The 11 Components of Fitness

Fitness is not one thing

Being 'fit' is not a single quality. Edexcel splits fitness into eleven components, and a marathon runner, a gymnast and a sprinter are each brilliant at a very different set of them. This module covers all eleven, how they split into health-related and skill-related groups, and the one that trips people up: body composition, which Edexcel includes but some boards leave out.

The skill-related five

These components help you perform skills. Learn the definitions, they are easy to mix up:

Name that component

A netball player dodges past a defender, changing direction sharply without losing control of the ball. Which component of fitness is this?

• Agility
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Strength

Two families of fitness

Edexcel groups the eleven components into two families.

Match each skill component to its meaning

Health-related or not?

Select the TWO components that are health-related, not skill-related.

• Cardiovascular fitness
• Muscular endurance
• Agility
• Reaction time

The Edexcel eleventh

Body composition is the percentage of your body made up of fat, muscle and bone. It matters because different sports suit different builds: a sumo wrestler, a marathon runner and a high jumper have very different body compositions. Watch out, Edexcel counts it as the eleventh component, but some other boards list only ten and leave it out. For Edexcel, always include it.

Complete the picture

Fitness has eleven components in two groups. The _____ components include cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility. The _____ components include agility, coordination and speed. The ability to change direction quickly is _____, while the time taken to respond to a stimulus is _____. The Edexcel-specific eleventh component, the percentage of fat, muscle and bone, is _____.

Which have a named test?

Only seven of the eleven components have a named Edexcel fitness test. Knowing which do not is a real exam point. You will practise the tests themselves in a separate module.

The cardiovascular test

Which is a named Edexcel test for cardiovascular fitness?

• The Cooper 12-minute run or swim
• The multi-stage fitness test, or bleep test
• The sit and reach test
• The grip dynamometer test

Spot the skill-related

A coach lists the qualities a games player needs. Tap the TWO that are skill-related components of fitness.

• Agility to dodge past defenders.
• Cardiovascular fitness to last the whole match.
• Coordination to control the ball.
• Muscular endurance in the legs.
• Flexibility to stretch for a save.

Pick the key component

For each athlete, choose the component of fitness they rely on most.

• A gymnast holds a perfectly still handstand on a narrow beam. Which component matters most here?
• A powerlifter lifts the heaviest possible weight once. Which component matters most?
• A sprinter explodes out of the blocks the instant the gun fires. Which two-part component is that drive?

Match fitness to the sport

Choose a sport you know. Explain which THREE components of fitness a performer in that sport needs most, and why each one helps them succeed.

• Name your sport and a performer in it
• Choose three components, using their correct Edexcel names
• For each, say what it lets the performer do in that sport
• Include at least one health-related and one skill-related component