When groups meet to be physically active together, there are both leaders and followers. Both are necessary if people are going to be active in the group. For example, physical education teachers and coaches are sometimes leaders of physical activities because they know how to get people moving to make the most of an activity session. Fitness leaders such as aerobic dance instructors or personal trainers are examples of people who are experts in physical activity who can help people to be active. Even for adults, having an expert leader can be helpful because adults are often busy and want to make the most of the time that they have set aside for activity. When you have an expert leader, you are often the follower who benefits from the fact that the leader is an expert.
Sometimes we are part of groups in which non-experts, including members of the group, are called on to be leaders. Leaders can be formally elected, be informally chosen by group members, be chosen because they know more than others about activities, or volunteer because no one else wants to lead. Like expert leaders, they need followers to be helpful for all group members to enjoy and benefit from activities. Paying attention to your leader aids full participation.
