33 of the SEHS glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
The systematic analysis of walking or running, describing the stance and swing phases, joint movements, forces and timing to identify abnormal patterns, guide treatment or improve performance.
An intervention that changes how a person walks or runs, usually using real-time feedback and practice, to reduce the load on an injured or at-risk tissue.
An objective measure of arousal based on the electrical conductance of the skin, which increases as sweat gland activity rises with sympathetic nervous system activation.
The movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide by diffusion between the alveoli and the blood, and between the blood and the tissues, down partial pressure gradients.
The absence of digestive symptoms such as nausea, bloating, cramps and diarrhoea during exercise; it depends on what and when an athlete eats and drinks, exercise intensity and individual tolerance.
A combination of linear and angular motion, as in running or cycling, where rotation of the limbs about the joints produces translation of the whole body.
A stored, abstract movement pattern for a class of actions, with fixed sequence and relative timing, adapted to each situation by setting parameters such as force, speed and direction.
A synovial joint, also called a plane joint, with nearly flat surfaces that slide over one another in small movements, such as the joints between the carpals.
A hormone released by the alpha cells of the pancreas when blood glucose is low, which raises it by stimulating glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in the liver.
The production of new glucose in the liver from non-carbohydrate sources such as lactate, glycerol and amino acids, stimulated by glucagon.
A monosaccharide that is the main carbohydrate in the blood and the form in which carbohydrate is taken up and used by cells for energy.
A ranking of carbohydrate foods from 0 to 100 by how much and how quickly they raise blood glucose compared with the same amount of glucose.
A branched polysaccharide made of many glucose units; the form in which carbohydrate is stored in skeletal muscle (about 500 g) and the liver (about 80 g).
The fall of glycogen stores in working muscles and the liver to very low levels during prolonged exercise, which slows ATP resynthesis from carbohydrate and forces a lower intensity.
The breakdown of glycogen stored in the liver or muscle into glucose, stimulated by glucagon and epinephrine.
The energy system that resynthesises ATP anaerobically by breaking down glucose or glycogen to pyruvate in the sarcoplasm, producing lactate and hydrogen ions when pyruvate forms faster than it is oxidised.
The regular review and modification of goals, by raising, lowering, re-timing or replacing them, in response to progress, setbacks or changed circumstances, so that they stay challenging, achievable and meaningful.
A mini-theory of self-determination theory distinguishing intrinsic goals (growth, relationships, community, health) from extrinsic goals (wealth, fame, image), and linking intrinsic goals to greater well-being.
A sequence of progressively harder short-term goals, arranged like the rungs of a ladder, that lead step by step to a long-term goal.
A psychological skill in which an individual sets specific targets to work towards, in order to direct attention, increase motivation and improve performance or behaviour in sport, exercise or health.
The finding that individuals who set harder goals tend to perform better but feel less satisfied with their performance, because a harder goal raises the standard needed for satisfaction; elite athletes may feel deflated after success.
A proprioceptor at the junction of a muscle and its tendon that detects tension in the muscle; very high tension causes the muscle to relax, protecting it.
A protractor-like instrument with two arms, centred over the axis of a joint, used to measure the angle of the joint or its range of motion in degrees.
The proposal that coping is most effective when the strategy matches the controllability of the stressor: problem-focused coping for controllable stressors, emotion-focused coping for uncontrollable ones.
A test in which exercise intensity rises in stages until exhaustion, used to measure VO₂ max, the blood lactate response or maximum heart rate.
A stepwise programme after concussion in which activity progresses from symptom-limited daily activity through aerobic, sport-specific and non-contact training to full contact and competition, each step usually lasting at least 24 hours.
The energy a body possesses because of its height above a reference level, equal to ; measured in joules (J).
A skill that uses large muscle groups and large movements, where precision is less important, for example a shot put or a tackle.
The force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it, equal in size and opposite in direction to the force the body applies to the ground.
A hormone released by the anterior pituitary gland, mainly during slow-wave sleep and exercise, that stimulates protein synthesis, tissue growth and repair, and fat breakdown.
A layer of cartilage near each end of a long bone in children and adolescents where the bone grows in length; it is weaker than surrounding bone and ligaments until it closes.
Information given to a learner to help them understand and perform a skill, in visual, verbal, manual or mechanical form.
The community of trillions of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, living in the digestive tract, mostly in the large intestine, together with their genes; it affects nutrient availability, immunity and health.