SECTION A
Health, Fitness and Factors Affecting Performance
Subject content
Health and Fitness Candidates should have:
Health. Knowledge of what being healthy consists of and an understanding of the differences between health and fitness and how they are related..
Fitness. An understanding of the basic components of fitness to include the following: strength, endurance, flexibility, agility, balance, speed, power, co-ordination, reaction time and body composition and how they relate to selection into different activities.
The concept of both physical and mental fitness being relative to their purpose and the activity.
An understanding of general and specific fitness, i.e. what is fit for a club standard performer compared to an international standard performer in the same activity.
Physical Activity Candidates should have knowledge and understanding of the following reasons for undertaking exercise, and how and why exercise may vary to suit the needs of the different purposes.
For the Maintenance of Good Health
Strength and stamina requirements for general health such as the ability to carry out repeatedly a series of manual tasks, e.g. stacking shelves or standing on their feet all day. The effect of lack of exercise on the body.s ability to perform such tasks efficiently. Flexibility for everyday living such as the ability to perform a range of simple movements without discomfort e.g. tying shoe laces, reaching up for a book.
To maintain a good level of fitness.
Postural considerations, considering the effects on the body of poor posture, i.e. curved back leading to permanent deformity of the spine, strained back and abdominal muscles, rounded shoulders impairing breathing. The need for good muscle tone.
Energy requirements linked to factors such as age, gender and activity/exercise level.
Psychological benefits of participation in terms of the relief of tension and stress/stress related illness and the added enjoyment of life.
Social benefits in terms of meeting new friends with shared common
interests.
For the Performer
The specific requirements of different physical activities taking into account possible playing/performing seasons and closed seasons.
Candidates should understand why many activities have a closed season for rest and recuperation to take place, and the need for winter or out of season training, during which time strength and endurance are built up.
Why, as the playing seasons approach, training is changed to sharpen up, more specifically to the game/event. This should include skills practices to develop techniques/set pieces where appropriate.
Some sports/events require all year round training/participation.
Climatic conditions can make this difficult due to severe winter weather at home. There may be an option for some performers to travel abroad for warm weather training, (or possible altitude training) but this is dependent on finance/funding. These opportunities would, therefore, not be available to all participants.
Reasons for Warm-Ups/ Warm-Downs
Effect on body temperature, range of movement increased, gradual increase of effort to full pace, psychological preparation, practice of movement skills through the whole range of movement.
Allowing the body to recover, including the removal of lactic acid to prevent soreness/stiffness later.
Diet
For the Maintenance of Good Health
Balanced diets contain appropriate amounts of:
carbohydrates, fats and proteins
vitamins, limited to vitamins A, C and D
minerals, limited to iodine, iron and calcium
fibre/roughage
water (fluids).
Reasons why these substances are required to ensure a balanced diet with an understanding of the types of food which contain the above.
Energy equations and metabolic rates considering the types and amounts of foods consumed compared with the amounts and types of exercise taken. Causes and results on the body of dietary imbalance/ deficiency with particular reference to obesity and the effects of dieting to excess and their effects on performance.
Specific Requirements for different Performers
Comparison of dietary needs between people taking part in different physical activities. Special diets for different types of activity including carbohydrate loading, high protein intake, and the importance of maintaining fluid levels to prevent dehydration. An understanding of the consideration given to diet for endurance events and dietary needs
before, during and after the training/competition phase.
Fitness for Physical Activities
Much of the biological content of the following sections will have been taught and learnt during Key Stages 3 and 4 Science. This specification is concerned with the application of this knowledge in the context of physical movement and the improvement of performance.
The Performer in Action
Candidates should be able to discuss and explain how and why the separate body systems inter-relate during physical activity. They should know and understand how these systems contribute to and affect performance, and of the effects of physical activity on the
systems, in relation to the activity, to different people of different ages and for life-long health. This includes being aware of the effects of training and exercise on the
body and the ways in which it can improve levels of performance.
How the skeletal system contributes to performance
Candidates should be able to explain the functions of the skeletal system in differing activities to include: support, protection, movement, shape and blood cell production and the effects of physical activity on the skeletal system.
Knowledge of the main bones and their role in body movement during physical activity and in sports actions is limited to:
clavicle
scapula
humerus
radius/ulna
sternum
ribs
pelvis
femur
tibia/fibula
patella.
How different physical movements are achieved
The different types of joint action that allow the movement in relation to performance in physical activities, such as jumping, kicking and throwing, etc. and the locations of the moveable (synovial), immovable and slightly movable joints involved.
Types of freely moveable joints to include gliding, hinge, pivot, condyloid and ball and socket that allow different movement.
Range of movement limited to: flexion, extension, rotation, abduction
and adduction.
The basic functions in physical movement of cartilage and ligaments.
The contribution of muscle groups to movement and performance
The ways that muscles work in different physical activities such as upper body in throwing and lower body in jumping, etc.
Major muscle groups and the associated skeletal structure.
Voluntary (skeletal), involuntary (smooth) and cardiac muscle.
The actions of muscles, prime movers (agonists), antagonists and synergists in different movements in physical activity.
Muscle attachment: origin and insertion and the role and function of tendons in achieving physical movement.
Reference to the specific action of muscles and their contribution to
movements in different physical activities, is limited to:
biceps
triceps
deltoids
pectorals
trapezius
abdominals
latissimus dorsi
gluteals
quadriceps
hamstrings
gastrocnemius.
How training affects the circulatory system
The benefits of training for the performer, e.g. endurance athletes.
The effects and needs of different demands from different activities.
How and why knowledge of the production of the heart beat, the heart acting as a pump in a double circulatory system, methods of locating and recording the pulse, blood pressure and pressure points can be used to determine the effects of exercise on the body.
The function and role of the blood in the transport of oxygen, glucose and waste products, body temperature control and protection.
The effects of training upon breathing and the respiratory system
The benefits of training for the performer, e.g. an endurance event athlete or performer.
Knowledge of parts of the breathing system is limited to:
air passages
trachea
alveoli
lungs
The interaction of the intercostal muscles, ribs and diaphragm in breathing.
Gaseous exchange and the lungs as excretory organs for carbon dioxide.
Respiration as the process that takes place in living cells, releasing energy from food molecules for physical activity.
Understanding the terms aerobic and anaerobic in relation to exercise
aerobic respiration in the presence of oxygen, summarised as:
glucose + oxygen = energy + carbon dioxide + water
anaerobic respiration in the absence of oxygen summarised as:
glucose θ energy + lactic acid.
Oxygen debt as the result of muscles respiring anaerobically during vigorous exercise and producing a mild poison called lactic acid.
The recovery process from vigorous exercise.
SECTION B
Principles of Training
Linked to the effects of the health and fitness aspects of physical activity and
performance, candidates should have knowledge and understanding of how and why training and other factors influence performance.
Fitness Training
Knowledge and understanding of terminology used:
Specificity, Overload (including Frequency, Intensity and Duration), Progression, Reversibility, Repetitions/Sets.
Aerobic/Anaerobic Fitness . advantages and limitations.
Specific Training Methods
The effects on the body and advantages and disadvantages of:
Weight Training. Circuit Training. Interval Training. Fartlek Training.
Continuous Training. Aerobic/Anaerobic. Altitude Training.
The effects of muscular endurance
On participation and selection into an activity leading to an understanding of events/activities requiring high levels, e.g. long/middle distance running.
Means of improving/developing muscular endurance such as sit-ups, chin ups, dips, press ups, etc.
Understanding what is meant by strength
Why different types of strength might be required for different activities, such as static strength, explosive strength and dynamic strength and sporting examples of each.
The importance of the difference between muscular strength and muscular endurance in physical activities and ways of improving muscular strength.
Understanding what flexibility consists of
The range of movement around a joint.
The need for flexibility. To include ways in which improved flexibility can improve a performance: such as sprinting, increased stride length
trampolining/diving, moves executed with greater form and style.
Ways of improving flexibility. To include various forms of stretching and mobility exercises performed such as static stretching, active stretching and passive stretching.
The link between flexibility and strength and the need not to develop one to the detriment of the other.
Means of testing flexibility such as the sit and reach test.
Physiological Factors
Candidates should have knowledge and understanding of the effects of the following factors.
Fatigue How and when fatigue occurs and the effects of it on skill level.
Smoking; Alcohol Short and long term effects on performance.
Drugs
Knowledge and understanding of the effects is limited to the following:
Stimulants
Narcotic Analgesics
Anabolic Agents
Diuretics
Peptide Hormones, Mimetics and Analogues
Beta Blockers
Blood Doping
Individual Differences
Body typing as Endomorph, Mesomorph and Ectomorph.
The most suitable body type for a particular sport (or playing role/position within that sport) as based on a combination or extreme of the above body types. Knowledge of particularsports for each type and the reasons for their suitability.
Age
Physical maturity, suitability for certain activities prior to maturity. The effects of performance at various ages up to and including retirement.
The effects of the ageing process on the various body systems.
Psychological Factors and the Acquisition of Skill
Tension. Anxiety. Boredom. Motivation. Personality and sport to include introvert, extrovert including examples of sports which suit particular personalities.
Aggression in sport. Both direct and indirect, together with examples of sports in which they are evident.
The importance of feedback in learning. Types of practice and types of guidance and why they might be given. Simple definitions of open and closed skills and examples from sports of each.
Technological Developments
Technological developments in terms of equipment and materials used and their effect on participation and performance in different activities and for different performers.
Also improvements in facilities, safety factors and provision, teaching/ training aids, etc. Use of advanced Information Communication
Technology to also improve both knowledge and performance.
Technological advances in the use of digital cameras/accurate recordings for analysis of achievement at world class level such as at the Olympic Games and World Championships, for example, instant replays, photo finishes, split times, timing of race winners to hundredths of seconds, underwater cameras etc.
Safety and Risk Assessment
Prevention of Injury to Self and Others
Candidates should show knowledge and understanding of:
Correct Actions, Clothing, Footwear to Prevent Injury
Correct technique when performing a skill or when landing. Particular reference to lifting and lowering actions to include sports equipment, e.g. trampoline wings; use of appropriate footwear, e.g. studded boots; spiked running shoes and protective clothing in appropriate activities, e.g. hockey, cricket, soccer, etc.
The need for clothing to be appropriate to the activity, such as not wearing loose clothing on the trampoline. The need to have specific clothing to wear for sporting activity and to wash and clean it regularly.
Correct sports footwear to give support to arches and to cushion the ankle joint on the impact when running or jumping. The effect of high back shoes, e.g. causing Achilles tendon damage.
Warm-Downs
For safety and the prevention of injury.
Safety and the Role of Rules in Relation to Self and Others
Candidates should be aware of safety considerations that could apply in each of the practical activity areas and also to understand the role that rules play in making sure that taking part is as safe as possible.
This includes appropriate warm-up, the condition of playing surface and equipment, the performers. actions being within the rules of the activity and using correct techniques.
There should also be knowledge and understanding of why adherence to the rules and spirit of the game, to include responding positively to officials in charge and to any other instructions given by teachers/ coaches, etc., affects safety.
Activity Specific Examples:
Area 1 . Game Activities Invasion/striking games: use of shin pads, face mask/batting helmet, gum shield, batting/goal keepers. gloves, etc.
Net/wall games: goggles; secure net/posts; clear and safe playing area.
Area 2 . Gymnastic Activities Gymnastics: condition of mats; qualified staff/spotters; overhanging beams; use of magnesium carbonate; use of spotters when trampolining;
removal of jewellery; tying hair back.
How to lift, carry, place and use equipment safely.
Area 3 . Dance Activities
Dance: condition of floor/mats; warm-up; removal of jewellery; must wear appropriate clothing, footwear, etc.
Area 4 . Athletic Activities
Athletics: use of landing areas for jumping events; rake being removed from the pit; condition and placement of soft landing areas/mats; not throwing until told to do so; staying behind throwers; not running to collect javelins, use of warning sound in throwing events, etc.
Area 5 . Swimming Activities
Swimming: not running on pool side; checking depth of water; not jumping/diving in; not going out of one.s depth, etc.
Area 6 . Outdoor and Adventurous Activities
Outdoor and Adventurous Activities: possible hazards inherent in the
activities; environmental factors (including extreme weather conditions); risk and risk control.
Area 7 . Other Activities
Candidates must, at all times, be aware of the risks involved, and observe all the appropriate and correct safety precautions/rules laid down by the Governing Body for the activity, in order to ensure their own personal safety and the safety of others when taking part in physical activity.
Risk Assessment and First Aid
A knowledge of common injuries associated with physical activities.
Note that candidates should not undertake any first aid treatment.
Common injuries associated with different activities and the actions
that should then be taken.
Joint and muscle injuries . strains and sprains (tendon and ligament damage), pulled muscles and dislocations, soft tissue injuries including cuts and bruises.
Understanding the principles of R.I.C.E.
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation.
Recognition of fractures to upper and lower limbs.
Recognition of the symptoms of concussion.
Recognition of the causes of hypothermia and the action to be taken.
SECTION C
Factors Affecting Individual Performance and Participation
Candidates should know and understand the effects of the following factors and how they inter-relate with the effects of health, fitness and training on performance.
School
The importance of the school in promoting participation in physical education through the requirements of the National Curriculum and the curriculum offered in time tabled lessons.
The different roles that schools may encourage pupils to adopt such as that of performer, official, observer, coach, captain, leader, organiser, choreographer.
The provision of examination based courses, sports performance awards/proficiency testing and awards. Providing a range of extra-curricular activities/representative teams, clubs and societies.
Attitudes of staff (both positive and negative) and experience of staff.
The extent and quality of facilities available. Outside visits. Links to local sports clubs/providers.
Cross-curricular work, e.g. health awareness and social education issues. The contribution of IT to the subject and the importance and link of the key skills.
Changing Attitudes
Effects of attitudes of society on participation in sport.
The importance of role models in setting participation trends or shaping attitudes.
Womens involvement in sport in terms of greater participation, wider sporting opportunity, greater management and officials roles.
Activities growing in popularity and those declining in popularity possibly reflecting trends or copying current role models.
The effects of sports bodies or organisations such as Sport England, Governing Bodies, British Sports Trust (formerly CCPR) and the National Coaching Foundation. Also the role of local authorities.
Social Groupings
Peers, family, gender, race, socio-economic, both the positive and negative effects that these groups might have on performance and participation.
The specific effects (both positive and negative) that peer pressure might have on participation of the individual.
Leisure Time
Reasons for increased leisure time, e.g. greater unemployment, shorter working week, technological advances including more labour saving devices, more part-time work. The resulting growth in the leisure industry to provide for this greater need in both the public and private sector.
Local Authority provision specifically targeting particular user groups and making concessions and allowances for them.
Facilities Available - Sports centres, Swimming Pools, Playing Fields, Sports Clubs, etc
The provision of both outdoor and indoor facilities and the issues regarding their location in terms of funding, access, acceptability, expected use and demand.
Environmental aspects of provision.
The advantages and disadvantages to a country of hosting a major international sporting competition or event such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Cup Tournament or any other specific event such as boxing bouts, Grand Prix, etc.
The provision for excellence and the facilities which might be provided for this.
The range of activities which must be catered for.
User groups in terms of individuals, teams, clubs, regional/national squads - all ages, provision for training and competition. The role of the Centres of Excellence in specific sports.
The scope for and range of challenge in activities - particularly those in the outdoor and adventurous category. Acceptability, access, provision and the environmental issues involved.
SECTION D
Social and Cultural Factors Affecting Participation
Candidates should have knowledge and understanding of how opportunities for
participation and performance are affected by the following factors .
Sponsorship
Advantages and disadvantages to the sponsor, the performer and the individual sports/activities.
Examples of major events/sponsors, such as national teams, competitions, and the effects of sponsorship, e.g. prime time viewing.
Dates, clothes, times of events changed to suit sponsors needs.
Ease of obtaining sponsorship at various levels and at different profile levels of sport.
Acceptable and unacceptable types of sponsorship.
Media
Forms of media coverage to include:
television
radio
the Press
information technology.
How the media helps to give an understanding of performance and participation.
Types of coverage including the various ways that television is broadcast.
Also the different types of programmes broadcast e.g. informative, educational, instructive and entertainment.
The importance of the individuals/directors influence on what might be seen or said.
Educational uses, to include specific schools programmes, skill development, e.g. coaching series or documentaries.
Positive effects of media such as better educated supporters, more supporters, more participants, greater ease of attracting sponsorship.
The rise of sports personalities as positive role models.
Negative effects such as over exposure of certain sports and lack of coverage for many minority sports.
Effect on attendance with people preferring to stay at home and watch.
Lack of privacy for sports personalities.
Media can over sensationalise the event in order to sell/promote their service/paper/ publication, etc.
Possible changes due to media pressure, e.g. day/night matches, changes to playing seasons, introduction of tie break in tennis to appeal to television audiences.
Social and Cultural Aspects
Conduct of players and officials.
Etiquette within different sports including examples of where this might be expected to take place.
Social/anti social behaviour of fans/supporters. Role of spectators, positive such as encouragement, and negative such as hooliganism, violence on and off the field.
Strategies employed to combat hooliganism, spectator behaviour. The influence of previous events in developing rules regarding all-seater stadiums and segregation of fans.
Comparison of behaviour of players and spectators in relation to different sports and the role rules might play in this.
Political and financial issues related to major international sporting events such as individual sports. world championships, international competitions and the Olympic Games.
The traditional differences between amateur and professional sport and the ways in which the barriers have been broken down in many
sports. Open sport and the ways in which loopholes are found for amateur performers.
Influences of Local and National Providers. Impact on Performance and Participation
Local - provision for sport in local areas through local authorities and sports development through designated officers, etc., and their links with schools and clubs.
Candidates should be aware of provision through both the public and private sector of sports/leisure centre and private sports/fitness clubs.
Awareness of specific roles within clubs such as officials and committee members and the link between clubs and schools in terms of usage of facilities/opportunities for participation.
The role of differing sports organisations, such as Sport England (including the basis provided by the Sports Council), in targeting participation in specific groups and in the distribution of the funds.
Funding agencies for sport including the role of the National Lottery.