SKILL - RELATED FITNESS (SRF) AND

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY READINESS-

QUESTIONAIRE (PAR-Q) TEST
SKILL - RELATED FITNESS
6 Skill-Related Elements to Athletic Training
Focus on these areas to improve your performance

 By 
 Laura Williams, MSEd, ASCM-CEP 

Reviewed by 
Tara Laferrara, CPT 
Updated on May 11, 2020
 Improving your overall fitness can help you no matter what sport or other form of exercise you
engage in. But where performance is concerned, the greatest improvements arise from training that
develops the skills specifically related to your activity of choice.
  
 If you're already meeting these guidelines and you want to do more to train for a specific fitness-
related goal, you also need to consider the six skill-related fitness components:
 Power
 Speed
 Agility
 Coordination (hand-eye and/or foot-eye)
 Balance
 Reaction time
 The health components of fitness are universally important. The skill-related fitness components are
more relevant to certain athletes. For example, while everyone can benefit from daily walks, someone
who hits the path just to get their heart pumping doesn't need to worry about developing the speed
necessary to run a five-minute mile. Likewise, baseball players need to target all skill-related areas in
order to perform at the highest levels, but weightlifters can get away with focusing most of their
effort on power, balance, and strength.
 If you want to develop your level of fitness beyond the basic requirements for health, adjust your
workout program to include exercises designed to improve the skill-related components of fitness.
Power

 Power combines speed and strength. In essence, it's how fast you can generate a maximal force. In
sports, "power athletes" are those who exert brute strength in short, all-out efforts. Olympic
weightlifters, football players, and gymnasts are all clear examples.
 But athletes in other sports, like basketball, volleyball, and tennis, also benefit from developing
greater power. For instance, jumping to get a rebound requires leg power, while forcefully spiking a
volleyball requires a combination of upper- and lower-body power.
 Enhance your power by combining resistance and speed with fast-paced strength-training moves like
these:
 Plyometric box jumps
 Pushing a weighted sled while sprinting
 Clean and jerk lifts
 Kettlebell swings
Weight Training for Power
Speed

 When you think of speed, you might think of an event like the 100-meter sprint. But speed, by nature, is relative. An elite 100-meter
sprinter needs to be very, very fast, but only for about 10 seconds. On the other hand, if an amateur marathon runner wants to improve their
speed to set a new personal best, they might aim to reduce their per-mile race pace from 10 minutes per mile to 9.5 minutes per mile—a
speed they would have to maintain for a little over four hours.
 These two fictional athletes train differently, but with a similar goal: To become faster for their sports. So speed training will differ based
on the sport you're training for. But regardless of sport, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to improve your
speed.
 HIIT training involves working at an all-out or near all-out effort for set periods of time, followed by set periods of rest. 3 This type of
training enables you to repeatedly challenge your aerobic and anaerobic systems, teaching your muscles, heart, and lungs to grow
accustomed to working at higher levels of intensity.
 The length and intensity of the intervals you use will be longer or shorter, less challenging or more, depending on your sport. Runners can
try HIIT speed drills like these:
 For marathon training: try mile repeats, a style of interval training where the runner goes all-out for a full mile before resting and doing
it again.
 For sprint training: focus on shorter intervals. A sprinter would be better off performing shorter, more intense intervals ranging from
40- to 400-meters in length, running all-out, and then resting before repeating.
 These same concepts apply whether you want to be faster in swimming, cycling, or even sports like soccer and basketball. Interval training
featuring bouts of high-intensity exercise related to your specific sport can help you improve your speed.
 Interval Training for Speed
Agility

 Agility is the ability to move quickly and to easily change direction. Basketball players, for
instance, are incredibly agile. They have to move in every direction, jumping, sliding,
twisting, and backpedaling in quick response to the movement of the ball and other
players. Their bodies have to be trained to respond and change course at the drop of a hat.
 Agility drills commonly involve exercises that develop foot speed and direction change,
such as:
 Ladder drills: Use an agility ladder to practice quick and specific foot placement.
 Cone drills: Set up cones in a "T" or star shape, then sprint, slide, backpedal, or change
direction depending on which cone you're approaching.
Coordination

  
 So many sports and activities require well-honed hand-eye (or foot-eye) coordination: Badminton, golf,
soccer, basketball, football, racquetball, archery, softball, ultimate Frisbee, and more. All of these
require you to be able to see an external object and respond precisely with your hands and/or feet to
meet a pre-determined objective.
 Think of hitting a golf ball off a tee, catching a fly ball, or blocking a shot on net in hockey or soccer. To
improve your coordination, try exercises such as:
 Playing catch
 Jumping rope
 Juggling
 Dribbling a ball
 Throwing objects at specific targets
Balance

 Gymnasts, yogis, skaters, and surfers all need highly refined balance skills to be able to participate in their
sports, but these aren't the only athletes that benefit from balance training.
 Balance itself refers to your ability to adjust your body position to remain upright. It deals with
proprioception, or knowing where your body is in space, and being able to make adjustments to your position
as your center of gravity changes during movement.4
 There are few sports where balance doesn't play an important role, and there are lots of activities where
balance is required for enhanced performance and safety. Trail runners, for instance, benefit from balance
training because it can help prevent them from rolling an ankle or taking a nasty fall after tripping over a root
or slipping on a muddy path. To train your balance, try:
 Standing on one foot
 Standing yoga poses
 BOSU ball workouts
 Using balance discs to perform squats, lunges, and push-ups
 By performing standard strength training movements on an unstable surface, you're simultaneously
improving your strength and balance.
Reaction Time

 Reaction time refers to how quickly you can respond to an external stimulus. Think about a tennis match for a moment
—the best competitors react almost instantaneously when the ball comes off their opponent's racquet, sprinting toward
the location where they expect the ball to bounce.
 Reaction time hinges heavily on your mind-body connection. Your eyes see a stimulus, your mind interprets the
stimulus, and your body reacts in accordance with that interpretation.
 Much of this mind-body reaction relates to knowledge of the sport or activity in question. A professional tennis player
can almost instantly interpret and predict the movement of a ball. This knowledge enables them to react more quickly
(and accurately) to the stimulus.
 On the other hand, a novice tennis player may see the ball coming off the opponent's racquet, but won't be able to
interpret what they're seeing as quickly, causing their reaction time to slow. Reaction-time training tends to be sport-
specific, but these activities can help:
 Fielding a ball (softball, baseball)
 Protecting the goal as other players try to score (soccer, hockey, lacrosse)
 Tools such as lopsided reaction balls
 Playing table tennis or hacky sack
 In many cases, improving reaction time comes down to gaining experience in the sport and performing sport-specific
drills
 The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
 By 
 Elizabeth Quinn 
  Medically reviewed by 
 Richard Fogoros, MD 

Updated on January 05, 2020

If you haven't been active recently, or are looking to add a
new or more intense exercise to your current routine, the
physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) can
help you decide if you are ready to exercise safely, or if
you might need a trip to your physician to make sure you
don't push beyond your own limit.
Overview
 The PAR-Q is a simple self-screening tool that can and should be used by anyone who is planning
to start an exercise program and make it stick. It is typically used by fitness trainers or coaches to
determine the safety or possible risk of exercising for an individual based on their health history,
and current symptoms and risk factors. It also can help a trainer design an ideal 
exercise prescription for a client based on these results.
 The PAR-Q was created by the British Columbia Ministry of Health and the Multidisciplinary
Board on Exercise.1 This form has been adopted directly from the ACSM Standards and
Guidelines for Health and Fitness Facilities. Although there are now a variety of PAR-Q
questionnaires and other health self-directed screening assessments in use in various facilities, and
on the web, the basic questions from the original questionnaire haven't changed a great deal.
 The questions on the PAR-Q aim to uncover heart, circulatory, balance, medication, emotional,
and joint problems that could make exercise difficult, or even dangerous for some people.
 All the questions are designed to help uncover any potential health risks associated with exercise. 1
The most serious potential risk of intense exercise is that of a heart attack or other sudden cardiac
event in someone with undiagnosed heart conditions.
 As useful as these questionnaires are, some underlying cardiac issues, particularly those in young
athletes, can only safely be diagnosed by more invasive testing, including
an electrocardiogram (ECG) and an echocardiogram. Still, the simple questionnaire has a place in
screening most adults for obvious exercise safety risks.
 Take the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
 Being physically active is very safe for most people. Some people, however, should check
with their doctors before they increase their current level of activity. The PAR-Q has been
designed to identify the small number of adults for whom physical activity may be
inappropriate or those who should have medical advice concerning the type of activity
most suitable for them.
 Answer Yes or No to the Following Questions
 Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do
physical activity recommended by a doctor?
 Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
 In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
 Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?
 Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your
physical activity?
 Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood
pressure or heart condition?
 Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?
 If You Answered Yes
 If you answered yes to one or more questions, are older than age 40 and have been inactive or are
concerned about your health, consult a physician before taking a fitness test or substantially
increasing your physical activity. You should ask for a medical clearance along with information
about specific exercise limitations you may have.
 In most cases, you will still be able to do any type of activity you want as long as you adhere to
some guidelines.
 If You Answered No
 If you answered no to all the PAR-Q questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can exercise
safely and have a low risk of having any medical complications from exercise. It is still
important to start slowing and increase gradually. It may also be helpful to have a fitness
assessment with a personal trainer or coach in order to determine where to begin.
 When to Delay the Start of an Exercise Program
 If you are not feeling well because of a temporary illness, such as a cold or a fever, wait until you
feel better to begin exercising.
 If you are or may be pregnant, talk with your doctor before you start becoming more active.
 Keep in mind, that if your health changes, so that you then answer "YES" to any of the above
questions, tell your fitness or health professional, and ask whether you should change your
physical activity plan.
NOTE: Click this link to see the sample of PAR-Q Test
Sample of PAR-Q Test
http://eparmedx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/January2020PARQPlus_Image.pd
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 PHYSICAL FITNESS- is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations
and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and
sufficient rest.
 Before the industrial revolution, fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However,
with automation and changes in lifestyles physical fitness is now considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and
effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.
  
 COMPONENTS- one of several parts that together make up a whole system.
  
 EXERCISE- Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning the body. Exercise
consists of cardiovascular conditioning, strength and resistance training, and flexibility.
  
 SKILL-RELATED FITNESS- is the ability to do well in everyday life activities and sports
  
 AGILITY - is the ability to change and control the direction and position of the body while maintaining a constant, rapid motion. For
example, changing directions to hit a tennis ball.
  
 BALANCE - is the ability to control or stabilize the body when a person is standing still or moving. For example, in-line skating.
  
 COORDINATION- is the ability to use the senses together with body parts during movement. For example, dribbling a basketball.
Using hands and eyes together is called hand-eye coordination.
 SPEED- is the ability to move your body or parts of your body swiftly. Many sports rely
on speed to gain advantage over your opponents. For example, a basketball player making
a fast break to perform a layup, a tennis player moving forward to get to a drop shot, a
football player out running the defense to receive a pass.
  
 POWER - is the ability to move the body parts swiftly while applying the maximum force
of the muscles. Power is a combination of both speed and muscular strength. For example,
fullbacks in football muscling their way through other players and speeding to advance the
ball and volleyball players getting up to the net and lifting their bodies high into the air.
  
 REACTION TIME. - is the ability to reach or respond quickly to what you hear, see, or
feel. For example, an athlete quickly coming off the blocks early in a swimming or track
relay, or stealing a base in baseball. Six Components of Skill-Related Fitness Activity The
purpose of this activity is to help you gain an understanding
 PAR-Q- is a simple self-screening tool that can and should be used by anyone who is
planning to start an exercise program and make it stick. It is typically used by fitness
trainers or coaches to determine the safety or possible risk of exercising for an individual
based on their health history, and current symptoms and risk factors. It also can help a
trainer design an ideal exercise prescription for a client based on these results.
 https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-fitness-definition-components-types-examples.ht
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  
 https://www.spps.org/Page/18206