The 10 Components of Fitness
The ten components of fitness named by the specification, each explained with a sport example, and how to pick the right component for a sporting action.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Ten kinds of fitness
Fitness is not just one thing. The specification names ten components of fitness, and different sports rely on different ones. A sprinter needs speed, a gymnast needs balance, a marathon runner needs endurance. This module explains all ten and shows how to pick the right one for a given sporting action.
Four components to know
Start with these four components and their meanings.
Muscular endurance vs strength
These two are often mixed up, but they are not the same.
Match the component to the action
In the exam you are often given a sporting action and asked which component it needs. Read it carefully. A single all-out effort points to strength, keeping going for a long time points to endurance, and a quick change of direction points to agility. Take care not to mix up muscular endurance, where one muscle works again and again, with cardiovascular endurance, where the whole body keeps up its oxygen supply.
Match the meaning
- balance
- cardiovascular endurance
- speed
- power
- keeping the body steady, whether still or moving
- the heart and lungs supplying oxygen over a long time
- moving all or part of the body as fast as possible
- putting strength and speed together in one fast move
Match the sport
- agility
- flexibility
- muscular endurance
- strength
- a rugby player sidestepping a tackler
- a gymnast holding the splits
- a rower making many strokes in a race
- a weightlifter raising a heavy bar once
Name the component
A sprinter drives out of the blocks in one fast, forceful push. Which component of fitness is this?
- Power.
- Flexibility.
- Balance.
- Coordination.
True about the components
Select the TWO statements that are true about the components of fitness.
- Different sports rely on different components.
- Power is a fast, forceful move that needs strength and speed.
- Every athlete needs only a single component.
- All ten components mean the same thing.
Work out the component
Put the steps of choosing the right component for an action in order, earliest first.
- Read the sporting action carefully
- Decide if it is one big effort or repeated
- Decide if speed is part of it
- Name the component of fitness it needs
Name each one
A netball player dodging a defender shows _____. A dancer bending into a deep backbend shows _____. A long jumper exploding into a jump shows _____. A goalkeeper responding to a sudden shot shows fast _____ time. A cyclist riding steadily for hours shows cardiovascular _____.
Count the components
There are ten components of fitness in the specification. If you have already revised six of them, how many are left to revise? Subtract 6 from 10.
Find the sprinter components
Tap the TWO components a 100 metre sprinter relies on most.
- speed
- power
- flexibility
- balance
Which component?
Read each sporting action and choose the component of fitness it needs most.
- A gymnast holds a steady handstand without wobbling
- A marathon runner keeps going steadily for over two hours
- A weightlifter raises the heaviest bar they can in one lift
Explain three components
Choose three different components of fitness. For each one, explain what it means and name a sport or action where it is important.
- Name three different components of fitness
- Explain what each one means
- Give a sport or action where each one matters