Unit 3: Movement Skills and Energy for Physical Activity

6 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How does the body produce energy?

Acute physiological responses to exercise across the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems, including the mechanisms that drive each response and how the response scales with exercise intensity and duration

Acute responses to exercise. Covers cardiovascular (HR, SV, Q, blood flow redistribution, blood pressure), respiratory (rate, depth, ventilation, V/Q matching) and muscular (motor unit recruitment, fuel mobilisation, by-products) responses with mechanisms and intensity scaling.

9 min read →

The three energy systems (ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis, aerobic) - characteristics of each, the interplay during physical activity, fuels used, by-products and fatigue mechanisms

Three energy systems. ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis, and aerobic systems compared on fuel, ATP yield, duration, fatigue cause, and recovery. With a worked exam question.

8 min read →

How are movement skills improved?

Practice methods and schedules (massed, distributed, blocked, random, whole, part, variable) and the design of practice that matches the learner's stage of skill acquisition, the skill classification, and the goal of the practice session

Practice methods and schedules. Covers massed, distributed, blocked, random, whole, part and variable practice with worked AFL, netball, swimming and athletics examples and the contextual interference effect.

9 min read →

Stages of skill acquisition (cognitive, associative, autonomous), feedback (intrinsic, extrinsic, knowledge of performance, knowledge of results, concurrent, delayed), and practice (massed, distributed, whole, part) - characteristics, application, and adaptation across the stages

Skill acquisition. The three stages (cognitive, associative, autonomous), types of feedback, and practice methods, with adaptation across stages.

7 min read →

Classification of movement skills along the open-closed, gross-fine, discrete-serial-continuous and fundamental-sport-specific continua, and how classification informs the way a coach designs feedback and practice for a named skill

Movement-skill classification. Covers the open-closed, gross-fine, discrete-serial-continuous and fundamental-sport-specific continua, with worked AFL, netball and athletics examples and the coaching decisions that flow from each classification.

9 min read →

How are movement skills improved through biomechanical analysis?

Apply biomechanical principles (Newton's laws, levers, projectile motion, fluid mechanics) to analyse human movement skills and identify how technique changes can improve performance

Biomechanics. Newton's laws applied to sport, lever systems in the body, projectile motion, force application and stability, fluid mechanics, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and how a coach uses biomechanical insight to change technique.

9 min read →