Skill-Related Components of Fitness
A tennis player moves quickly from one side of the court to the other to reach a shot. Which skill-related component is being demonstrated?
Agility
Which component describes the ability of the heart and lungs to provide oxygen to working muscles during sustained exercise?
Cardiorespiratory endurance
What does the "A" in SMART stand for?
Achievable / Actionable
What does FITT stand for?
Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type
How much moderate-to-vigorous physical activity should young people aim for each day?
At least 60 minutes.
A goalkeeper sees a ball being kicked and immediately dives to stop it. Which component is most important in allowing them to respond quickly?
Reaction time
A student performs repeated push-ups for two minutes. Which health-related component is primarily being tested?
Muscular endurance
Which part of SMART is missing from this goal? "I will improve my 1.2 km running time by 30 seconds."
Time-bound
A student runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Which part of FITT does this describe?
Frequency
Give TWO factors that could influence whether a teenager participates in physical activity.
Time, motivation, friends, family, access, money, confidence, facilities
A basketball player receives a pass while running, controls the ball and immediately changes direction around a defender. Identify TWO skill-related components being demonstrated and explain how each is used.
Explain why a student could have excellent muscular strength but poor cardiorespiratory endurance.
Strength and cardiorespiratory endurance are different components. A person may be able to produce a lot of force but still struggle to sustain aerobic exercise for a long period.
Compare these two goals. Which is better and why?
Goal A: "I will get fitter."
Goal B: "I will improve my 1.2 km running time by 30 seconds over four weeks."
Goal B because it is more specific, measurable and time-bound.
A student currently exercises twice a week for 20 minutes. They want to improve their cardiorespiratory endurance. Give TWO FITT variables they could change and explain how.
Examples:
A teenager has stopped playing their main sport because they no longer enjoy it. Explain why finding a different physical activity could help them remain active long-term.
They are more likely to continue participating if the activity is enjoyable, accessible and suited to their interests.
Two athletes are equally fast over 20 metres. Athlete A is better at quickly changing direction, while Athlete B is better at producing explosive force. Which athlete would likely have better agility and which would have better power? Explain the difference.
A student wants to improve their general health rather than become better at a specific sport. Explain why they should focus on health-related components rather than only skill-related components.
Health-related components support overall health, wellbeing and reduced risk of lifestyle disease, regardless of the sport being played.
Identify TWO SMART criteria that are missing or weak in this goal:
"I will become much better at running by exercising regularly."
Two students want to improve cardiorespiratory endurance.
Student A: Runs once a week for 60 minutes at very high intensity.
Student B: Runs three times a week for 30 minutes at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity.
Which plan is likely to be more appropriate for a Year 8 student? Explain using FITT.
Student B. Their plan provides more appropriate frequency, manageable time and a sustainable intensity, making it more realistic for regular participation.
Jake spends approximately four hours a day gaming. He has stopped playing soccer because he feels less skilled than his teammates. His school has a gym and ovals available after school.
Identify ONE barrier and ONE opportunity in Jake's situation. Then explain how the opportunity could help overcome the barrier.
A soccer player receives the ball while being closely defended. They must react to the defender's movement, control the ball, change direction and accelerate into space. Identify THREE skill-related components involved and explain the role of each.
A student trains every day to become faster and more agile for soccer but does not complete aerobic training, strength training or flexibility exercises. Explain TWO limitations of this training approach if their goal is lifelong health.
"Over the next four weeks, I will improve my fitness by exercising more and try to get a better running time."
Rewrite the goal so that it meets ALL five SMART criteria.
e.g. "Over the next four weeks, I will improve my 1.2 km running time by 30 seconds by completing three cardio sessions each week."
You have been asked to design a FITT program for a Year 8 student whose goal is to improve cardiorespiratory endurance over four weeks. The student currently does very little exercise. Explain how you would set ALL FOUR FITT variables and why your choices are appropriate.
Jake currently gets around 20 minutes of incidental activity each day, spends four hours gaming and does no muscle or bone-strengthening activity. Using the information provided, design a realistic strategy that would help Jake move towards the physical activity guidelines AND continue being active long-term. Justify your choices.