100m Runner – A runner needs good leg flexibility for a long, powerful stride.
Striker – When a striker swings his leg to get a shot on goal he needs good flexibility to get that extra power.
Speed
Speed is the pace of time to perform a sequence of movements; this is used in nearly every sport.
100m Runner – This is the most important attribute for a sprinter, he must be explosive and aggressive from start to finish.
Striker – Speed is important to sprint onto balls passed through and closing down the defence.
Strength
Strength is quite simply force against a resistance.
100m Runner – You need all over body strength as you use every muscle whilst running. More specifically arm and leg drive.
Striker – A striker needs this to hold the ball up, keep the ball and win headers in the air.
Power
Power is the combination of strength and speed.
100m Runner – A 100m runner needs explosive power to get a good solid start out of the blocks.
Striker – A striker needs power to make explosive strong runs with the ball whilst under pressure and getting a powerful shot off at goal.
Body Composition
Body Composition is the size, shape and structure in which the body is manufactured.
100m Runner – This athlete needs between a mesomorph and ectomorph for slim-line movement.
Striker – A striker needs to be a mesomorph to hold up the ball and bring a strong powerful force to the attack.
Agility
Agility is the pace or time in which you can perform an action.
100m Runner – A 100m runner needs an agile arm and leg drive to produce a constant speed for the entire 100m.
Striker – This athlete needs good agility in his legs and his feet to fool players and beat them.
Balance
Balance is equilibrium, or the equality of distribution.
100m Runner – This athlete needs a good centre balance to stay in their lane at a high speed.
Striker – This athlete needs good balance to control awkward passes and get a strike on goal when under pressure from a defender.
Co-ordination
Co-ordination is to be able to perform a number of tasks in a logical order or at the same time.
100m Runner – This athlete needs this to keep is feet correct and in a well timed pattern.
Striker – This athlete needs good foot-eye co-ordination to bring the ball under control and judge the ball through the air.
Reaction Time
Reaction time is a stimulus.
100m Runner – This athlete needs this to react efficiently to the gun and get the best start possible.
Striker – This athlete needs this to react to a shot if it is parried by the keeper and to make his attacking run when the ball is played through.
Cricket Player (Striking/Fielding Games)
Cricket players’ main attributes for batting are hand-eye co-ordination and reaction time because the ball approaches the batsman at a ferocious speed and varies in position with every ball. Cricket players’ main attributes for bowling are flexibility, speed and balance because he has to deliver a ball accurately at speed so he must be on balance at the point of delivery and must be flexible for the correct technique of a bowl. Cricket players’ main attributes for fielding are reaction time and co-ordination because they need to react to the batsmen’s shot and determine exactly where it’s going to either stop it or catch it.
Rock Climbing (Outdoor Activities)
A rock climbers’ main attributes for an endurance climb are muscular endurance, aerobic endurance, and strength because the strength and muscle demands for carrying your own body weight for a lengthy period of time are extremely high. A rock climbers’ main attributes for sprint/race climbing are power, muscular endurance and agility because the athlete needs to be able to climb the rock face as quickly as possible therefore needing a lot of agility to move from rock to rock. He also needs a powerful upper body to carry his weight at such a pace and because of that pace he needs the muscular endurance. Rock climbing is a very unique sport that requires high mental and physical demand and a lot of discipline. Compared to a sport like cricket it is extremely different, because rock climbing is all solo, only one athletes’ determination to succeed and no one driving him on. Cricket however, is a team game that is much less physical and is less of an adrenaline sport. However they have something in common, they are both competitive but not in a similar way. In cricket the team is competing against opposition in the form of another team, whereas the rock climber is competing against opposition in the form of the wall. Therefore, the fitness and training components are very different in these two sports.
Boxing (Combat Sports)
A boxers main attributes for a 12 round fight are aerobic endurance, muscular endurance, power, co-ordination, balance and agility. There are a lot of components that a boxer must have because it is such a demanding sport. The athlete needs these components because he has to last 12 rounds constantly moving, punching, and getting punched. All these components are vital for a boxer because if he doesn’t have endurance he won’t last, if he doesn’t have power he won’t affect the opponent, if he doesn’t have balance he will be knocked to the floor easily, if he doesn’t have co-ordination he won’t be able to effectively land a punch on his opponent and if he doesn’t have agility he won’t be able to dodge his opponents punches. Boxing is unique compared to sports such as cricket and rock climbing because there are a lot more vital components required to be successful at the sport. In boxing the opponent determines your fitness as well as yourself for example, if the athlete has superb endurance but takes a heavy hit to the stomach his energy and breath will decrease dramatically. It still has the common factor of competitiveness to cricket and rock climbing though.
