Health-Related and Skill-Related Fitness

Health is a dynamic state ranging from chronic illness or disability to optimum levels of
functioning in all aspects of life. Health has been defined as a human condition with physical,
social, and psychological dimensions, each characterized on a continuum with positive and
negative poles (from the 1988 International Consensus Conference on Exercise, Fitness, and
Health). Within this definition, positive health is associated with life enjoyment and not merely
the absence of disease. Negative health is associated with morbidity and at the extreme,
premature death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the definition of physical
fitness emphasizes the difference between health-related physical fitness and athletic ability
physical fitness. Its point-of-departure is the health of the US nation, which is often referred to as
the "public health perspective."
In this regard, the 5 health-related fitness components are more important than those related to
athletic ability (or skill related components). The factors which distinguish health related fitness
from skill related fitness are shown below:
Health Related Physical Fitness Components:
Body Composition Cardiorespiratory Endurance Flexibility
Muscular Endurance Muscular Strength
Skill Related Fitness Components:
Agility Balance Coordination Power Reaction Time Speed
The definition of health related fitness also shows this concept's integral association with "good
health." However, the 5 components are addressed individually by health professionals to allow
for their measurement.
Definitions of the 5 Components of Health-Related Fitness:
Body Composition: Body Composition is the ratio of lean body mass to fat body mass.
Cardiovascular Endurance: Cardiovascular Endurance is the ability to continue training the
cardiovascular system for a period longer than twenty minutes (on average).
Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move through a full range of motion.
Muscular Endurance: Muscular Endurance refers to the capacity of a muscle to exert a
submaximal force through a given range of motion or at a single point over a given time.
Muscular Strength: Muscular strength is ability of a muscle to exert a maximal force through a
given range of motion or at a single given point.

Skill-Related Fitness
Skill-related fitness includes fitness elements such as agility, balance, speed, and coordination.
While these elements are important for participation in various performance-related activities,
they may have little significance for the day-to-day tasks of most people or their general health.
Definitions of the 6 Components of Skill-Related Fitness:
Agility is a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to the ability to rapidly change
the position of the entire body in space with speed and accuracy.
Balance refers to a person’s ability to maintain their equilibrium when moving (dynamic
balance) or when they are in a stationary position (static balance).
Examples:
• performing a v-sit on the beam or on the floor
• landing after a rebound in basketball
• re-gaining balance after ‘stepping in opposition’ when serving a ball
Coordination is a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to the ability to use the
senses, such as sight and hearing, together with body parts in performing motor tasks smoothly
and accurately.
Power is a skill-related component of physical fitness that relates to the rate at which one can
perform work. Power is the amount of work performed per unit of time. Amount of Work/time
Reaction time is a skill-related physical fitness component that relates to the time elapsed
between stimulation and the beginning of reaction to it.
Speed relates to the ability to perform a movement within a short time period.
References:
http://www.sensible-health-related-fitness.com/definition-of-health-related-fitness.html
http://www.teachpe.com/fitness/health.php
http://www.plu.edu/~chasega/terms.html
http://w3.lphs.org/academics/dept/pe/documents/skill-related_fitness_components.pdf