Download How to answer questions about warming up

Volume 12, Number 3, April 2017
Revision
How to answer questions about
warming up
Sue Young
A look at an exam question on warming up and how to make sure you fulfil the Assessment
Objectives in your answer. See the article by Mark Thompson in this issue
Question
Evaluate the importance of a warm-up before a game of netball. [8]
AO1 Knowledge and understanding
The warm-up helps prepare the body for exercise and should always be carried out before the start of
any training session.
The first stage of any warm-up is to perform some kind of cardiovascular exercise such as jogging,
gently increasing your heart rate.
The second stage is the performance of stretching/flexibility exercises, especially using those joints
and muscles that will be most active during the training session. The type of stretching used will
depend on the activity.
The third stage should involve the movement patterns that are to be carried out, for example,
practising shooting in basketball or netball, or dribbling in hockey or football.
A02 Application (of knowledge and understanding)
A pulse-raising activity will increase heart rate, cardiac output and breathing rate. Through the
vascular shunt more blood and therefore more oxygen is directed to the working muscles.
Stretching can be static and this can be active or passive. Active stretching involves the performer
working on one joint, pushing it beyond its point of resistance, lengthening the muscles and connective
tissue surrounding it. Passive stretching involves the help of an external force, such as a partner or
gravity or a wall.
Ballistic stretching involves performing a stretch with swinging or bouncing movements to push a
body part even further. This type of stretching should only be performed by an individual who is
extremely flexible, such as a gymnast or a dancer who will try to push their body beyond the limits of
their range of movement. In comparison, a football player does not have to push his joints as far as a
gymnast
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PNF is an advanced stretching technique. It is a form of passive stretching where the stretch position
is held by something other than the agonist muscles, for example a partner or a wall.
AO3 Analyse and evaluate
If a warm-up is not done then performance can deteriorate as the body is not prepared for exercise.
Doing a warm-up will reduce the possibility of injury by increasing the elasticity of muscle tissue. It will
also release adrenalin which increases heart rate and dilates capillaries, allowing more oxygen to be
delivered to the skeletal muscles efficiently. Muscle temperature will increase and this means oxygen
can dissociate more easily from haemoglobin. A warm-up will increase the speed of nerve impulse
conduction which will increase reaction time. It will enable the performer to prepare psychologically
and rehearse movement patterns. Finally performing a warm-up will supply an adequate blood flow to
the heart to increase its efficiency.
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