Dodging and chasing
Physical Education · Early Years · The School
More than just speed
Being chased is not only about running fast. Changing direction suddenly is often more useful. A quick turn can gain you more ground than a burst of speed in a straight line, especially in a small space.
The fake
Look and lean one way. Then push off the other way instead. That small trick is called a FAKE. It buys you a moment, because the chaser reacts to the wrong direction first, before they can correct.
Bent knees, ready feet
Stay low, with bent knees, when you expect to dodge. Straight, stiff legs are slow to change direction. Bent knees are ready to push off any way at once, without any delay at all.
Ask a friend to try to tag you as you run across a space. First, just run in a straight line, as fast as you can. See how often they catch you. Now try it again, but this time lean one way, then push off the other way at the last moment. See how that changes things. Most people get caught far less often using the fake, even though they are not running any faster than before. The trick was in the direction, not the speed.