concepts of physical activity and sport

• Characteristics


  Key features used to identify a particular concept in relation to sport.
• Continuum


  A scale representing a gradual change.
• Sporting Development Continuum


  Participation in various forms of physical activity at various stages of development. For example, grass roots 'foundation stage' in primary school PE or 'participation stage' involvement as an adult in physical recreation.
• Leisure


  Free time during which individuals can choose what to do.
• Participation Level


  An emphasis on taking part recreationally with enjoyment as a key motivator to participate.
• Outdoor Education


  Activities which take place in the natural environment and utilize nature/geographical resources such as mountains, rivers and lakes.
• Perceived Risk


  A challenge that stimulates a sense of danger and adventure for beginners or inexperienced performers in a safe environment, with danger minimized via safety measures.
• School Sport Partnerships


  The creation of increased opportunities for school via junior/primary schools working together with secondary schools and further education providers.
• School Games


  Initiative to increase participation in school sport from intra/inter-school level through to county and national levels.
• Explain the benefits to society of increasing participation in physical recreation.

  Increased health and fitness decreases strain on the NHS and lowers obesity rates.

  Increased social integration as individuals from different social communities join clubs and socially interact.

  Increased employment/economic benefits result from more people using facilities and buying equipment to participate.

  Increases social control and decreases crime statistics in a more socially inclusive society.

  More individuals can progress through to the elite level.
• State the characteristics of sport.

  It is serious/competitive.

  Set rules e.g. time limits.

  Involves specialist equipment and kit.

  Officials to enforce rules, appointed by NGB's.

  Strategies and tactics to outwit opponents.

  Rewards for success e.g. extrinsic including medals.

  High skill levels.

  Commitment, training involved.
• Lots of people take part in sport to increase their health and fitness. Identify two functions of taking part in sport for an individual.

  Increases self-confidence as a result of skill improvement and success.

  Provides more opportunities to communicate/socialise/make friends.

  Develop positive sporting attitudes e.g. sportsmanship.
• OAA form a part of a school's overall PE programme. Identify the benefits of participating in OAA such as climbing.

  Learn to appreciate and engage with the natural environment.

  Learning to develop new physical skills/survival skills e.g. climbing.

  Increased self-esteem.

  Increased health and fitness.

  Increased co-operation; improvements in social and leadership skills.

  Increased cognitive skills; decision making.

  Increased awareness of conservation skills.

  Increased commitment to active leisure.

  Experience challenge/excitement/perceived risk.
• Identify three similarities and three differences between PE and physical recreation.

  Both:

  Develop physical skills, health and fitness and help individuals achieve intrinsic benefits/have fun.

  
  

  Different:

  Physical rec voluntary, PE compulsory.

  Physical rec in free time, PE in school time.

  Physical rec informal, PE formal and teacher present.

  Physical rec self regulated, PE teacher in charge.

  Physical rec participation level, PE foundation level.

  Physical rec simple/limited organisational structure, PE highly structured.
• Identify four differences between school sport and national curriculum PE.

  PE in lesson time, school sport in free time.

  PE compulsory, school sport has voluntary involvement.

  PE for all, school sport for the chosen 'elitist'.

  PE emphasis on taking part, school sport emphasis on winning.

  PE teacher-led, school sport coaches involved.

  PE involves a wide variety of experience, School sport involves specialisms.
• Which of the following statements best describes the characteristics of sport? (1)

  a) Voluntary; a choice with an emphasis on fun.

  b) The participation level of development continuum with an emphasis on fun.

  c) Rules are flexible and self-regulated.

  d) The performance level of the development continuum with an emphasis on winning.

  d) The performance level of the development continuum with an emphasis on winning.
• What are the functions of physical recreation for the individual? (1)


  Increases health and fitness and helps develop physical skills.

  Provides a challenge, sense of achievement, increases confidence.

  Stress relief from work, helps individual to relax.

  Helps people socialise and meet up with friends.

  Sense of fun/enjoyment.

  Ensures participation well into later life.
• Identify the benefits of participating in sport to society. (3)

  Decreases strain on NHS as there are lower levels of obesity as health and fitness improves.

  Increased social control as there is less crime as individuals make more positive use of free time.

  Increased social integration, equal opportunities as different social and ethnic groups participate.

  Increased national pride as a result of increased standards of performances.

  Economic benefits such as higher employment and regeneration due to money invested.
• Outline the functions of National Cirriculum PE in schools today. (4)

  Development of positive attitudes to lead to healthy lifestyles; increase in health and fitness.

  Increased participation, developing skills.

  Develop personal and social skills such as teamwork and leadership.

  Develop positive ethics such as sportsmanship.

  Experience and engage in competitive sports and activities outside school through community/club links.

  Encourage life-long participation; habit for life.
• Identify the problems schools face in offering OAA within their school PE programmes. (3)

  Lack of time within curriculum.

  Lack of money e.g. high costs of specialist equipment.

  Lack of qualified or motivated staff.

  Health and safety concerns.
• Using an example, explain what is meant by perceived risk. (3)


  Example - climbing/abseiling.

  Sense of danger, individual thinks activity is 'risky'.

  Excitement/adrenaline rush experienced.

  Controlled situation e.g. helmets, ropes.

  Encouraged by 'activity leaders'.

  Appropriate for the 'less experienced'.
• Cycling has enjoyed a recent increase in participation among all ability levels. Compare cycling when it is performed as a physical recreation activity with cycling when it is performed as a sporting activity. (4)


  Physical recreation:

  Available to all/voluntary.

  Emphasis on taking part.

  Limited commitment required.

  Self-officiated.

  
  

  Sport:

  More selective.

  Emphasis on winning.

  Involves a high level of commitment e.g. training.

  External officials enforce rules.
• Explain the potential benefits to society of increased participation in sport and physical recreation. (8)

  Increased health and fitness decreases chance of heart disease/obesity, less strain on NHS.

  Spending money on equipment and facilities results in economic benefits e.g. higher employment.

  Increased skill levels can make people more employable and increase the morale of the population.

  More positive use of free time prevents antisocial activities e.g. crime, better social control.

  Increased equality of opportunity means more people participate and potentially increases the chance of success at elite level.

  Increased success at elite level leads to an increase in national pride.

  Increased social interaction results in a better community and increased social integration.
• Identify the characteristics of physical recreation.


  • It is fun, enjoyable, non-serious and informal in nature, so winning is not important.

  • It is physically energetic, i.e. it involves effort being applied to physical activity.

  • Participating is a matter of choice; it is voluntary and up to you whether you take part or not in the free time you have available.

  • It tends to involve adults at the 'participation level' of the sporting development continuum.

  • It is flexible in nature, so how long you take part for and the rules being followed can be adjusted by participants as they wish.

  • It is self-officiated/self-regulated (i.e. any decisions during activities are made by the participants).
• Explain the benefits to society of increasing participation in physical activity.

  • Increased health and fitness decreases strain on the NHS and lowers obesity rates.

  • Increased social integration occurs as individuals from different social communities join clubs and socially interact.

  • Increased employment/economic benefits result from more people using facilities and buying equipment to participate.

  • A more positive use of free time increases social control and decreases crime statistics in a more socially inclusive society.

  • Increased skill levels at the 'participation' stage lead to more individuals potentially progressing to 'elite level'.
• Sport has an emphasis on winning, with high rewards at stake for elite-level performers. Identify other characteristics of sport.


  • It has set/strict rules (e.g. set time limits; set boundaries).

  • It involves use of specialist equipment/set kit.

  • Officials appointed by national governing bodies are present to enforce the rules.

  • Strategies and tactics are involved to try to outwit opponents.

  • High skill levels/high prowess are visible in sporting performance.

  • High levels of commitment/strict training are involved.
• Lots of people take part in sport to increase their health and fitness. Identify the functions of taking part in sport for an individual.

  For individuals, sport:

  • increases their self-confidence as a result of skill improvement and success

  • provides more opportunities to communicate/socialise/work as part of a team/make friends at sports clubs

  • develops positive sporting attitudes, e.g. fair play/sportsmanship.
• OAA form part of a school's overall PE programme. Identify the benefits of participating in OAA such as climbing.

  There are a number of functions or benefits of outdoor education for young people, including:

  • learning to appreciate and engage with the natural environment

  • learning to develop new physical skills/survival skills (e.g. abseiling, climbing)

  • increased self-esteem

  • increased health and fitness

  • increased co-operation; improvement in social skills

  • increased cognitive skills; decision making; leadership skills

  • increased awareness of conservation skills

  • increased commitment to active leisure

  • opportunity to experience challenge/excitement/adrenaline rush/perceived risk
• Identify the similarities and differences between physical recreation and PE.

  Similarities:

  • Both develop physical skills.

  • Both develop health and fitness.

  • Both help individuals achieve intrinsic benefits/have fun.

  
  

  Differences:

  
  

  Physical recreation:

  Voluntary/choice

  In a person's free time

  Informal/relaxed

  Participants control

  activity; self-regulated

  Participation level

  Simple/limited

  organisational structure

  
  

  Physical education:

  Compulsory

  In school time

  Formal teaching and

  learning

  Teacher in charge

  Foundation level

  Highly structured
• Identify the differences between national curriculum PE and school sport.

  National Curriculum:

  In lesson time;curriculum time

  Compulsory

  For all

  Emphasis on taking part

  Teacher-led

  Wide variety of activities

  experienced

  
  

  School sport:

  In free time; extracurricular

  Element of choice;voluntary involvement

  For the chosen few;elitist

  Emphasis on winning;competitive

  Coaches involved

  Specialisms developed
• Which of the following statements best describes a characteristic of physical recreation?

  a) Voluntary with an emphasis on participation.

  b) Compulsory with an emphasis on winning.

  c) Strict rules apply, which are externally enforced.

  d) Serious and competitive in nature.

  (1)

  a) Voluntary with an emphasis on participation.
• What are the functions of physical recreation for the individual? (3)


  • It increases health and fitness and helps in the development of physical skills.

  • It provides a challenge, sense of achievement, and increases confidence.

  • It can act as a stress relief from work, and helps individuals to relax.

  • It helps people to socialise and meet up with friends.

  • It provides people with a sense of fun/enjoyment.

  • It helps ensure participation in physical activity for as many years as possible, well into later life
• Explain the potential benefits to society of increasing participation in sport and physical recreation. (8)

  • Less strain on the NHS/lower levels of obesity/CHD as health and fitness improve

  • Increased social control/lower levels of crime as individuals make more positive use of free time

  • Increased social integration/equality of opportunity via increased joint participation in sport by different socio-economic groups/ethnic groups

  • Increased national pride as a result of increased standards of performances/ successes of national teams which can result from a wider participation base with more people to potentially feed through it

  • Economic benefits to the sport and leisure industry/increased employment

  opportunities in the sector/benefits of regeneration due to money invested/spent on sport, e.g. as a performer/spectator/consumer

  • Increased skill levels can result in more employable/highly skilled population and increased morale

  • Increased social interaction results in a better community/improved community morale
• Outline the functions of National Curriculum PE in schools today. (4)

  • Develop positive attitudes to lead to healthy lifestyles; increase health and fitness

  • Increase participation in a variety of activities, develop physical skills/competencies

  • Develop personal and social skills;

  teamwork; communication; leadership;

  co-operation

  • Develop positive ethics; morality; sportsmanship

  • Experience and engage in competitive sports and activities outside school through community links, and/or links to sports clubs

  • Improve problem solving, decision making, cognitive skills, creativity; develop strategies and tactics in a range of activities

  • Increase the skills of self-analysis; learn how to plan, perform and evaluate; learn how to recognise improvements/own successes;increase self-esteem

  • Encourage lifelong participation; create a sporting habit for life
• Modern-day sports performers face high levels of pressure to succeed, which sometimes has a negative effect on their behaviour. Explain why there are fewer acts of negative behaviour during physical recreation compared to sport. (8)


  Physical recreation:

  Available to all/voluntary/choice.

  Viewed as a social occasion with friends so far more relaxed/informal than sport.

  Emphasis on taking part/participation focus so less likely to become aggressive/violent.

  Self-officiated/self-regulated so decisions can be reached amicably with little controversy likely to stir aggression in participants.

  Mainly intrinsic rewards so less on edge as winning for material gain is not a concern.

  Non-serious - end result not important so cheating to win/using gamesmanship are less likely.

  Varied skill/fitness levels.

  Basic equipment and clothing used or worn.

  
  

  Sport:

  More selective/obligation/for some an occupation so with a job at stake winning is far more important.

  Viewed as a test of ability against opponent(s) which makes it far more serious/intense.

  Emphasis on winning/serious/competitive.

  External officials enforce rules.

  Extrinsic rewards available for success, e.g. winning trophies/medals.

  Serious/competitive - end result is important.

  Higher skill/fitness levels.

  High-tech equipment and clothing used or worn.
• Foundation level on a sporting development continuum

  First introduction to physical activity e.g. grass roots level in primary school PE programmes.
• Participation level on a sporting development continuum

  Emphasis on fun, socialising and developing friendships. Recreational and relaxed.
• Performance level on a sporting development continuum

  Dedication and commitment to regular involvement in sport and an emphasis on winning.
• Benefits to society of participating in physical recreation

  Less strain on NHS due to improved health and fitness.

  Decreased crime levels due to a more positive use of free time.

  Improving community morale and cohesion as a result of different groups participating together.

  Economic benefits via increased leisure spend and more opportunities in the active leisure industry.
• Characteristics of

  S

  P

  O

  R

  T

  S - serious/competitive

  P - prowess

  O - organised

  R - rewards

  T - time and space restrictions