Improving Sports Performance

Semester Elective Unit

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Description

This semester length elective focusses on various factors that contribute to improving sporting performance. It explores some theoretical and practical content which is linked to the Year 11 and 12 VCE Physical Education Studies courses. It combines practical and theoretical components, helping students develop a comprehensive understanding of scientific concepts and their real world applications.

Essential Questions

How have advancements in technique and technology affected sporting performance?
What are the characteristics of an exemplary sports coach and what strategies do they implement to achieve skill acquisition and game sense improvements?
What are the key fitness components and training methods that helps us understand the physical requirements to successfully perform an activity?

Areas of Study

Technique and Technology in Sport

Technological advancements in sports equipment design, material, structure and biomechanical technique.
Understanding some of the biomechanical principles evident in technological advancement and how the application of the principle has resulted in the change.
Factors affecting changes in equipment (e.g. clothing, footwear and playing fields) or technique.
Changes in performance as a result of the technological change.
Implications of the technological change such as biomechanical, social and ethical.

Sports Coaching

This area of study examines important coaching principles. Student have the opportunity to complete the Australian Sports Commission Community Coaching General Principles online course which is the first step towards obtaining a specific sport coaching accreditation.

The following principles are studied:

Roles and responsibilities expected of a coach including an understanding of the coaching Code of Conduct.
Investigation of the different styles of coaching.
Skills and behaviours of an exemplary coach, including understanding group dynamics, leadership skills, conflict resolution, communication, setting boundaries and inclusive coaching practices.
Open and closed skill and sport continuum; comparing environmental stability and instability.
Skill-learning principles such as stages of learning (cognitive, associative and autonomous), skill-learning processes and the role of feedback in skill-learning.
Coaching pathways and accreditation for coaches.

Personal Fitness Complements and Training Methods

Understand the components of health-related fitness that are to be improved or maintained in the personal fitness.
Justify the selection of physical activities and training methods to be included an individual’s fitness plan, such as continuous, interval (short, intermediate, long and high intensity), fartlek, circuit, weight/resistance, flexibility and plyometrics.
Components of an exercise training session including warm up, conditioning phase and cool down.

Assessment