Lesson video

Hi there, welcome to your lesson.

Today's lesson is the importance of fitness components in sports.

My name's Miss Hacking and I'm really looking forward to being your teacher today.

So by the end of today's lesson, we are all going to be able to apply the components of fitness to various physical activities and justify their importance on performance.

Today's keywords include some of the components of fitness that you might have seen before: flexibility, which is a range of movement possible at a joint; power, which is the product of strength and speed.

So we can write that as strength times speed.

Agility is the ability to move and change direction quickly whilst maintaining control.

And balance is the maintenance of the centre of mass over the base of support and reference can be made to whilst static, so when you're still, or dynamic balance, which is when you are moving.

Reaction time is a time taken to initiate a response to a stimulus.

For example, the time from the initiation of the stimulus.

Okay, today's lesson is split into three parts.

In the first part of today's lesson, we're going to apply fitness components to a 100-metre sprinter.

In the second part of today's lesson, we're going to apply fitness components to a gymnast.

And in the third part of today's lesson, we're going to apply fitness components to a badminton player.

Let's get started.

So in order for a 100-metre sprinter to be successful, they need to beat their opponents in a race.

And Andeep asked us, "Which components of fitness do you think a 100-metre sprinter would need to be successful?" So you might have thought about some of the following: speed, power, strength, reaction time, flexibility, and balance.

These components of fitness are all useful for a 100-metre sprinter and will help them perform better in their race.

Speed is a maximum rate at which an individual is able to perform a movement or cover a distance in a period of time.

And I imagine when you think about a 100-metre sprinter that you automatically think of them needing lots of speed, which is right.

A 100-metre sprinter needs speed to move their arms and legs quickly so they can run faster than their opponents and win the race.

Speed seems to be the obvious one that the a 100-metre sprinter needs, but there are other components of fitness too that would benefit their performance.

Okay, let's have a quick go to check.

True or false? A 100-metre sprinter only requires speed in order to have a successful performance.

That's false, can you tell me why? So a 100-metre sprinter would require speed, yes, but would also require other components of fitness such as power, strength, reaction time, balance, and flexibility to aid their performance as well.

So well done if you mentioned those are the components of fitness.

A 100-metre sprinter needs strength to power their movements such as exploding out of the starting blocks to get a faster start so that they're able to make up those extra seconds at the start to potentially beat their opponents, to drive off the floor with each stride pushing hard so that they're able to move faster along the ground, and to push over that finish line.

So right at the end to really push to make sure that they are ahead of any of their other opponents.

Flexibility is a range of movements possible at a joint.

A 100-metre sprinter needs flexibility to ensure a full range of motion in their joints, allowing efficient, powerful strides, and reducing the risk of injury.

Therefore, if a 100-metre sprinter had great flexibility in their hips, they're able to take a larger stride length and able to generate more momentum that way.

So sometimes we forget that flexibility is needed by a 100-metre sprinter, but it does benefit their performance reaction.

Time is a time taken to initiate a response to a stimulus, and of course, a 100-metre sprinter needs good reaction time to respond instantly to the starting gun and get a fast start.

In a race like the a 100-metre sprint, every second counts.

So even if that start having good reaction time means that start is just one second faster than it could be from someone else, it might help you to win the race.

So every second counts.

Balance is a maintenance of the centre of mass over the base of support and a 100-metre sprinter would require balance to stay steady in control during explosive movements, preventing them from falling or losing speed.

Of course, a 100-metre sprinter needs to stay upright, needs to not fall over so that they're able to run the race.

But even just a slight wobble could cost them a second or two.

And therefore, it's really important that good balance keeps them upright straight in their correct running technique.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

Which component of fitness is not required by a 100-metre sprinter? Would it be A, strength? Would it be B, cardiovascular endurance? Would it be C, power? Or would it be D, balance? I'm hoping that you said it was B, cardiovascular endurance.

We know that a 100-metre sprint is likely to be run in less than 20 seconds, and we know that cardiovascular endurance is normally required for events that last at least 20 minutes.

So cardiovascular endurance would not be required by the a 100-metre sprinter.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go at a practise task.

I would like you to justify the importance of power for a 100-metre sprinter.

And Andeep helps us by reminding us that power is a product of strength and speed, i.

e.

strength time speed.

You may wish to pause a video now to give yourself time to complete this task.

Okay, so for this task, you are asked to justify the importance of power for a 100-metre sprinter, and you might have said something along these lines.

Power is required at the start of the race to get a fast explosive start out of the blocks to gain advantage over an opponent.

Whilst running, power is required with each stride to drive off the floor with momentum and move quicker.

Power is important at the end of the race to push over the finish line ahead of other competitors.

So well done if you apply power to the different stages of the a 100-metre sprint race.

Okay, now it's time to move on to the second part of today's lesson where we're going to apply the fitness components to a gymnast.

So a gymnast role is to perform athletic moves on different equipment with control to show off their skills to judges.

And Jacob asked us, "Which components of fitness do you think a gymnast would need to be successful?" I know when I think about a gymnast, there are two main components of fitness that I always go to instantly.

But are there any other ones that a gymnast might need as well? So a gymnast would require strength, power, flexibility, that's the one that I always think about; muscular endurance, balance; again, another one that I always think about; speed, reaction time, and coordination.

So actually, a gymnast does require a lot of components of fitness in order to have an effective performance.

A gymnast needs flexibility in order to perform movements and skills effectively.

Examples of movements that require good flexibility include: the side splits or a backwards walkover.

You can probably think of a lot of other examples of a gymnast where they require flexibility.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

Which gymnastics skill would require the most flexibility? Is it A, the plank? B, the side splits? Or C, the V sit? Well done if you said B, the side splits.

In order to do the side splits, you would require really good flexibility at your hips.

I wonder if any of you are able to perform the side splits yourselves.

It must mean you have good flexibility if you can.

A gymnast would need good muscular endurance to repeatedly contract their muscles during a routine without tiring as this could negatively affect the quality of their performance.

So repeatedly doing a gymnastics routine would definitely fatigue the muscles, and therefore muscular endurance would be required in order to be able to complete the whole routine with every skill as polished as the previous one.

Strength is the ability to overcome a resistance and a gymnast needs strength to support their body during complex movements.

For example, holding a handstand or performing a muscle-up.

Again, I think you can probably think of lots of other examples of where a gymnast would require muscular strength.

A gymnast needs power to perform explosive movements such as jumping high for a vault, executing dynamic tumbling passes, and launching off the springboard with speed and strength.

The more power a gymnast has when jumping high or taking off a springboard would enable them more time to complete their skill.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

What would happen if a gymnast did not have good muscular endurance? If a gymnast did not have good muscular endurance, they would fatigue which could lead to mistakes or falls in their routine.

Well done if you put something along those lines.

So a gymnast needs good reaction time to adapt quickly to unexpected situations, maintain balance and prevent injuries during their routines.

For example, while performing a backflip on a beam, a gymnast might lose balance and need to react quickly to stay on a beam and prevent a fall.

So reaction time is something that you may not think a gymnast needs, but they do, particularly when something unexpected might happen.

A gymnast needs speed to gain momentum to complete skills effectively such as a fast run up to the vault and performing fast rotations on the bars.

Similar to what we discussed earlier, that a fast run up to a vault will enable more power will enable the gymnast to jump higher.

So speed is really important for a gymnast.

A gymnast needs balance to be able to hold complex positions without falling.

It is particularly beneficial on a beam to avoid falling off during a routine.

However, it will be used in all sets of the apparatus and even the floor routines.

So something like holding a handstand would require incredible balance to be able to hold it still while balancing on your hands.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

True or false? Having a good reaction time can prevent a gymnast from getting injured.

That's true, can you tell me why? So if a gymnast began to fall on the bars, having good reaction time could help them land safely or reach a bar without falling which could prevent an injury.

So yes, having good reaction time can prevent a gymnast from getting injured.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go at the practise task.

For this task, I'd like you to complete the table to identify and justify which component of fitness is needed by the gymnast.

The examples include performing the splits and you need to tell me which component of fitness is needed and justify why that component of fitness is needed for performing the splits.

Jumping high for a vault and holding their body weight in a crucifix position.

Just to clarify, a crucifix position is usually held on the rings and is where a gymnast would hold their body with the hands in the rings off the floor for as long and as still as possible.

You may wish to pause a video now to give yourself time to complete the table, good luck.

Okay, so for your task, you are asked to complete the table to identify and justify which component of fitness is needed by the gymnast.

So you may have written that for performing the side splits, you would need flexibility and it's needed at the hips to achieve the full range of motion without strain or injury.

For jumping high for a vault, you would need power.

The explosive force needed to push off the springboard and achieve the height necessary for successful flips, twists, and controlled landing.

And for holding their body weight in a crucifix position, you would need muscular strength and this is to engage their core, arms, and shoulders to support and stabilise their body in a demanding, gravity-defying position.

So well done if you correctly identified the components of fitness and you've justified why those actions needed each of those components of fitness.

Okay, we're now going to move on to the final part of today's lesson.

In this part of the lesson, we're going to apply fitness components to a badminton player.

So a badminton player's goal is to hit the shuttlecock over to the opponent's side, ensuring they can't return it within the court.

And Izzy asked us, "Which components of fitness do you think a badminton player would need to be successful?" So for a badminton player would require good speed, power, strength, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, agility, reaction time, coordination, flexibility, and balance in order to be successful.

Let's talk about them in a little bit more detail.

A badminton player needs speed to quickly reach the shuttlecock, move their arms fast to hit the shuttlecock, generating more power for a stronger shot.

So they need to be quick around the court, but also quick in that action of hitting a shuttlecock so they can generate a bit more power.

A badminton player needs power to jump and reach a shuttlecock so they can hit it higher to get a better angle to smash it down, for example, and therefore they can smash it with greater force, making it harder for the opponent to return.

So the harder they hit it, the less chance the opponent has of returning that shuttlecock back to them.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

Hitting a smash hard so your opponent can't return it is an example of which component of fitness? Is it A, agility? Is it B, power? Is it C, speed? Or is it D, flexibility? Well done if you said B, power.

Hitting a smash hard so opponent can't return it involves really good power.

So a badminton player needs muscular strength to generate the powerful shots, but also to maintain body stability, particularly in their core and in their back, and support their body during quick movements.

So they're able to keep balance and they're able to reach the shot.

A badminton player needs cardiovascular endurance so their heart and lungs can continuously supply oxygen to their muscles, allowing them to sustain energy and perform at a high level throughout the entire match.

Without good cardiovascular endurance, the badminton player might fatigue, and therefore not have as good as a performance as if they had good cardiovascular endurance.

A badminton player needs good muscular endurance because their muscles must continuously contract to move around the court and hit the shuttlecock effectively throughout the entire game without getting tired.

Again, if a badminton player did not have good muscular endurance, they're not as likely to hit the shuttlecock as well or as effectively or not be able to get around the court quick enough.

So it's really important that the badminton player has good muscular endurance so that they don't get tired and it negatively affect their performance.

Agility is really important for a badminton player because it allows them to quickly change direction in response to where the opponent hits the shuttlecock, enabling them to efficiently move around the court.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

True or false? A badminton player requires good muscular endurance to change direction at speed.

That's false, can you tell me why? So a badminton player would require good agility to change direction at speed so they can move quickly to where the opponent has hit the shuttle.

So the person that's written this question has obviously got muscular endurance and agility a little bit confused.

So agility would be to change direction at speed.

Well done if you noticed that.

A badminton player needs good reaction time to quickly respond to the opponent's shot, anticipate the direction of the shuttlecock, and make the necessary adjustments to return it effectively.

The quicker they can react to where the shuttlecock's going, the more chance they have of hitting it and returning it back.

A badminton player needs coordination to synchronise their movements, such as timing their footwork, their swings and positioning to hit the shuttlecock accurately and effectively during fast-paced rallies.

Badminton players particularly need hand-eye coordination so they're able to hit the shuttle shuttlecock accurately.

Without it, they might miss the shuttlecock, and therefore lose points in the match.

A badminton player needs good flexibility to reach and stretch for shots, improve their range of movement, prevent injuries such as strains and sprains from overreaching, or perform techniques like lunges or overhead smashes effectively.

The more flexible your shoulder would be, the wider range of motion you would have on that overhead smash, making it more likely for you to be able to hit the backhand and the forehand and to reach and smash as well.

A badminton player would need balance to maintain stability during fast movements, control their body position when hitting the shuttlecock, and recover quickly after shots to be ready for the next play.

If a badminton player loses balance and falls over, then they're less likely to be able to get up in time to return the next shot.

So it's really important after they've hit a hard shot, they're able to maintain their balance to move around the court ready for their next shot.

Okay, let's have a go to check.

Why does a badminton player need balance? A badminton player would need balance to: maintain body position, recover quickly, and avoid falling over.

So well done if you put one or all of those things.

Okay, now it's your turn to have a go at the practise task.

Lucas has said, "Badminton players don't need to have good flexibility." For the first part of the task, I'd like you to explain whether you agree or disagree with Lucas.

For the second part of the task, I'd like you to apply the components of fitness to another sport of your choice.

This might be your favourite sport or one of the sports you might be getting practically assessed in in your GCSE PE.

You might wish to pause a video now to give yourself time to complete the task.

Okay, so for the first part of the task, you are asked to explain whether you agree or disagree with Lucas.

You might have said: I disagree with Lucas, as a badminton player does require flexibility to stretch and reach for shots to be able to return the shuttlecock effectively so they don't lose points; to perform shots like the overhead smash with a full range of movement; and to prevent the risk of injuries like strains and sprains.

Well done if you mentioned any of those things.

For the second part of the task, you are asked to apply the components of fitness to another sport, so you could have chosen any sport you wanted.

So your answer might be slightly different to mine, but I'm hoping that you, first of all, listed all the components of fitness that would've been relevant for your sport, just like I've done here for climbing.

However, I am hoping that you've gone into a little bit more detail than I have, and you've actually explained why each of those components of fitness is really useful in your sport, like we've done for a 100-metre sprint, a gymnast, and a badminton player.

Okay, that leaves us just enough time to summarise today's lesson.

So most athletes require a number of different components of fitness in order to be successful.

It's very unlikely that an athlete or a sport would only require one component of fitness.

A 100-metre sprinter would need speed, power, strength, flexibility, reaction time and balance.

A gymnast would require good strength, power, flexibility, muscular endurance, balance, coordination, and reaction time.

And a badminton player would require good levels of all components of fitness in order to be successful.

Well done today.

I hope this has given you a little bit of practise at applying different components of fitness to different practical situations, and hopefully given you a bit more confidence to be able to apply the components of fitness to your sport.

I'll see you again soon.