Physical Education (Yoga, Sports)
Subject code 321 · domain paper
Each of those rules names Physical Education (Yoga, Sports) outright — no combination of the other papers reaches them. That is the whole case for spending one of five slots on it.
The paper at a glance
Physical Education (Yoga, Sports) carries the subject code 321. The syllabus described here is the one published for 2026-27.
It is a theory syllabus. Nothing in it asks you to perform a skill; it asks you to know the rules, the physiology, the policies, the names of asanas and the fitness tests.
How the syllabus is organised
The document is laid out in nine units, Unit I to Unit IX. The units do not build on one another; each is a self-contained theme, and they are as different as national health policy and Newton's laws.
The syllabus is a list of topics only. It does not print question counts, marks, negative marking or timing. Read it alongside the exam pattern.
Units I and II: Health, psychology and society
The first two units are the "background" half of the paper: public-health programmes and diseases, then the psychological and sociological side of sport.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Unit I: Health Status and Programmes in India | Present health status; National Health Policies; National Rural Health Mission (NRHM); nutritional status — hypo-nutrition and hyper-nutrition; School Health Services and the Midday Meal Programme; Adolescence Education Programme; inclusive physical education — advantages of physical activities for children with special needs, and strategies to make physical activities accessible to them; major diseases — communicable: typhoid, influenza, malaria, dengue, HIV infection; non-communicable: diabetes, hypertension, obesity and arthritis |
| Unit II: Psychological and Sociological Aspects of Physical Education and Sports | Psychological aspects: role of psychology in games and sports; motivation, its types and techniques in sports; personality and theories of personality (C. G. Jung, Sheldon, Big Five Factor Theory); role of sports in managing emotion, anxiety and aggression. Sociological aspects: development of leadership qualities through games and sports; role of physical education in promoting national integration |
Units III and IV: Games and yoga
Unit III names fifteen games and, for each, expects the same three things: the specifications of the play area, the general rules and the fundamental skills. Unit IV is a named list of yogic practices grouped by posture.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Unit III: Theoretical Aspect of Games, Sports and Yogic Practice | Basics of games and sports — Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Swimming, Table Tennis and Wrestling: specifications of play fields and arenas, general rules, fundamental skills |
| Unit IV: Yoga — Basics of Yogic Practices | Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation); asanas — standing: Vrikshasana, Trikonasana, Padahastasana, Utkatasana, Ardha Chakrasana; sitting: Parvatasana, Ustrasana, Yogamudrasana, Simhasana, Dhanurasana, Sukhasana; lying prone: Makarasana, Shalabhasana, Bhujangasana; lying supine: Viparita Karani, Sarvangasana; advanced asanas: Kukkutasana, Mayurasana; kriya: Kapalbhati, Tratak, Neti, Dhauti; bandha: Uddiyana and Jalandhara Bandha; pranayama: Bhramari, Sheetali, Ujjayi and Nadi Shodhana; Yoganidra; do's and don'ts of yogic practices |
Units V and VI: Nutrition, injuries, policies and careers
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Unit V: Nutrition and Athlete's Care | Food and nutrition: macro and micro nutrients and balanced diet; importance of diet in sports — pre-, during- and post-competition requirements; food adulteration and awareness; postural deformities and their corrective measures; causes and management of common sports injuries — sprain, strain, contusion, abrasion, dislocation — and types of fracture: oblique, impacted, comminuted, transverse, greenstick |
| Unit VI: Policies, Programmes and Career Options in Sports | National sports policies in India; sports awards — Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award; career opportunities in physical education, sports and yoga in India; courses offered in physical education, sports and yoga in India |
Units VII to IX: Training, testing and the science of movement
The closing units are the most technical: training methods for each fitness component, the specific field tests used to measure them, and exercise physiology with basic biomechanics.
| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Unit VII: Skill Related Physical Fitness | Means and methods for the improvement of strength (isometric, isotonic and isokinetic exercises), endurance (continuous training, interval training and Fartlek training), speed (acceleration runs and pace runs) and flexibility (ballistic method and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, PNF) |
| Unit VIII: Measurement and Evaluation | Strength: standing broad jump, backward medicine ball throw; speed: 50-metre sprint; agility: shuttle run (4 x 10 metres), SEMO agility test; balance: static balance (Flamingo balance test) and dynamic balance (Modified Bass test); Rikli and Jones Senior Citizen Fitness Test |
| Unit IX: Physiology and Biomechanics in Sports | Physiological factors determining the components of physical fitness; effects of exercise on the muscular system; effects of exercise on the cardio-respiratory system; Newton's laws of motion and their application in sports; types of levers and their application in sports |
What this syllabus does not tell you
The document is a topic list and nothing more. From it you cannot learn:
- how many questions come from each unit, or the marks, negative marking and duration — those are on the exam pattern;
- the weightage of any unit, so treat every unit as examinable rather than ranking them;
- how deep a question on any one game will go: the syllabus says "general rules" and "fundamental skills", not which rules;
- which books to use; the syllabus names no textbook;
- how much weight a university gives this paper once you qualify — the programmes that accept it are listed below, but the marks or ranking rule each one applies sits in its own admission bulletin.
A caution specific to this document: the NTA file is a scanned image rather than typed text. Some headings run together in the scan (Unit I carries two sub-heads in its title line), the list of games is printed twice across a page break, the eighth unit heading is smudged and reads like "Unit-VIL", and several asana names are misspelt ("Padhatasana", "Pravatasana", "Sheetli"). The tables above use the standard spellings and read the eighth unit as Unit VIII from its position, so expect the printed form to differ slightly when you check it. For anything about attempt rules or numbers of questions, go to the NTA information bulletin and the exam pattern rather than to this list.
Where this paper can take you
Programmes whose rule can use Physical Education (Yoga, Sports), from the 7 universities whose documents we have read. 3 of them cannot be reached any other way.
B Design (Fashion) [ 2+2 with international credit transfer option] · B Sc (IT) [2+2 with international credit transfer option] · B. Arch. · and 104 more
B.A. (Hons.) Political Science · B.A. (Programme) · B.A. (Hons.) Psychology · and 45 more
Bachelor of Arts (Global Studies) · Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) - Economics · Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) - English · and 11 more
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) · B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) · Five Year Integrated Programme in Management (BBA & MBA) · and 7 more
Bachelor of Physical Education & Sports · Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Yoga · Bachelor of Science (Yoga) (Honours/Honours with Research)