Have you ever wondered how the components of skill related physical fitness are different from the usual definition of fitness? Training for skill or sports is something that takes a focused effort. Your body responds to a specific stimulus with an adaption that is specific to that stimulus.

It's like this… if you want to run a marathon then you need training for muscular endurance and cardio-respiratory fitness. So you would stimulate your body with those adaptions in mind, and you wouldn't want a powerlifting routine as the basis of your training. Now that may be an extreme example but it will help you to remember this…

The components of skill related physical fitness must be trained with the end goal in mind. So, if you want to improve your golf game you will train differently than someone looking to improve their tennis skills.

Some of the considerations that go into designing a routine include:

• Frequency of skilled activity (recovery from training)
• Energy system used during skilled performance
• Muscular system used during the physical activity
• Individual components of fitness for your sport (speed, agility, endurance, etc.)
• On season or off season timing

Because athleticism incorporates many components of skill related physical fitness, it's helpful to consider each seperately.

Maximum Muscular Strength

A maximum strength test for an exercise would be performed at relatively low movement speeds and therefore represents low-speed muscular strength. This is also known as a one-repetition maximum (1RM).

Maximum Muscular Power

A maximum muscular power test involves strength over a very short duration. It can be quantified by the 1RM of an explosive exercise such as the power clean, snatch, or the clean press exercise. Muscular power is generally more applicable to sport-specific performance than maximum muscular strength. With Powerlifting as the clear exception.

Local Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is the ability of a certain muscle or grouping of muscles to repeatedly contract against a resistance. A push up or sit up test are good examples of how to test for muscular endurance.

Areobic Endurance

Areobic endurnace is another component of skill related physical fitness. This is most easily tested with a run of 1 mile or greater.

Agility

Agility is used to describe the ability of an athelte to change directions quickly. This could be from side to side or stopping and starting qucikly. There are a variety of tests used to test this component of skill related physical fitness (T-test, Hexagon test, Side Step Test).

Speed

A speed test should be 200m or less. Anything more than that begins to involve anaerobic or aerobic capacity rather than an absolute test of an athelete for speed.