Physical Education – ‘who’s the Fittest Athlete?’

Year 10 Physical Education – ‘Who’s the Fittest Athlete?’

Level C:

Chosen Sport: Netball

Q1. Describe one of the positions involved in your chosen sport and identify what fitness components are essential for the player to have.

The position of Centre (C) in a game of netball requires the player to have high cardiovascular endurance, muscular power, speed, agility and in some areas good coordination skills and balance. Muscular power is essential when passing, speed and agility are two of the most important fitness components for any netball position. For a Centre position, moving quickly from each end of the court and quick movement around the shooting circle are very important. When receiving a pass and landing on either one or two feet, throwing and defending, balance is a key skill to prevent sanctions and penalties. [pic 1]

Q2. Select another position in your sport; compare with the position from question 1.

In comparison to the fitness components needed for a Centre position, a player in Goal Keeper, their requirements are very different. Goal Keepers unlike those who play Centre, only cover a small space on the court. Therefore cardiovascular endurance is not essential although beneficial. Instead, agility, speed, muscular power, balance, coordination and good body composition are valuable fitness components to a defender. Having good speed and agility to a defender can benefit their quick movement around the shooting circle. Balance and coordination are vital when defending. [pic 2]

No defender can hold a bend over defence position without being properly balanced. Having good balance prevents penalties. A defenders job is to prevent their player from shooting goals. Therefore, they must hold them back and away from the ring and intercept passes, this is where body composition has its place. These positions although they are very important in a netball game, require different fitness components as an essential skill to the players.

Q3. Choose an athlete from your chosen sport. What fitness components do they possess and how would they train in these areas?

Geva Mentor[pic 3]

Geva Mentor who is the Melbourne Vixens Goal Keeper is known for her incredible defence jumps which involved muscular power. Her strengths also include balance, agility, body composition and coordination. When training Geva Mentor says ‘..upper-body weights and some core exercises,’ are what she enjoys to include in her training routines. When focusing on agility and her speed, short quick runs involving a sharp change of direction as well as muscle strengthening are part of her routine.

Level A:

Q1. Write a report on your chosen sport comparing its fitness components required to that of a Triathlete. Determined which you think is the fitter athlete and why.

Triathlon involves the combination of three separate disciplines - swimming, cycling and running. The order of events is usually swim, cycle, and run although some triathlons vary. Triathlons are completed over various distances ranging from 1-hour events to all day races.[pic 4]

Since there are three disciplines to master, most triathletes train twice daily to make sure all disciplines are trained regularly. Athletes will routinely combine disciplines into the one session to ensure their bodies are well adapted to the stresses of competition. The recovery of a triathlete is much more important than any other athlete due to the stress these events have on the athlete’s body. The diet of a triathlete is very important and has to be thought out carefully because of the intense training.  Triathletes need to plan their daily food intake to ensure regular snacks and meals are consumed around training sessions. It’s important to have nutritious carbohydrate snacks on hand immediately after training to initiate the refuelling process. 

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