WACE Physical Education Studies ATAR flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

ATP-PC system

The anaerobic energy system that uses stored ATP and phosphocreatine to resynthesise ATP for very brief, maximal efforts of about ten seconds, producing no fatiguing by-products.

Anaerobic glycolysis

The breakdown of glucose or glycogen without oxygen to produce ATP, lasting roughly ten seconds to two minutes and producing lactate as a by-product that contributes to fatigue.

Aerobic system

The oxygen-dependent breakdown of carbohydrate and fat in the mitochondria to produce large amounts of ATP, dominating during sustained submaximal exercise beyond about two minutes.

Type I muscle fibres

Slow-twitch fibres with high capillary density, myoglobin and mitochondrial content, producing low force but resisting fatigue, suited to posture and endurance activity.

Type IIb muscle fibres

Fast-twitch glycolytic fibres with high contraction speed and force but low oxidative capacity, recruited for short maximal efforts such as sprinting and rapid fatigue.

Sliding filament theory

The mechanism of muscle contraction in which myosin cross-bridges attach to actin, pivot using ATP, and pull the filaments past each other so the sarcomere shortens.

Cardiac output

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute, calculated as heart rate multiplied by stroke volume and expressed in litres per minute.

Stroke volume

The volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle with each beat, which increases with endurance training and allows a given cardiac output at a lower heart rate.

VO2max

The maximum rate at which the body can consume oxygen during intense exercise, expressed in millilitres per kilogram per minute and used as a measure of aerobic power.

Lactate threshold

The exercise intensity at which blood lactate begins to accumulate faster than it can be cleared, marking the upper limit of steady-state aerobic performance.

Overload principle

The training principle requiring the training stimulus to exceed habitual loads so the body is stressed enough to trigger physiological adaptation and improved performance.

Specificity principle

The training principle stating that adaptations are specific to the muscles, energy systems and movement patterns trained, so training must resemble the target performance.

Reversibility principle

The training principle that fitness gains are lost when training stops, with aerobic capacity and strength declining over weeks of inactivity or detraining.

FITT principle

A framework for prescribing exercise using four variables: frequency of sessions, intensity of effort, time or duration, and type or mode of activity.

Newton's second law

The law stating that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net force applied and inversely proportional to its mass, expressed as force equals mass times acceleration.

Newton's third law

The law stating that for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force, explaining how ground reaction force propels a runner forward.

Projectile motion

The motion of an object released into the air, with independent horizontal and vertical components, the vertical component accelerated downward by gravity at about 9.8 metres per second squared.

Third class lever

A lever in which the effort is applied between the axis and the load, as in a biceps curl, favouring speed and range of motion over force production.

Mechanical advantage

The ratio of effort arm length to load arm length; a value greater than one indicates the lever favours force, while less than one favours speed and range.

Force summation

The coordinated sequencing of body segments from large proximal muscles to small distal muscles so that segment velocities add together and peak at release or contact.

Centre of gravity

The point at which the body's mass is evenly balanced in all directions; stability improves when this point is lower and positioned over the base of support.

Open versus closed skills

Open skills are performed in unpredictable, changing environments and require adaptation, while closed skills occur in stable, predictable environments with consistent movement patterns.

Autonomous stage

The final stage of motor learning in which the skill is performed automatically with minimal conscious attention, allowing the performer to focus on tactics and decision making.

Knowledge of results

Extrinsic feedback that provides information about the outcome or success of a movement, such as the distance jumped or whether a shot scored.

Knowledge of performance

Extrinsic feedback about the quality or technique of a movement, such as a coach describing arm position during a throw, used to refine skill execution.

Random practice

A practice schedule in which skills are varied in unpredictable order, which produces poorer performance during practice but better retention and transfer than blocked practice.

Body mass index

A ratio calculated as mass in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, used as a crude population indicator of healthy weight but unable to distinguish fat from lean mass.

Glycogen

The storage form of carbohydrate in liver and muscle, broken down to glucose for ATP production and depleted during prolonged or high-intensity exercise.

Thermoregulation

The body's control of temperature during exercise, mainly through sweating and skin blood flow, with evaporation of sweat the dominant heat-loss mechanism in warm conditions.

WADA Code

The World Anti-Doping Code listing prohibited substances and methods, including anabolic agents, peptide hormones, diuretics and masking agents, and governing testing in and out of competition.

RICER protocol

An immediate injury management sequence of rest, ice, compression, elevation and referral, used to limit swelling and pain after acute soft-tissue injury.

Validity and reliability

Validity is the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure; reliability is the consistency of results across repeated trials by the same test.