30 of the SEHS glossary’s terms, each with the part of the syllabus where you first meet it.
A cut or tear in the skin, often deep and irregular, caused by a sharp object or by a blunt impact that splits the skin.
A compound formed from pyruvate when glycolysis is rapid; it is a fuel that is oxidised in muscle and the heart or converted to glucose in the liver, not the cause of muscle soreness.
The removal of lactate from the blood, mainly by oxidation in muscle fibres and the heart and by conversion to glucose in the liver through the Cori cycle.
The highest exercise intensity at which lactate is removed from the blood at the same rate as it is produced; above it, blood lactate concentration rises rapidly.
Smooth flow of a fluid in parallel layers that slide past each other without mixing; it occurs at low speeds and around smooth, streamlined shapes.
A positional term meaning further from the midline of the body than another structure, for example the fibula is lateral to the tibia.
Pain on the outside of the elbow at the attachment of the wrist extensor muscles, caused by repeated overloading of their common tendon, as in a faulty tennis backhand; also called tennis elbow.
A state in which an individual, after repeated failure or uncontrollable experiences, believes that their actions cannot change future outcomes and therefore stops trying.
A relatively permanent change in behaviour, or in the capability to perform a skill, brought about by practice and experience.
A self-referenced goal that focuses on improving one’s own performance or the technique and strategy used, rather than on beating others; it includes performance goals and process goals.
A rigid bar that rotates about a fixed point (the fulcrum) when a force (the effort) is applied, in order to move or overcome another force (the load).
The component of the force exerted by a fluid on a moving body that acts perpendicular to the direction of the fluid flow; it can act upwards, downwards or sideways.
A band of dense, regular, collagen-rich connective tissue that joins bone to bone at a joint, stabilising the joint and limiting excessive movement.
A feature of an investigation that restricts how far its conclusion can be applied, such as the range of data collected, the sample or system studied, or the assumptions made.
An imaginary vertical line passing through the centre of mass towards the ground, showing the line along which weight acts.
Movement in which all parts of a body travel the same distance in the same direction in the same time, along a straight or curved path; also called translation.
A coach-centred approach to teaching motor skills, based on the information processing model, in which a correct technique is demonstrated, broken down and repeated in progressive drills with corrective feedback.
A macronutrient made mainly of carbon and hydrogen with little oxygen, insoluble in water; includes triglycerides (fats and oils), phospholipids and steroids, and provides about 37 kJ per gram.
An altitude training strategy in which athletes live or sleep at moderate or simulated altitude to stimulate red blood cell production but train at low altitude to maintain training intensity.
The force that a lever acts against, also called the resistance; in the body, the weight of the body segment and of any object held, moved or struck.
The perpendicular distance from the fulcrum of a lever to the line of action of the load.
The relationship between the load placed on a tissue and its capacity to tolerate it; injury occurs when load exceeds capacity, suddenly or because repeated loading without recovery lowers capacity.
The dimension of attribution describing whether the cause of an outcome is seen as internal (within the individual) or external (outside the individual); also called locus of causality.
The dimension of attribution describing whether the cause of an outcome is seen as stable (unlikely to change over time) or unstable (likely to change); it affects expectations of future success.
A bone that is longer than it is wide, with a shaft (diaphysis) and two ends (epiphyses), such as the femur or humerus; long bones act as levers for movement.
A goal to be achieved over a long period, usually months or years, that gives overall direction to training or behaviour change.
The memory store of well-learned information and motor programmes, with almost unlimited capacity and duration, from which past experiences are retrieved to select responses.
An axis running vertically from head to toe, or along the length of a limb; rotation about it occurs in the transverse plane, as in a pirouette or medial rotation.
A state in which energy intake is insufficient to cover the energy cost of exercise and still support the physiological functions needed for optimal health; below about 30 kcal per kg fat-free mass per day is clinically low.
The phase of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, lasting about 14 days, in which the corpus luteum secretes progesterone and oestrogen, so both hormones are relatively high.