Skill Related Fitness

YEAR 10 SKILLS RELATED FITNESS PROJECT-BEN PEARCE 10D

For this project I have decided to describe each aspect of skill related fitness in relation to tennis. Tennis has always been one of my most enjoyable physical activities.

AGILITY

Agility is probably one of the best skills any tennis player can hone. I am also talking about any racket game especially squash. Agility helps performance in activities that require you to change direction quickly whilst keeping balance, strength, speed and body control. This is needed in tennis when you want to sprint over to the other side of the court. Agility is not just about the speed with which an individual can change direction. But it's also defined by the grace and fluidity of movement. With a great deal of practise, everyone is capable of being agile. Although speed and power can benefit agility, the main improvements in performance come from learning the skill of turning, moving limbs and pivoting quickly.

BALANCE

It is not worth having agility if you have not got any balance. Balance is not just vital in any sport but is vital in everyday life such as running. It is particularly vital in racket sports such as tennis, because as you are darting around the tennis court and using other skills, such as agility, you don't want to lose balance and control. This is why it is vital for any sportsmen to develop this skill.

CO-ORDINATION

Co-ordination is all about how well your eyes and hands work together. It measures how good you are at synchronising your upper body movements with the movements of ball. This is vital when you are any sportsmen. If you cannot track or follow a ball and move your body in time to meet it then it will be difficult to play racket sports such as tennis or squash. Tennis players have to learn to co-ordinate their racket with a ball by swinging their arm at the right time and at the right speed. This vital skill can be related to reaction time and reaction speed.

POWER

Power is the factor that helps you use your strength and speed simultaneously. Power is once again closely related to reaction time and reaction speed. Power is vital in tennis as when the tennis ball comes flying at you from shots you need time to build your speed (through reaction time and speed) and also build up strength

(Through muscular strength training as well as practise hitting the ball). Both of these two are vital if you want to have great power when hitting the ball. If Serena Williams took 0.69 seconds to move and hit a return shot, she would never defeat her opposition. To improve on your power when hitting the ball, you have to be capable of generating the highest possible force in the shortest possible time. In other words, you have to be able to use all of your strength as quickly as you possibly can.