15 repetitions each
6. Do the following:
(a) Prepare plans for conducting a sports meet or field day that includes
10 activities, at least five of which must come from the groups mentioned
in requirement 5. Outline the duties of each official needed and list the
equipment the meet will require.
(b) With your parent’s and counselor’s approval, serve as an official or
volunteer at a sports meet to observe officials in action. Tell your counselor
about your responsibilities at the meet and discuss what you learned.
62 ATHLETICS
Athletics Resources.
Athletics Resources
Scouting Literature
Deck of First Aid; Emergency First
Aid pocket guide; Backpacking,
Canoeing, Climbing, Cooking, Cycling,
First Aid, Fishing, Fly-Fishing, Golf,
Hiking, Horsemanship, Kayaking,
Personal Fitness, Rowing, Skating,
Small-Boat Sailing, Snow Sports,
Sports, Swimming, Water Sports, and
Whitewater merit badge pamphlets.
Books
American College of Sports Medicine.
ACSM Fitness Book, 3rd ed. Human
Kinetics Publishers, 2003.
American Red Cross. First Aid/CPR/
AED Participant’s Manual, 2nd ed.
American Red Cross, 2014.
Burke, Edmund R., Ph.D., ed. Precision
Heart Rate Training. Human Kinetics
Publishers, 1998.
Carr, Gerry. Fundamentals of Track
and Field, 2nd ed. Human Kinetics
Publishers, 1999.
Dintiman, George Blough. Speed
Improvement for Young Athletes:
How to Sprint Faster in Your Sport in
30 Workouts. National Association
of Speed and Explosion, 2002.
Ellis, Joseph, D.P.M. Running Injury-
Free, 2nd ed. Rodale Books, 2013.
Fortin, Francois, ed. Sports: The
Complete Visual Reference.
Firefly Books Ltd., 2003.
Greene, Larry, and Russ Pate. Training
for Young Distance Runners, 3rd ed.
Human Kinetics Publishers, 2014.
Jackson, Colin. Young Track and
Field Athlete. Dorling Kindersley
Publishing, 1996.
Visit the Boy Scouts of America’s
official retail website at
http://www.scoutstuff.org for a
complete listing of all merit badge
pamphlets and other helpful
Scouting materials and supplies.
ATHLETICS 63
.Athletics Resources
Organizations and Websites
Amateur Athletic Union
National Headquarters
P.O. Box 22409
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Telephone: 800-228-4872
Website: http://www.aausports.org
American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
9700 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 200
Rosemont, IL 60018
Telephone: 847-737-6000
Website: http://www.aapmr.org
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Telephone: 507-284-2511
Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com
President’s Council on Fitness,
Sports, & Nutrition
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 560
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone: 240-276-9567
Website: http://fitness.gov
USA Track & Field
132 E. Washington St., Suite 800
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Telephone: 317-261-0500
Website: http://www.usatf.org
U.S. Olympic Training Center
National Headquarters
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Telephone: 719-632-5551
Website: http://www.teamusa.org
Youth Sports Safety Alliance
Telephone: 214-637-6282
Website: http://www.youthsports
safetyalliance.org
Acknowledgments
The Boy Scouts of America is grateful
to personal trainers John Charles and
Jeremy Duke of Womack’s Personal
Training Gym, Keller, Texas, for their
expertise and assistance during the
production of this revised edition of
the Athletics merit badge pamphlet.
The BSA also thanks the management
and staff of Womack’s for the use of its
facility for a photo shoot.
The BSA is grateful to Tracy Boone
of Better Bodies, Denver, Colorado, and
personal trainer Rose Bily of Dallas,
Texas, for their assistance and for their
expertise in reviewing the pamphlet.
The Boy Scouts of America is
grateful to the men and women serving
on the Merit Badge Maintenance Task
Force for the improvements made in
updating this pamphlet.
