MATSEC IM Physical Education flashcards

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

Technical efficiency

Executing a skill with the least possible energy and time cost while still meeting the task's mechanical demands, so effort is conserved for decisive moments in the performance.

Width and depth

Complementary attacking principles in invasion games: width stretches opponents across the playing area while depth creates layers of support behind the ball, together opening space for penetration.

Base position

The central court position a net and wall player recovers to after each shot, chosen so that every possible return angle can be covered in the fewest possible steps.

Observation checklist

A rating instrument listing observable performance criteria that a trained assessor scores during or after performance, giving consistent and comparable judgements between candidates and between testers.

Sliding filament theory

The explanation of muscle shortening in which myosin heads attach to actin, pivot to pull the filaments past one another, detach using ATP, and then reattach at a site further along.

Motor unit

A single alpha motor neuron together with every muscle fibre it innervates; all fibres in one unit are of the same type and contract simultaneously when the neuron fires.

Henneman size principle

The rule that motor units are recruited in order of increasing size, from small slow type I units to large fast type IIx units, as the force required rises.

Cardiac output

The volume of blood ejected by one ventricle per minute, equal to heart rate multiplied by stroke volume; roughly 5 litres per minute at rest and over 20 litres at maximal exercise.

Anaerobic glycolysis yield

Breakdown of glucose to lactate without oxygen, producing a net 2 ATP per glucose molecule or 3 per glycogen unit, and dominating high-intensity work lasting roughly 10 to 120 seconds.

Third-class lever

A lever arrangement in which the effort acts between the axis and the load, so the effort arm is shorter than the load arm; the biceps curl is the standard example.

Moment of force

The rotational effect of a force about an axis, calculated as force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from that axis, and measured in newton metres.

Impulse-momentum relationship

Impulse, the product of force and the time it acts, equals the change in momentum; this is why a prolonged follow-through raises the speed given to a ball.

Conservation of angular momentum

When no external torque acts, the product of moment of inertia and angular velocity remains constant, so a gymnast who tucks reduces inertia and spins faster.

Optimum release angle

For a projectile released and landing at the same height with no air resistance, maximum range occurs at 45 degrees; a higher release point or air resistance lowers that optimum.

Fitts and Posner stages

The three phases of motor learning: cognitive, where movement is conscious and error-prone; associative, where it is refined and consistent; and autonomous, where it runs automatically.

Knowledge of performance

Feedback describing the movement pattern itself, such as limb position or technique cues, rather than the outcome, and most useful while a skill is still being refined.

Contextual interference

Practice that mixes several skills in random order feels harder and produces more errors in practice, yet yields better retention and transfer than blocked practice.

Inverted-U hypothesis

The proposal that performance improves as arousal rises towards a moderate optimum and then declines; the optimum shifts with task complexity and the performer's skill level.

Self-efficacy

A person's belief in their ability to organise and carry out the actions needed for a task, built from mastery experiences, vicarious modelling, verbal persuasion and interpretation of physiological states.

Karvonen formula

A method for setting target heart rate: resting heart rate plus the chosen percentage of heart-rate reserve, where reserve equals maximum minus resting heart rate.

Progressive overload

Systematically increasing the demands of training as the body adapts, so that fitness continues to improve instead of plateauing at a familiar and comfortable load.

Specificity principle

The principle that adaptations are specific to the muscles, energy systems, movement velocities and joint angles trained, so preparation must resemble the target performance.

Multi-stage fitness test

A 20-metre shuttle run in time with recorded beeps of increasing frequency; the level reached predicts maximal oxygen uptake and provides a field measure of aerobic capacity.

Macrocycle and microcycle

A macrocycle is the complete training plan, usually a season or year; a mesocycle is a block of several weeks within it; a microcycle is typically one week.

Olympism

De Coubertin's philosophy that blends sport with culture and education to create a way of life founded on the joy of effort, fair play, respect and friendship.

Strict liability

The anti-doping principle that an athlete is responsible for any prohibited substance found in their sample regardless of intent, although the sanction may be reduced for genuine fault.

Gamesmanship

Using tactics that are technically legal but ethically dubious, such as time-wasting or deliberate distraction, so that the rules are respected while the spirit of fair play is not.

Socialisation through sport

The process by which participation transmits values, norms and skills such as teamwork, discipline and respect, shaping behaviour that carries beyond the sporting context.

RICE protocol

Immediate management of acute soft-tissue injury using rest, ice, compression and elevation, aiming to limit internal bleeding, swelling and pain in the first 48 hours.

Hierarchy of control

The order in which risks are controlled: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, apply engineering controls, then administrative controls, with personal protective equipment last and least reliable.

DRABC primary survey

The first-response sequence of danger, response, airway, breathing and circulation, used to establish whether an injured participant requires resuscitation or urgent evacuation.

Graduated return to play

A stepwise progression after injury or concussion that raises exercise intensity across successive steps of at least 24 hours, dropping back a step if symptoms return.