Components of Fitness

• Cardiovascular Endurance:

  • The ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the working muscles
  • Aerobic
  • Without fatigue
  • Useful in marathon running and games sports
• Muscular Endurance:

  • The ability of a muscle group to undergo repeated contractions without fatigue
  • Anaerobic
  • Shorter duration
  • Important in tennis and football for repeated contractions during games
• Muscular Strength:

  • The ability to overcome a resistance
  • Resistance could be the performer's body weight
• Flexibility:

  • The range of movement (ROM) at a joint
  • Important for gymnastics and a football goalkeeper to extend muscles to the ball
• Agility:

  • The ability to change direction quickly whilst maintaining control
  • Mainly for games players
• Balance:

  • Keeping the centre of mass above the base of support
  • Static and Dynamic balance
  • Static is for still movements but dynamic is whilst moving
  • Needed in a pole vault
• Coordination:

  • The ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently
  • All sports require coordination whether its hand to eye or eye to feet
• Power:

  • Strength x speed
  • Needed in javelin throwing
• Reaction time:

  • The time taken to initiate a response to a stimulus
  • Specific (somebody who can react quickly to one thing doesn't mean they'll react quickly to another)
  • This is due to different sets of information being processed
  • Required for a sprint start
• Speed:

  • The maximum rate an individual is able to cover a distance or perform a movement in a period of time
  • Needed in most fast paced sports