Sport Science Level 3 cheat sheet

Sport and Exercise Science

• Energy systems: ATP-PCr supplies ~10 seconds of maximal effort; anaerobic glycolysis dominates ~10 s to ~2 min; oxidative phosphorylation dominates beyond ~2-3 min and fuels recovery.

• Newton's laws applied to sport: force equals mass times acceleration (F = m·a); ground reaction force equals the force the athlete applies to the ground; action-reaction explains propulsion and braking.

• Mechanical work = force × distance; power = work ÷ time (P = F·d/t); a vertical jump's peak power rises with both jump height and body mass.

• Linear kinematics: velocity = displacement ÷ time; acceleration = change in velocity ÷ time; projectile range is maximised near a 45° release angle in a vacuum, lower when release and landing heights differ.

• Levers: first class (neck extension), second class (calf raise at the ankle), third class (biceps curl); most human levers are third class, favouring range and speed over force.

• Muscle action: isometric (no length change), concentric (shortening, force < max), eccentric (lengthening, can exceed concentric force); eccentric contractions cause most delayed-onset muscle soreness.

• Cardiorespiratory measures: cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume; Fick equation VO2 = cardiac output × arteriovenous oxygen difference; maximal oxygen uptake is the standard aerobic capacity index.

• Training principles: overload, specificity, reversibility, individuality; the FITT framework varies frequency, intensity, time and type; progressive overload must be periodised to avoid overtraining.

• Skill and motor learning: classification as open versus closed and gross versus fine; practice design ranges from massed to distributed and blocked to random; feedback is intrinsic or augmented (knowledge of results versus knowledge of performance).