How does the skeleton help a performer produce movement?

Muscles attach to bones through tendons and pull on them. The bones act as levers, turning about the joints.

How does the skeleton contribute to oxygen transport for an endurance athlete?

Red bone marrow inside some bones produces red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the working muscles.

What is the axial skeleton?

The axial skeleton is the central core of the body. The skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum make up the axial skeleton.

What is the appendicular skeleton?

The appendicular skeleton is made up of the limbs and the girdles that attach them to the axial skeleton. The shoulder and pelvic girdles belong to it.

WJEC AS-Level Physical Education 601-8485-1

Performance Analysis and Fitness Testing

Topic overview The coaching process and approaches to performance analysis Video, notational and time-motion analysis Laboratory and field-based fitness testing Validity, reliability and interpreting test results

Levers and Movement Analysis

Topic overview The three orders of lever in the body Mechanical advantage and lever length Planes and axes of rotation Joint movement patterns in sporting actions

Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System

Topic overview The skeleton, bone types and connective tissue Joint classification and types of synovial joint Major skeletal muscles and their actions Muscle fibre types, antagonistic action and contractions

Components of Fitness and Methods of Training

Topic overview Health-related and skill-related components of fitness Weight training, plyometrics and flexibility training Continuous, fartlek, interval and circuit training Altitude training and training in hot and cold climates Periodisation and SMART goal setting

Energy Systems and Principles of Training

Topic overview ATP and the ATP-PC system Anaerobic glycolysis and the aerobic system The energy continuum, thresholds and VO₂ max Applying the principles of training

Fatigue, Recovery and Rehabilitation

Topic overview Warm-up and cool-down Causes of fatigue, OBLA and DOMS EPOC and its alactic and lactacid components The fate of lactic acid and speeding up recovery Rehabilitation of minor injuries

Diet, Nutrition and Hydration

Topic overview A balanced diet and energy balance Carbohydrates, fats, proteins and the glycaemic index Diets for different sports and pre-competition meals Hydration and sports drinks

Personality

Topic overview Trait, social learning and interactionist theories Extroverts, introverts and Type A and Type B personalities Personality profiling and the profile of mood states

Stress, Arousal and Anxiety

Topic overview Stress, arousal and anxiety defined Drive, inverted-U and catastrophe theories The zone of optimal functioning and peak flow Measuring stress, arousal and anxiety Controlling stress, arousal and anxiety

Motivation and Self-Efficacy

Topic overview Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Achievement motivation: need to achieve and need to avoid failure Competitiveness and developing achievement motivation in young performers Self-efficacy and its sources

Skill, Ability and Skill Classification

Topic overview Skill, ability, learning and performance Gross motor and psychomotor abilities Classifying skills on continua

Learning Curves, Theories and Stages

Topic overview Learning curves and plateaus Observational learning Reinforcement and drive reduction theory Fitts and Posner's stages of learning

Transfer, Practice, Guidance and Feedback

Topic overview Types of transfer Methods of practice Methods of guidance Types and uses of feedback

Sport, Culture and Society

Topic overview Culture, society and social institutions Sport as social control and socialisation Sport, national identity and government

The Emergence of Modern Sport

Topic overview Public schools and the three stages of athleticism Universities, codification and the spread of games From amateurism to professionalism and commercialisation Olympism, shamateurism and sport as a political tool

Social Differentiation in Sport

Topic overview Social stratification and class in sport Prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination Barriers to participation for disadvantaged groups Strategies to widen participation

Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System

4 subtopics
12 things to know
AS Unit 1

What Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System covers

Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System is examined in AS Unit 1, Exploring physical education. It covers the skeleton, bone types and connective tissue, joint classification and types of synovial joint, major skeletal muscles and their actions and muscle fibre types, antagonistic action and contractions.

Where it is assessed

AS Unit 1

Exploring physical education, a 1¾ hour paper worth 24% of the A level.

Check the WJEC specification ↗

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page. WJEC AS Physical Education students sit this topic in the first year.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What are long and short bones, and what does each do in sport?

Key term

How do type I and type IIa fibres differ?

Key term

What is a synovial joint, and what are its main features?

Key term

What are the main functions of the skeleton?

Key term

What are the main functions of skeletal muscle?

Key term

How are joints classified by the movement they allow?

Key term

Describe the structure of a skeletal muscle.

Key term

What are the characteristics of slow twitch (type I) fibres?

Key term

How does the skeleton protect a performer in contact sport?

Key term

What is a fibrous joint?

Key term

Where is the pectoralis major, and what does it do?

Key term

What are the characteristics of fast twitch type IIa fibres?

Take Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Ligament vs Tendon
Ligament: tough connective tissue joining bone to bone. Tendon: strong inelastic tissue joining muscle to bone.
Agonist vs Antagonist
Agonist: the muscle mainly responsible for producing a movement. Antagonist: the muscle that lengthens to oppose and control a movement.
Fixator vs Synergist
Fixator: a muscle that steadies the bone from which the prime mover pulls. Synergist: a muscle that assists the prime mover and cuts out unwanted movement.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What are the main functions of the skeleton?
Model answer
The skeleton supports the body and protects vital organs. The skeleton also provides levers for movement. Bone marrow produces blood cells, and bones store minerals.
2
How does the skeleton protect a performer in contact sport?
Model answer
The cranium protects the brain, and the ribs protect the heart and lungs. The rib cage absorbs part of the impact of a rugby tackle to the chest.
3
How does the skeleton help a performer produce movement?
Model answer
Muscles attach to bones through tendons and pull on them. The bones act as levers, turning about the joints.
4
How does the skeleton contribute to oxygen transport for an endurance athlete?
Model answer
Red bone marrow inside some bones produces red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the working muscles.
5
What is the axial skeleton?
Model answer
The axial skeleton is the central core of the body. The skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum make up the axial skeleton.
6
What is the appendicular skeleton?
Model answer
The appendicular skeleton is made up of the limbs and the girdles that attach them to the axial skeleton. The shoulder and pelvic girdles belong to it.

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Performance Analysis and Fitness Testing

Levers and Movement Analysis

Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System

Components of Fitness and Methods of Training

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Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System revision questions

Is Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System examined at AS in WJEC Physical Education?: Yes. It sits in AS Unit 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
What does Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System cover in WJEC AS-Level Physical Education?: 4 subtopics: the skeleton, bone types and connective tissue, joint classification and types of synovial joint, major skeletal muscles and their actions and muscle fibre types, antagonistic action and contractions. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Joints and the Musculo-Skeletal System organised?: By the WJEC 601-8485-1 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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