Physical Education GCSE

Physical Education GCSE glossary

293 key terms for Physical Education GCSE, A to Z, each linked to the topic pages that use it.

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293 terms found. Open a term to try a short memory check.

A

Access: Removing the barriers that stop people taking part, such as cost, transport, timing, childcare or step-free facilities.OCR
Accurate data recording: Recording each result with the performer's name, the date and the unit.OCR
Aerobic exercise: Uses oxygen to release energy over a long duration at low to moderate intensity, so a performer can keep going for many minutes.OCR
Aerobic respiration: Red blood cells are central to aerobic respiration and therefore to sustained muscular work during exercise by supplying muscles with oxygen.OCR
Agility: The ability to change the body's position and direction quickly while maintaining control.OCR
Agonist: The muscle that contracts to produce the desired movement.OCR
Air pathway: The route air takes through the respiratory system: mouth or nose, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli.OCR
Alertness and endurance examples: A performer in a short, intense or endurance event using stimulants to raise alertness and delay fatigue.OCR
Alveoli: Tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs, suited to exchange by their large surface area and thin walls.OCR
Anabolic steroids: Mimic testosterone, so they promote muscle protein synthesis and help an athlete train harder and recover faster, building muscle mass and strength.OCR
Anaerobic exercise: Short, high-intensity activity where the body releases energy without using oxygen, and it cannot be sustained for long.OCR
Antagonist: The muscle on the opposite side of the joint that relaxes and lengthens to allow that movement, then reverses the role when the movement reverses.OCR
Antagonistic muscle action: A paired relationship in which, as one muscle contracts, the other relaxes.OCR
Application to body levers: Second-class levers such as the ankle can give mechanical advantage, while most third-class levers such as the elbow favour speed and range of movement and…OCR
Application to physical activity: Naming the activity, describing the moment of effort, then stating which effect appears and why.OCR
application to repeated-contraction activities: Applying this component where repeated contractions are needed, such as a rower making many strokes, a cyclist turning the pedals, a hockey player repeatedly…OCR
Application to sporting actions: Attaching a listed muscle group to an action from physical activity or sport, such as the gastrocnemius plantar-flexing the ankle in a sprint take-off.OCR
Application to sustained physical activity and sport: This component is particularly important where sustained whole-body effort matters, such as a 1500 m run, a full football match or a 2000 m row.OCR
Applying adaptations to specific sports: Taking each long-term training effect and matching it to a real sporting example, choosing the example that fits the specific adaptation rather than a general…OCR
Applying concepts to real sporting situations: Naming the ethical concept and pairing it with a specific sporting situation that genuinely illustrates it, then explaining why the example fits.OCR
Applying drug knowledge to sport: Giving practical examples of the use of these drugs in sport, tying each example to the drug's mechanism so the reasoning is clear.OCR
Applying goal setting to scenarios: Read the scenario, identify whether it concerns keeping to a programme, raising motivation or raising performance, then choose the option that matches that use.OCR
Applying joint movements to sporting actions: Apply each term to a named joint in a named activity, and state which movement is happening at that moment rather than describing the whole action.OCR
Applying knowledge to sporting contexts: Identifying the activity, the demand it places on the body and the food or drink that meets that demand, then explaining why.OCR
Applying SMART to performance: Turning a vague ambition into a goal a performer can act on and review, using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Recorded and Timed elements.OCR
Applying sporting examples to real participation issues: Taking a real participation issue and showing, with a specific sporting example, how it affects a group and what could change it.OCR
Appropriate level of competition: Choosing opponents, intensity and rules that match the performer's age, fitness and skill, so a beginner does not join an elite contact game.OCR
Arteries: Vessels that carry blood away from the heart at high pressure, with thick muscular, elastic walls and a narrow lumen.OCR
Articular cartilage: Hyaline cartilage covering the bone ends to reduce friction and absorb shock.OCR
Articulating bones of the elbow: The humerus above and the radius and ulna below, giving three articulating bones.OCR
Articulating bones of the hip: The femur and the pelvis, with the head of the femur fitting into the acetabulum of the pelvis.OCR
Articulating bones of the knee: The femur above and the tibia below; the patella sits in front but is not one of the two main articulating bones.OCR
Articulating bones of the shoulder: The humerus and the scapula, with the head of the humerus fitting into the glenoid cavity of the scapula.OCR
Audience reach: The extent to which a media channel carries sport to audiences and widens a sport's audience.OCR
Axis of rotation: An imaginary line about which a body or body part turns.OCR

B

Balance: The ability to keep the body's centre of mass over its base of support.OCR
Balanced diet: Eating the right amounts and proportions of the different food groups and nutrients to meet the body's needs for energy, growth, repair and good health.OCR
Ball and socket joint structure: A rounded head sitting in a cup-shaped socket, which allows movement in all three planes.OCR
Barriers to participation: Factors that can lower a person's participation in physical activity and sport.OCR
Baseline and review: The performer's current level, written into a log with the goal, and progress checked at the deadline so the target can be adjusted.OCR
Beta blockers: Reduce the effect of adrenaline on the heart, lowering heart rate and reducing tremor and anxiety, which can steady a performer in precision activities.OCR
Bodily movement and goal direction: A motor skill involves movement of the body or limbs and is directed at a purpose the performer is trying to achieve.OCR
Body examples: neck, ankle, elbow: The neck is a first-class lever, the ankle is a second-class lever and the elbow is a third-class lever.OCR
Bone density: Weight-bearing and resistance training raises this, so bones resist fracture better.OCR
Breathing rate: The number of breaths taken in a given time, usually expressed per minute.OCR

C

Capillaries: Tiny, one-cell-thick vessels that link arteries to veins, with thin walls and a large total surface area allowing rapid exchange.OCR
Capilliarisation: Growth of more capillaries around muscles and alveoli, improving delivery and exchange.OCR
Cardiac hypertrophy: The heart's muscle wall thickens from training, so resting heart rate falls while resting stroke volume rises.OCR
cardiac output: Heart rate multiplied by stroke volume, which increases during exercise so that more blood is pumped.OCR
Cardiovascular endurance: The ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the working muscles over a sustained period.OCR
Cartilage: A smooth, slightly compressible tissue covering the ends of bones at a joint that reduces friction between the articulating surfaces and absorbs some shock.OCR
Change of direction with control: Accelerating, decelerating and turning without losing balance, so direction changes quickly under control.OCR
Circuit training: Moving through a series of stations, for example press-ups, squats and shuttle runs.OCR
Circulation of blood and oxygen: The continued circulation keeps blood and oxygen moving to the muscles that have worked.OCR
Circumduction: A combination of flexion, extension, abduction and adduction so the limb end traces a circle, as in a cricket bowler's arm circle.OCR
Classes of lever: Levers are classified by the order of the three points: fulcrum, load and effort, giving first-, second- and third-class levers.OCR
Co-ordinated: Body parts work together in the right order and timing.OCR
Co-ordination: The ability to use two or more body parts together smoothly and accurately to produce a controlled movement.OCR
Collecting data on short-term effects: Measuring responses such as heart rate, breathing rate or body temperature before, during and after activity, using a method you can repeat.OCR
Combining strategies: The three strategies reinforce one another, because advertising a session nobody can reach or afford will not raise participation.OCR
Combining two or more body parts: Using two or more body parts together smoothly and accurately, linking the senses and the muscles so that several limbs work in time.OCR
Commercialisation: Treating sport as a business to make money, through ticket sales, merchandise, broadcasting deals and sponsorship.OCR
Components of fitness: The components named in 1.2.a, such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, speed, agility, balance, coordination,…OCR
Continua: Sliding scales used in the classification of skills rather than two separate boxes, so a skill can sit between the two extremes.OCR
Continuous training: Steady exercise at a moderate intensity without rest, such as a 30-minute jog.OCR
Cool down: The tapering period after training or competition that returns the body towards rest.OCR
Cooper 12 minute run/walk test: A suitable test in which the performer covers as much distance as possible in twelve minutes.OCR
Correct clothing and footwear: Gives grip, support and freedom of movement, so studs suit a wet pitch and trainers suit a sports hall.OCR
Cranium: The bone that encloses the brain in the head.OCR
Credibility and integrity of sport: A positive test damages credibility and public trust and devalues records and results.OCR
Current trends in participation: The direction of change in participation, whether rising, falling or stable, for different social groups and in different physical activities and sports.OCR

D

Data collection methods: Recording baseline and follow-up measurements using the same standardised procedure on each occasion, and logging the training performed between the two points.OCR
Data interpretation: Taking real data about health, fitness and well-being and turning it into reasoned conclusions, describing the pattern you can actually see and quoting…OCR
Definitions: Each component has a definition to learn, such as the ability of the whole body to work for a long period.OCR
Dehydration: Sweating loses water and electrolytes, and dehydration reduces blood volume, raises heart rate and impairs temperature control, so performance falls.OCR
Deliberate acts outside the rules: An act that is deliberate, outside the rules and harmful, such as a player deliberately stamping on an opponent in a football match.OCR
Deviance: Behaviour that breaks the rules or accepted norms, such as doping, deliberate fouls or abusing officials.OCR
Diaphragm structure and action: A dome-shaped sheet of muscle separating the thorax from the abdomen; when it contracts it flattens and moves downwards, and when it relaxes it domes upwards.OCR
Diet and nutrition: Connecting a real sporting situation to what the body needs in food, such as carbohydrate before and during play to keep muscles fuelled.OCR
Diffusion: The process by which oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide moves out of the blood at the alveoli.OCR
Distinguishing strength from endurance examples: Matching the demand to maximal force or sustained effort rather than confusing muscular strength with muscular endurance in the chosen example.OCR
Double circulation: Blood passes through the heart twice for each complete circuit of the body, with the two circuits separate but linked in series.OCR
Dynamic balance: Balance that is maintained while moving.OCR

E

Efficiency: The performer achieves the outcome with minimal wasted effort.OCR
Efficient exchange: Made possible by a large total surface area, thin walls, a rich blood supply and a moist surface.OCR
Effort arm and load arm distances: Mechanical advantage depends on the distances of the effort and load from the fulcrum, so a longer effort arm relative to the load arm raises it.OCR
emotional: One of the three domains into which the effects of activity and inactivity are sorted, covering self-esteem/confidence, stress management and image.OCR
Enablers of participation: Factors that can raise a person's participation in physical activity and sport.OCR
Environmental predictability: How far the setting of a skill, such as the ball, opponents and teammates, changes or stays the same.OCR
Evaluation of evidence: Judging the limits of the data, such as a small sample or self-reported answers, and suggesting a practical action.OCR
Exercise and training adherence: Setting a target encourages regular attendance, so a runner with a target of three runs a week is more likely to keep attending than one with no target.OCR
Extension: An increase in the angle at the joint, as when a leg straightens behind.OCR
Extension at hinge joints: An increase in the angle at the joint, as when the elbow straightens to lower the weight or when the knee straightens at the end of a kick.OCR
Extrinsic feedback: Information that comes from an outside source, such as a coach, teacher, video or spectator.OCR

F

Fair play: Behaviour shown by a player who calls a foul on themselves in snooker, illustrating the concept in a real sporting situation.OCR
Fartlek: Varied paces within one continuous session, for example sprinting to a lamppost then jogging.OCR
Fat as fuel: Fats supply energy for longer, lower-intensity work but are broken down more slowly.OCR
Fitness: The ability to meet the demands of the environment, so a fit performer can cope with physical challenges.OCR
Fitness centre hazards: Poorly maintained machines, loose weights left on the floor and incorrect use of equipment.OCR
Fitness testing methods: A suitable test chosen for each component, for example a multi-stage fitness test for cardiovascular endurance or a sit-and-reach test for flexibility.OCR
FITT principles: A four-part framework for planning and adjusting a training programme, made up of frequency, intensity, time and type.OCR
Fixator: A muscle that stabilises a part of the body so the agonist can work effectively.OCR
Flexibility: The range of movement possible at a joint, which allows a performer to move a joint through a wide range without discomfort.OCR
Flexion: A decrease in the angle at the joint, as when a gymnast raises a knee towards the chest.OCR
Flexion and extension at hinge joints: Both the knee and the elbow are hinge joints permitting flexion and extension.OCR
Flexion at hinge joints: A decrease in the angle at the joint, as when the elbow bends to bring the hand towards the shoulder in a biceps curl.OCR
Fluent: The action flows smoothly without hesitation or jerky pauses.OCR
Freely movable: Describes synovial joints because their structures permit a range of movement, unlike fibrous and cartilaginous joints.OCR
Frequency: How often a person trains, usually expressed as sessions per week.OCR
Frontal axis: Runs from front to back through the body's centre of mass, and rotation about it occurs in the frontal plane, as in a cartwheel.OCR
Frontal plane: Runs side to side and divides the body into front and back, as in a cartwheel or a star jump.OCR

G

Gamesmanship: Bending the rules or using psychological tricks without technically breaking them, such as distracting an opponent at a serve or feigning injury to waste time.OCR
Gas exchange: Oxygen moves from the air inside each alveolus into the blood, while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the alveolus to be breathed out.OCR
Glycogen: Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in muscles and liver and are the body's preferred fuel for moderate and high-intensity exercise.OCR
Goal setting: Using the SMART principle as a checklist for writing a goal so that it can actually guide training.OCR
Grip strength dynamometer test: A suitable test that measures the force of the hand and forearm as the performer squeezes the device, giving a reading of force.OCR

H

Haemoglobin: A red protein packed into red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs, where oxygen concentration is high, and releases it in the tissues, where oxygen…OCR
Health: A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease.OCR
Health and career consequences: Health risks such as liver and heart damage and hormonal disruption, together with a risk of a ban and loss of reputation, sponsorship and a career.OCR
Health and well-being: Affected when there is too much of one nutrient, such as saturated fat or sugar, or too little of another, such as iron or fibre.OCR
Health, fitness and well-being: The subject the data concerns, which may be presented as a table of resting heart rates, a graph of activity levels, body-composition figures or survey…OCR
Heart chamber and valve structure: The atria and ventricles are the chambers, and the bicuspid, tricuspid and semilunar valves open and close to keep flow one-way.OCR
Heart rate: The number of times the heart beats per minute, usually written in beats per minute (bpm).OCR
Heart rate and breathing responses: During a 400 m sprint the performer's heart rate climbs because the working muscles need more oxygenated blood, and breathing becomes faster and deeper.OCR
Hinge joint structure: A synovial joint that allows movement mainly in one plane, producing flexion and extension.OCR
Hydration and fluid replacement: Replacing water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise, with fluid and electrolyte replacement matching sweat losses.OCR
Hydration and water needs: Water replaces fluid lost through sweat and supports temperature control, and a learner should identify that a runner needs water during exercise.OCR
Hypertrophy of muscle: Repeated overload enlarges existing muscle fibres, increasing muscular strength and muscular endurance and raising resistance to fatigue.OCR

I

Identifying barriers for specific social groups: Choosing a group and naming the barrier, such as cost, transport, time, confidence, facilities or cultural expectations, that affects it.OCR
Illinois agility test: A timed slalom run around cones over a measured distance, starting face down, with a turn and return, where faster times indicate better agility.OCR
Imagery: Creating a vivid picture of a skill or successful outcome in the mind.OCR
Impact of drug use on performers: Banned substances may boost muscle growth, mask fatigue or speed recovery, but bring health risks, a risk of a ban and loss of reputation, sponsorship and a…OCR
Impact of drug use on sport: A positive test damages credibility and public trust, devalues records and results, may trigger sanctions against a national body or event, and can deter…OCR
Improving and optimising performance: Goals direct effort and attention towards what matters, so performance is improved or optimised.OCR
Improving performance: Raising a weak area through a clear, checkable target that directs practice.OCR
Intensity: How hard each session is, judged by heart rate, RPE, percentage of one-repetition maximum or pace.OCR
Intensity and duration: Judged together to classify an activity: long and moderate points to aerobic, short and explosive points to anaerobic.OCR
Intensity and duration of activity: Aerobic activity is moderate and can be maintained, while anaerobic activity is brief and intense.OCR
Intercostal muscle action: Muscles sitting between the ribs; on inspiration the external intercostals contract, lifting the rib cage up and outwards, and on expiration they relax and…OCR
Interpretation of trends: Identifying the direction of change in the data and explaining how the recorded data supports the stated long-term effect rather than merely asserting it.OCR
Interpreting and applying data: Comparing scores with normative tables or with the performer's earlier results, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and explaining how the findings would…OCR
Interval training: Alternating work bouts with recovery periods, such as 30 seconds hard cycling then 60 seconds easy.OCR
Intrinsic feedback: Information that comes from the performer's own senses about their movement, without outside help.OCR

J

Joint actions produced by muscles: Linking a muscle to the movement it produces, such as the quadriceps extending the knee in a football kick.OCR
Justifying classification using features of the skill: Giving the feature, such as number of parts or level of decision-making, that places a skill on a continuum rather than naming the skill alone.OCR
Justifying classification with practical examples: Supporting each placement of a named sporting skill on both continua with a reason linked to the environment or the decisions involved, not just a label.OCR

K

Knowledge of performance: Information about the quality of the movement itself, describing how the movement was executed.OCR
Knowledge of results: Information about the outcome or result of the action, such as the distance measured or whether a shot went in.OCR

L

Learning through practice: A motor skill is learned rather than inherited and can be refined through repetition and feedback.OCR
Legitimate contact: Contact that the rules of the sport permit, such as a legal rugby tackle or a fair shoulder-to-shoulder challenge in football, and is not violence.OCR
Lever use in physical activity and sport: The three classes of lever are used in physical activity and sport, illustrated by the neck, the ankle and the elbow.OCR
Ligament: A tough band of connective tissue that joins bone to bone across a joint, stabilising the joint and limiting movement beyond its safe range.OCR
Linking evidence to body responses: Interpreting the pattern in the data and linking it to the body's short-term response to exercise.OCR
Linking examples to promotion, provision and access: Connecting the example to a strategy, such as a local session at a different time, advertising through the school, a reduced fee or a lift-share.OCR
Load and effort relationship: A value greater than 1 means a smaller effort moves a larger load, a value of 1 means load and effort are equal, and a value below 1 means more effort than…OCR
Location of major muscle groups: Placing each listed muscle group on the body by region, such as the deltoid capping the shoulder and the gastrocnemius in the calf.OCR
Long-term training adaptations: Named long-term effects such as a lower resting heart rate, faster recovery, increased stroke volume or improved muscular endurance.OCR
Longitudinal axis: Runs from head to toe through the spine, and rotation about it occurs in the transverse plane, as in a full twist in trampolining or a pirouette in dance.OCR
Low intensity exercise: Continuing whole-body movement at a gentle pace, for example jogging a few laps, walking briskly or cycling slowly, so the heart and breathing rates fall…OCR

M

Manual guidance: Physically moves the learner through the movement, which builds correct feel but can reduce the learner's own decision-making if overused.OCR
Matching activity demands to the correct body system: Checking the demand of the activity, where maximal force points to strength and sustained effort to endurance, and using endurance examples for cardiovascular…OCR
Measurable: Stating how success will be judged, for example scoring 7 out of 10 shots in a set practice.OCR
Measuring heart rate and breathing rate: Taking readings of these responses before, during and after exercise so a comparison can be made.OCR
Mechanical advantage: The load moved divided by the effort applied, describing how much a lever multiplies the effort applied to it.OCR
Mechanical guidance: Uses equipment or aids to support the movement safely, though the aid may create dependence.OCR
Mechanism of breathing: Breathing moves air in and out of the lungs because skeletal muscles change the volume of the thoracic cavity.OCR
Mental rehearsal: Running through the sequence of a movement in the mind without physically performing it.OCR
minute ventilation: Breathing rate multiplied by tidal volume, which increases during exercise to deliver more oxygen to working muscles.OCR
Mixed sports: Many sports combine both, such as a football match (aerobic) containing sprints (anaerobic).OCR
Mobility: Work that takes joints through their range, for example arm circles or hip rotations.OCR
Motivation of performers: Goals give a clear focus and a sense of progress, which motivates performers.OCR
Motor skill: A learned movement or action, produced by the body, that has a clear goal and can be improved with practice.OCR
Motor skills versus reflexes: A reflex is an automatic, involuntary response, whereas a motor skill is learned and goal-directed.OCR
Movement: Bones act as levers with muscles and joints, as when the humerus, radius and ulna swing the arm in a throw.OCR
Multi-stage fitness test: A progressive shuttle run in which the performer keeps pace with bleeps until unable to continue.OCR
Muscle names and body regions: Naming each listed muscle group and giving its body region, for example the pectorals on the chest and the abdominals down the front of the trunk.OCR
muscular endurance: The ability of a muscle or group of muscles to repeatedly contract over a period of time without tiring.OCR

N

Negative effects of media: Fixtures moved for TV, over-commercial pressure on athletes, and sports chasing money over tradition.OCR
Negative effects of sponsorship: Sponsors may expect influence over scheduling, kit or rules, deals can favour already-visible sports and widen the gap, some products raise health or ethical…OCR
Nutrients and food groups: Carbohydrates for energy, fats for energy and insulation, proteins for growth and repair, vitamins and minerals for health, fibre for digestion and water for…OCR

O

One-plane movement at hinge joints: A hinge joint permits movement in one plane only, so the two movements to learn are flexion and extension.OCR
One-way blood flow: Valves open and close to keep flow one-way, so blood passes from atria to ventricles and out through the semilunar valves.OCR
Open–closed continuum: A scale on which a skill is placed according to the predictability of the environment in which it is performed.OCR
Optimising performance: Refining an already good performance towards a higher standard.OCR
Overload: Training beyond the current level by adjusting frequency, intensity, time or type.OCR
Oxygen transport: Red blood cells are the oxygen carriers of the blood, picking oxygen up in the lungs and releasing it at the tissues.OCR
Oxygenation states of blood: Blood is deoxygenated when travelling from the right side to the lungs and oxygenated when travelling from the left side to the body.OCR

P

Pain masking and recovery: Masking pain so training and competition can continue, or recovering quickly from injury.OCR
Pelvis: The structure that forms the hip girdle.OCR
Performance enhancement: Wanting to improve performance or gain a competitive edge, building muscle mass and strength, or increasing stamina.OCR
Personal protective equipment: Equipment such as a helmet in cycling or shin pads in football that guards the body where contact or falls are likely.OCR
physical: One of the three domains into which the effects of activity and inactivity are sorted, covering factors such as injury, coronary heart disease (CHD), blood…OCR
Physical activities and sports: The different activities and sports across which participation trends are read, so you can say which are growing or declining.OCR
Physiological explanation: The physiological or lifestyle reason that links the data to the conclusion, explaining what the pattern suggests about fitness or well-being.OCR
Planes of movement: An imaginary flat surface that divides the body and shows the direction in which a movement happens.OCR
Player and spectator violence: Violence in sport can involve players, coaches or spectators, such as spectators who throw objects and invade the pitch.OCR
Playing field hazards: Uneven ground, stones, glass and poorly secured goalposts.OCR
Positive effects of media: Increased funding, higher profiles for athletes and wider access through coverage.OCR
Positive effects of sponsorship: Brings income that funds facilities, coaching, prize money and grassroots schemes, raises the profile of minority sports and can lower costs for spectators.OCR
Positive thinking: Replacing self-doubt with encouraging self-talk and confident expectations.OCR
Posture: The skeleton holds the body in the correct alignment, as when the vertebrae and pelvis keep a gymnast balanced.OCR
Power: The ability to combine strength with speed, producing a strong movement as quickly as possible.OCR
Practical sporting application: A named sporting example where speed is particularly important, such as a sprinter accelerating from the blocks or a winger sprinting to reach a pass.OCR
Practical sporting applications: Actions such as a gymnast's split, a hurdler clearing the barrier, a swimmer's streamlined reach or a dancer's extension, where a greater range of movement…OCR
Practical sporting examples: Situations where a fast response decides the outcome, such as a sprinter leaving the blocks on the gun, a goalkeeper diving as a shot is struck, or a batsman…OCR
Pre-determined: The movement is planned and decided before it starts.OCR
Precision and steadiness examples: An archer or shooter using beta blockers to steady the hands and reduce anxiety-linked tremor.OCR
Presenting and interpreting data: Showing the data clearly, for example in a table or graph with labelled units, and explaining what it shows.OCR
press-up test: A suitable test that counts correct press-ups completed without rest to indicate endurance of the working muscles.OCR
Pressure and high stakes: High stakes and pressure to win can push players beyond the rules.OCR
Pressure and volume changes in the thorax: Together the diaphragm and intercostals create the pressure changes that drive ventilation, with the diaphragm contributing most of the volume change at rest.OCR
Pressure to succeed: A situational pressure that prompts drug use, for example a performer under pressure to keep a place in the team.OCR
Progression: Gradually increasing the training demand over time to keep improving.OCR
Promotion: Publicising an activity so under-represented groups know it exists and feel welcome, through advertising, campaigns, taster sessions or role models.OCR
Proportions and quantities: The balance matters, as the amounts and proportions of nutrients matter, not just the types of food.OCR
Protection: Bones shield soft organs: the cranium protects the brain, the ribs and sternum protect the heart and lungs, and the vertebrae protect the spinal cord.OCR
Provision: Supplying the activity itself, such as new facilities, sessions, equipment or qualified coaches.OCR
Provocation and frustration: Provocation by opponents, officials' decisions or crowd behaviour can trigger retaliation, and frustration at losing, poor form or a perceived injustice can…OCR
Pulmonary circuit: The right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen and returns oxygenated to the left side of the heart.OCR
Pulse raising: Continuous activity such as jogging or cycling used to lift heart rate and blood flow.OCR

R

Range of movement at ball and socket joints: The ball and socket structure allows movement in all planes, giving a wide range of movement.OCR
Rate of movement versus endurance: Speed is about rate of movement rather than stamina, while endurance is about sustaining effort over time.OCR
Reaction time: The time taken to respond to a stimulus, such as a starter's signal or an opponent's sudden movement.OCR
Reaction time ruler test and scoring: A partner holds a ruler vertically and releases it without warning, the performer catches it as quickly as possible, and a shorter distance indicates a faster…OCR
Reasons for drug use: The motives a performer gives for using drugs, such as seeking a competitive advantage or managing pressure to succeed.OCR
Reasons for unethical behaviour in sport: Pressure to win, financial reward, desire for fame, weak detection or punishment, and copying role models.OCR
Relationships and differences between the three concepts: Related but distinct ideas: a person can be free of illness yet not fit, and a very fit athlete can still experience poor mental well-being.OCR
Reliability and limitations: Acknowledging limitations such as small sample size, inconsistent testing conditions or other variables, and explaining what the data does and does not show.OCR
Removal of waste products: Better circulation also increases the removal of waste products such as lactic acid, which builds up during intense activity.OCR
Reversibility: The loss of fitness gains when training stops or is reduced.OCR
Role of oxygen in energy release: In aerobic exercise the body uses oxygen to release energy from glucose, whereas in anaerobic exercise energy is released without using oxygen.OCR
Rotation: Turning the bone around its own long axis, as when a swimmer turns the whole arm inward.OCR

S

Safe lifting and carrying: Uses a bent-knee, straight-back technique with the load close to the body.OCR
Sagittal plane: Runs front to back and divides the body into left and right, as in a forward run or a biceps curl.OCR
sedentary lifestyle: A way of living linked to increased loneliness and reduced belonging to a group, and to consequences such as raised risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) and…OCR
Selective attention: Deliberately focusing on the most relevant cue and ignoring distractions.OCR
Short-term effects of exercise: Effects that happen during or just after the activity, including a rise in heart rate, faster and deeper breathing, sweating, reddening of the skin and a rise…OCR
Simple to complex skills (difficulty continuum): A sliding scale where a simple skill has few parts and little decision-making, while a complex skill has many parts and demands coordination and…OCR
Simple–complex continuum: A scale on which a skill is placed according to the number of decisions, movements or amount of information to process.OCR
Sit and reach test: A suitable measure in which the performer sits with legs straight and reaches forward as far as possible, indicating the flexibility of the lower back and…OCR
sit-up test: A suitable test that counts sit-ups completed in a set time or to exhaustion to indicate endurance of the working muscles.OCR
Skill rehearsal: Practising the actual techniques of the activity, such as passing drills in netball or shadow batting in cricket.OCR
SMART principle: A checklist in which each letter stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Recorded and Timed.OCR
social: One of the three domains into which the effects of activity and inactivity are sorted, covering friendship, belonging to a group and loneliness.OCR
Social groups: Groups such as by age, gender, ethnicity or disability, across which participation trends are read.OCR
Sources of participation data: Different sources such as Sport England, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) each publish participation data.OCR
Specific: Naming exactly what is to be improved, such as a performer's shooting accuracy in netball rather than 'get better'.OCR
Specificity: Training that matches the demands and movements of the chosen activity.OCR
Speed: The rate at which the body, or a body part, moves from one place to another.OCR
Sponsorship: A business deal in which a company gives money, kit or services to a performer, team or event in return for exposure of its brand.OCR
Sponsorship and revenue: Money and sponsor interest that a media channel brings to sport, such as broadcast fees or attracting sponsors.OCR
Sport culture and officiating: Some contact sports have a culture where aggression is expected, and officials' failure to control a game, or inconsistent decisions, can allow violence to…OCR
Sporting examples: Each component is learned with a sporting example, such as a marathon for cardiovascular endurance.OCR
Sporting examples where agility is important: Situations where space is tight and opponents or the ball demand rapid redirection, such as a netball centre dodging to receive.OCR
Sports hall hazards: A wet floor, equipment left near the court and wall fittings that a performer could strike.OCR
Sportsmanship: Fair, respectful conduct that upholds the rules and the spirit of the contest, such as shaking hands or kicking the ball out when a player is injured.OCR
Standing jump test: A suitable test that measures how far a performer can propel themselves from a standing position.OCR
Stimulants: Increase alertness, heart rate and arousal, reducing fatigue and reaction time, which can help in short, intense or endurance events.OCR
Stork stand test: A suitable test for balance in which the performer stands on one leg with the other foot against the inside of the supporting knee, hands on hips, and the…OCR
Strength: The amount of force a muscle or group of muscles can exert against a resistance.OCR
Strength and power examples: A weightlifter or sprinter using anabolic steroids to build muscle mass and recover faster from heavy training.OCR
Stretching: Taking the worked muscles through controlled, held positions, for example a held hamstring stretch after sprinting or a calf stretch after a long run.OCR
stroke volume: The volume of blood ejected from a ventricle in a single beat, measured in millilitres (cm³ or ml).OCR
Structure and function: Red blood cells have no nucleus, leaving more room for haemoglobin, and a biconcave disc shape giving a large surface area for gas exchange.OCR
Structure of a warm up: A structured sequence of activities that prepares the body and mind for the session ahead.OCR
Support: The skeleton holds the body upright and gives it a framework, as when the vertebrae and leg bones keep a runner standing.OCR
Sweating and temperature regulation: Sweating begins as the body tries to lose heat, and there is a rise in body temperature.OCR
Swimming pool hazards: A slippery poolside, shallow water where diving is attempted and poor supervision.OCR
Synovial fluid: The substance within the joint cavity that lubricates and nourishes the cartilage.OCR
Synovial joint: A joint where two or more bones meet and are separated by a fluid-filled joint cavity, allowing movement.OCR
Systemic circuit: The left side pumps oxygenated blood around the body, and deoxygenated blood returns to the right side.OCR

T

Ten-component list: The components are learned as one list of ten, not sorted into health-related and skill-related groups.OCR
Tendon: A strong, less elastic cord that attaches muscle to bone and transmits the pull of the muscle to the bone so the joint moves.OCR
The golden triangle: The linked relationship between three partners: sport supplies the event and audience, the media supplies coverage and reach, and sponsorship supplies money…OCR
The seven components of a balanced diet: A balanced diet supplies all seven named components in suitable proportions: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, fibre, and water with hydration.OCR
tidal volume: The amount of air per breath, which increases during exercise along with respiratory rate and minute ventilation.OCR
Timing of food and fluid intake: What and when a performer eats and drinks affects available energy and delayed fatigue.OCR
Transition to resting state: Continuing gentle movement helps the body's transition back to a resting state instead of stopping abruptly.OCR
Transverse axis: Runs from side to side through the hips, and rotation about it occurs in the sagittal plane, as in a forward roll or somersault.OCR
Transverse plane: Runs parallel to the ground and divides the body into top and bottom, as in a twist such as a golf swing or a spin in dance.OCR
Type: The method of training chosen, such as continuous running, circuit training or weight training, matched to the component of fitness being developed.OCR
Types of media: The different channels named are social, internet, TV/visual and newspapers/magazines.OCR

U

Units and calculation: Cardiac output is calculated as heart rate × stroke volume, keeping heart rate in bpm and stroke volume in cm³, then converting the product to litres.OCR
Using endurance and weight-bearing contexts accurately: Linking a lower resting heart rate to long-term endurance training and increased bone density to a weight-bearing example rather than a non-weight-bearing…OCR

V

Veins: Vessels that carry blood back to the heart at low pressure, with thinner walls, a wider lumen and valves preventing backflow.OCR
Verbal guidance: Uses spoken explanation or feedback and can give detailed technical points, but too much talk can overload a beginner.OCR
Vertebrae: The bones that form the spine in the trunk.OCR
Vertical jump test: A suitable test that measures how high a performer can propel themselves from a standing position.OCR
Violence in sport: Physical force used by a performer or spectator that goes beyond what the rules of the activity allow and risks harm to others.OCR
Visual guidance: Uses something the learner can see, such as a demonstration or video, and suits beginners because it creates a clear picture, though a poor demonstration can…OCR

W

Well-being: A positive state of body and mind, including feeling good about life and functioning well socially and emotionally.OCR

Other terms

1 Repetition Maximum (RM) test: A suitable test that finds the heaviest weight a performer can lift once with correct technique, so a higher value indicates greater strength.OCR
30 m sprint test: A suitable test for speed in which the performer runs a measured 30 m as fast as possible and the time taken is recorded, with a shorter time showing better…OCR

Where these terms come from

Each definition is one we publish on a Physical Education GCSE topic page or study guide. Open a term to see how each exam board words it and which topic it belongs to. For the full course, go to Physical Education revision or the glossary for every subject.

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