- What is the difference between Aerobic and Anaerobic fitness? Is there an
easy way to remember the difference?
Answer: Aerobic fitness refers to levels of fitness when exercising WITH OXYGEN, whilst Anaerobic fitness refers to exercise WITHOUT OXYGEN. See a previous "ask a teacher" question for a more detailed answer.
In terms of remembering, I hope this helps:
Think in terms of AEROBIC where the "AER" sounds like "AIR" and there is OXYGEN in AIR. ANAEROBIC is where the "N" stands for NO OXYGEN.
- How does an alternate hand wall toss work when testing agility or endurance (not quite sure which!!)
Answer: In your question you mention agility and endurance. Let's have a look at these terms and whether or not they are being tested.
Agility means the ability to change the direction of the body at speed under control. Endurance means the ability to work at maximum or sub-maximum intensity for extended periods of time. An alternate hand wall toss will not test either of these very well. It does however predominantly test hand-eye co-ordination, where co-ordination is the ability to move two or more body parts under control, smoothly and with no wasted energy.
It is possible to test in different ways. For example, distance from the wall, size and shape of the object can all be changed to take into account the individuals being tested. A timed test protocol could be used where the person is working under pressure to see how many they can do within a time period. Alternatively, it may be a quota where the person involved has no time limit but must complete a certain number, or they may have to hit a target on the wall to qualify as a good throw/catch.
It is also important that enough of the same test is done with the same subject in order to avoid fluke results. The test conditions should also be kept the same each time.
- What does fartlek training do to improve your performance?
Answer: Fartlek is an excellent form of training. It literally means "Speed Play" although for a GCSE exam, you usually need to refer to it by it's correct name which is fartlek.
Fartlek allows for the principle of "Specificity" to be implemented very effectively. For example, for games players, the session should use running, jogging and walking to suit the demands of the sport. A footballer doesn't't actually run for the whole 90 minutes of a match. The pace and direction in a game is varied, therefore the direction, pace and time of the training session should vary. This is why you may see games players running in and out of cones, around the pitch, picking up speed, turning around and running backwards, slowing down etc.
Other sports can also benefit. Below is an example of a Fartlek training session for athletics events between 3 and 10k.
10 minutes warm up jog.
Run hard for 4 minutes with 1 minute jog recovery - repeat 8 times
10 minute warm down jog
- What are the four principles of feedback?
Answer: The word "feedback" can be put into many different contexts. At GCSE level, the most likely use of the word is with regard to analysing performance and giving verbal information to a teacher or peer.
The main principles to consider are:
Be positive - tell the performer what is good about the technique. This helps motivation and creates a good feeling. Importantly, when a skill is performed well and positive feedback is given, the performer is more likely to repeat the desirable action in the future.
Be corrective - as well as picking up on the good points, be sure to highlight specific points for correction. Practice makes permanent and if the performer does not have anything to focus on improving, he / she may get into bad habits or progress much slower. This is called guidance, but goes hand in hand with feedback.
Be positive again - Once the performer has identified and worked on the piece of corrective feedback, it should be reinforced by using praise.
Be specific - Words such as "good" or "well done" may be motivational, but it will not help the skill to improve. E.g.- swimming "The leg kick is good, you are kicking from the hip"
Be concise - Only give the performer one or two points to think about at a time. The brain cannot process too many pieces of information at a time. This may confuse and de-motivate as well as slowing the learning process.
Negative feedback is sometimes used. This is where the bad points of a technique are fed back to the performer. Some performers work well with this type of feedback, with the idea being that the main technique points have already been reinforced and they are motivated by what they need to improve. This should be used with care as it can be very de-motivating. |
