Physical Education and Biomechanics Lecture Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering biomechanics, exercise physiology, neuromuscular control, training principles, and sports performance.

Angular Momentum

The quantity of angular motion possessed by a rotating body, or the amount of momentum a body possesses about an axis of rotation ($\text{Angular momentum} = \text{angular velocity} \times \text{moment of inertia}$).

Moment of Inertia

The resistance of a rotating object to change its state of motion ($\text{MOI} = \text{mass of the object} \times (\text{radius of rotation})^2$).

Angular Velocity

The velocity or speed of a rotating object, defined as the rate of change in angular position of a body.

Angular Motion Graph (Take-off to Landing)

A graphical representation showing that during a somersault, angular momentum remains constant while moment of inertia drops during tuck and angular velocity peaks inversely.

Magnus Effect

The lift force generated when a spinning object causes air to travel faster on one side (low pressure) and slower on the opposite side (high pressure), pushing the object toward the area of lower pressure.

Sensory Neuron

A neuron that detects stimuli outside the body via sensory receptors (such as the eyes detecting obstacles or moguls) and transmits electrical information to the brain.

Motor Neuron

A specialized neuron that receives electrical signals from the brain or spinal cord via dendrites and transmits them down the axon to the axon terminals to stimulate muscle fibres.

Motor Unit

A single motor neuron and all the skeletal muscle fibres that it innervates; all fibres contract simultaneously once the neural threshold is reached.

Impulse

The product of force and time ($\text{Impulse} = \text{Force} \times \text{Time}$) which produces an equivalent change in the momentum of an object.

Force-Time Curve (Vertical Jump)

A graph showing vertical force over time, reflecting an initial unweighting phase as knees bend, followed by maximal force production to maximize impulse and take-off velocity.

Anabolic Steroids

Synthetic hormones that stimulate muscle growth and enhance muscle hypertrophy, resulting in increased strength, power, and faster tissue recovery.

Self-Talk

An internal psychological strategy used by athletes to decrease stress, increase focus and motivation, regulate heart rate, and attain an optimal performance state.

Performance Routine

A rehearsed sequence of physical or mental actions (such as rocking back and forth) used before execution to regulate arousal levels and trigger composure.

Type I Muscle Fibres

Slow-twitch muscle fibres with high mitochondrial density, high capillarisation, and high myoglobin content, engineered for high fatigue resistance and aerobic endurance.

Myoglobin

An iron- and oxygen-binding protein in muscle tissue that stores oxygen to support sustained aerobic muscle contractions.

Type IIa Muscle Fibres

Intermediate fast-twitch muscle fibres capable of utilizing both aerobic and anaerobic pathways, providing a blend of speed, power, and moderate endurance.

Force-Length Relationship

The biomechanical principle that muscle tension generation depends on sarcomere length, peaking at resting or mid-length due to optimal cross-bridge overlap between actin and myosin.

Peaking

The training principle of structuring training loads and volume so that an athlete reaches their optimal physiological and psychological condition for competition.

Principle of Maintenance

The training strategy applied during the competition phase to sustain fitness and strength gains without inducing fatigue or overtraining by moderating volume while keeping intensity specific.

Authoritarian Leadership

An autocratic style of coaching where the leader makes all decisions, enforces strict discipline and structure, and provides direct instructions to athletes.

Form Drag

Pressure drag caused by the difference in fluid pressure between the leading (high-pressure) side and the trailing (low-pressure) side of a moving body.

Surface Drag

Friction drag created by the direct contact and shear stress of fluid molecules moving across the external surface of an object.

Laminar Flow

Smooth, streamlined fluid motion in parallel layers where early boundary layer separation can produce a large turbulent low-pressure wake behind smooth spheres.

Turbulent Flow

Chaotic fluid movement that mixes adjacent fluid layers, allowing the boundary layer to remain attached longer to dimpled surfaces and reducing form drag.

Heat Acclimatisation

A program of repeated exercise bouts in artificial or natural hot conditions ($45\text{--}60\,\text{minutes}$ daily for $8\text{--}9\,\text{days}$) to stimulate sweat onset, increase plasma volume, and reduce core temperature strain.

Cardiac Drift

A progressive increase in heart rate alongside a decreasing stroke volume during prolonged exercise in the heat, caused by dehydration and increased cutaneous blood flow.

Glycogen Sparing

The metabolic adaptation where an increased reliance on fat oxidation during submaximal endurance exercise preserves finite intramuscular glycogen reserves.

Periodisation

The systematic division of an overall training plan into specific phases (off-season, pre-season, in-season) to manage recovery, progressive overload, and competition peaking.