Physical
activity
Principles of training: specificity
You need to be able to describe, explain and apply specificity, a principle of training.
Description:
Specificity means matching training to the
particular requirements of an activity.
Explanation:
You must make sure that your training is
appropriate for your sport. This is so that
you are training the right muscles and body
systems, rather than other areas of fitness that
will have little impact on your performance.
dividual needs
in
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Don’t get co
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– specifi
t the person!
the activity, no
Using a treadmill instead of a rowing
e
machine may train some of the sam
ch.
mat
things but would not be the best
Application:
For specificity, a rower could plan their
training around using a rowing machine.
Training
Show your understanding
Activity
If you are asked to define or explain
specificity, don’t just use the word
‘specific’ in your answer. You need to
demonstrate your understanding of the
PRINCIPLE of specificity.
Target
E
Which of the following statements
does not conform to the principle of
specificity?
(1 mark)
A A 100 m runner practising their sprint
starts.
B A games player taking part in a fartlek
training session.
C A tennis player practising their first
serves.
D A 50-metre freestyle swimmer working
on their speed at the track.
Many students failed to gain marks for this type
of question because they confused individual
differences with specificity. Remember, specificity
relates to the needs of the activity.
Students have struggled with exam
questions similar to this – be prepared!
The swimmer should be training in the
pool rather than on the track.
Target
Figure 1 shows three items of fitness
training equipment.
1 Explain which of the items of
equipment shown in Figure 1
is most likely to be used by a
sprint cyclist.
(3 marks)
34
M04_PE_REV_GCSE_3629_U04.indd 34
E
Figure 1
10/08/2012 15:35