53 of the SEHS glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
The light band of a sarcomere containing only actin filaments, spanning a Z line, which shortens during contraction.
A pattern of mood scores on the Profile of Mood States in which an athlete scores below the population average on tension, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion and above average on vigour.
An autonomous type of extrinsic motivation in which a person values the outcome of a behaviour and wants to do it, but still as a means to an end (“I want to”).
A process of creating or recreating an experience in the mind using several senses, such as sight, sound and the feel of movement, without actual perception; also called mental rehearsal or visualisation.
A written plan that guides an imagery session, describing the setting, the senses, emotions, perspective and timing of the skill to be imagined, often recorded and listened to.
The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy pathogens and abnormal cells, through physical barriers, white blood cells and antibodies.
A general tendency to feel that outcomes are beyond one’s control, marked by anxiety about competence and a lack of intentional action, which leads to amotivation.
The product of the average force acting on a body and the time for which it acts, ; equal to the change in momentum and measured in N s.
The principle that the impulse applied to a body equals its change in momentum (), so a greater impulse produces a greater change in momentum.
A situational factor in need achievement theory: how much pride or satisfaction success at a task would bring, which is greater when success is less likely (Is = 1 − Ps).
The specific action or situation at the moment an injury occurs, such as a landing, tackle or sudden change of direction, which provides the load that exceeds a tissue’s capacity.
The variable that the investigator deliberately changes or selects in an investigation, in order to find out its effect on the dependent variable.
Characteristics of the performer that shape movement, either structural (height, limb length, body mass) or functional (fitness, skill, motivation, emotions, fatigue).
A band of pre-competition anxiety or emotional intensity within which an individual athlete performs best; the zone may be low, moderate or high and differs between athletes.
A training principle stating that a programme should be designed for the needs, goals, abilities, health and responses of the individual rather than copied from someone else.
The resistance of a body to a change in its state of motion, whether at rest or moving at constant velocity; directly proportional to the body’s mass.
A small wearable device containing an accelerometer and a gyroscope that measures the acceleration and rotation of the body segment it is attached to, allowing movement analysis outside the laboratory.
A positional term meaning away from the head or lower down the body than another structure, for example the knee is inferior to the hip.
The body’s immediate protective response to tissue damage, in which blood vessels dilate and become more permeable, causing redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function; the first phase of healing.
A model of motor control and learning describing how information is received, interpreted, used to select a response from memory and sent to the muscles, with feedback adjusting later responses.
A reward or piece of feedback perceived mainly as information about one’s competence, given without pressure, which tends to maintain or increase intrinsic motivation.
A participant's voluntary agreement to take part in research, given after being told the purpose, procedures, risks and the right to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.
Damage to the body’s tissues that occurs when the force applied to a tissue exceeds what it can withstand, causing pain and loss of function.
Any strategy that lowers the likelihood or severity of injury, by reducing abnormal forces on body tissues or by increasing the body’s capacity to absorb and tolerate force.
A phosphate ion released when ATP and phosphocreatine are broken down; its accumulation in high-intensity exercise reduces cross-bridge force and calcium release, causing peripheral fatigue.
The maximum volume of air that can be breathed in after a normal inspiration; about 3 L in a young adult man.
Self-talk that directs attention to the technical or tactical aspects of a skill, such as the cue "high elbow" in swimming; most effective for fine and newly learned skills.
A hormone released by the beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose is high, which lowers it by increasing glucose uptake into muscle, liver and fat cells and its storage as glycogen.
A reduced response of muscle, liver and fat cells to insulin, so that more insulin is needed to lower blood glucose; insulin sensitivity is the opposite.
The most self-determined type of extrinsic motivation, in which the reasons for a behaviour fit fully with the person’s values and identity, although it is still done for a separate outcome.
The view that behaviour results from an interaction between an individual’s personality traits and the situation or environment, summarised as B = f(P × E).
Two layers of muscle between the ribs: the external intercostals lift the ribs up and out in inspiration, and the internal intercostals pull them down and in during forced expiration.
A positional term describing a structure that lies between a more medial and a more lateral structure, for example the clavicle lies between the sternum and the shoulder joint.
A thought, feeling or sensation within the performer, negative or unrelated to the task, that draws attention away from relevant cues, such as worry about the outcome.
Attention directed inside the body, to thoughts, feelings, mental images or the movements of one's own body parts.
Imagery from a first-person perspective, in which the performer sees the scene as through their own eyes while performing the skill.
A characteristic of the individual that increases the risk of injury, such as age, sex, previous injury, fitness, fatigue, anatomy or technique; also called an intrinsic risk factor.
A neuron within the central nervous system that links sensory neurons to motor neurons and allows information to be integrated.
The difference between the upper quartile and the lower quartile of an ordered data set; the range of the middle 50% of the values, unaffected by extreme values.
Training that alternates periods of work with periods of rest or low-intensity recovery, with work and rest durations chosen to target a particular energy system.
The fluid inside the body's cells, about two-thirds of total body water, in which potassium is the main positive ion.
Control of the heartbeat from within the heart by its conduction system (SA node, AV node, bundle of His and Purkinje fibres), without input from nerves or hormones.
Feedback that comes from within the performer through the senses, especially proprioceptors, during or after a movement, such as the feel of a well-struck ball.
Motivation to take part in an activity for its own sake, for the enjoyment, interest and satisfaction that the activity itself provides.
A controlled type of extrinsic motivation in which behaviour is driven by internal pressures such as guilt, shame or the need to protect self-esteem (“I should”).
The opposite pole of extraversion, describing an individual who finds social interaction draining and prefers quieter, less stimulating settings; it is not the same as shyness.
A movement of the foot in the frontal plane that turns the sole inwards, towards the midline of the body.
A theory that performance improves as arousal increases up to an optimal, moderate level, after which further increases in arousal cause performance to decline.
A mineral that forms part of haemoglobin, myoglobin and some enzymes of the oxidative system, allowing oxygen to be transported, stored and used to resynthesise ATP aerobically.
A muscle contraction in which the muscle changes length at a constant speed throughout the range of movement, usually produced on an isokinetic dynamometer that matches its resistance to the force applied.
A muscle contraction in which tension is produced but the muscle length does not change and no joint movement occurs, because the muscle force equals the opposing force.
A muscle contraction in which the muscle changes length and moves a joint while producing tension; it is either concentric (shortening) or eccentric (lengthening).
A drink with about the same osmolarity as blood plasma, typically containing 6–8% carbohydrate and some sodium, which supplies both fluid and fuel and is absorbed quickly.