SPORTFITCHALLENGE- CHALLENGESIMPROVEMENTTIPS

BANTRY BLUES
JUVENILE CLUB:
PLAYER
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME:
FITNESS
TESTING
February
2016
SportsFit Challenges : How the Help & How you can improve your scores

Bantry Blues Juvenile Club
Player Development Programme
1. Strength Challenge (Basketball Throw)
Muscular strength is defined as the maximum tension or force that a
muscle can exert in a single contraction.
Weight lifting is the classic activity that demands great amounts of
muscular strength. However, strength is an important part of almost
every sporting activity.
The basketball throw challenge is designed to give an indication of upper body
strength.
Why is it important?
Strength is one of the most important benefits of physical activity. When you are strong, your bones are
healthier and your blood vessels are better able to move blood around your body. Also, with strength you can
support your body weight, which allows you to perform many daily tasks such as lifting heavy things, carrying
your school books, and throwing a ball for your dog. You’ll improve your score on the SportFit Basketball
Throw station too!
How can I improve?
Playing on the monkey bars : Hanging off the monkey bars is a good way to improve your strength because
your arms have to hold your body up and pull you from bar to bar. When muscles support weight for an
extended length of time, they become stronger because they learn to use more of their cells fibres. The more
cells fibres that a muscle uses, the stronger it becomes.
Push Ups : Push ups are a great way to improve your strength because you have to support your entire body
with your arms and chest. Also, push ups give a good indication of whether or not your strength is improving;
as you get stronger, you’ll be able to do more push ups.
Gardening: Shovelling earth is a great way to build your arm strength. The motion of lifting and tossing earth
with the shovel gets your arms to contract repeatedly; this teaches your arm muscles to use more muscle fibres,
which is how strength increases.
Taking the stairs: When you climb a lot of stairs, your legs start to get tired because your leg muscles have to
work really hard to lift your body up each step. If you take the stairs regularly, your legs will get stronger as
they get used to lifting you off the ground.
Rock Climbing : Rock climbing requires you to use your arms to pull yourself from rock to rock. As you climb
up the wall, your arm muscles contract and relax repeatedly to move your body weight around; this constant
strain on your arms causes the muscles to strengthen.
Carrying school books home from school : When you carry books home from school, or groceries home from
the grocery store, you use your arm muscles to hold the books and bags and keep them from falling. You may
notice after a few minutes that your arms start to feel a bit tired or sore; that feeling is the muscle contracting to
support the weight of your books. If you carry your books to and from school every day, your arms will become
stronger.

2. Aerobic Capacity Challenge (800 m Run)
Aerobic fitness is a measure of the efficiency of the
cardiovascular system in getting oxygen to the muscles and
putting them to work.
Good aerobic fitness is an essential component of all sporting and recreational
activities. With large aerobic capacity, activities can be performed more
efficiently.
The objective of the 800m Run Test is to cover this distance as quickly as
possible.
Why is it important?
When you move quickly, your heart has to work really hard; the more you practice, the better your heart will
perform and the healthier it will be. Think of it as lifting weights with your heart: as you do activities that
improve your speed your heart gets stronger and can move blood more easily around your body. Being speedy
also means that your legs can work hard and fast, and that they have a lot of power. Power helps to improve
your speed, so when you next try the SportFit 30 Metre station, you’ll probably improve your score!
How can I improve?
Jumping jacks ; Jumping jacks teach your muscles how to contract quickly and powerfully: two things that
are needed to go fast. Also, when you do jumping jacks, your heart starts beating hard; since your heart is a
muscle it needs to be trained to go fast, so doing jumping jacks teaches your heart how to work properly when
you run fast or do any hard activity.
Run upstairs Running upstairs gets your legs working really hard and your heart beating very quickly. This is
great for improving your speed! It takes a lot of strength and power to get upstairs, so if you start taking the
stairs more often, your legs and heart will get stronger and this will help them work better when you run the
SportFit 30m sprint challenge.
Capture the Flag : Capture the Flag is a fun way to practice running fast. To chase or escape from opponents,
search for the flag, and free your team’s prisoners, you have to be quick and fast. The running, along with the
added excitement and fear of being caught gets your heart beating fast. This teaches your heart how to act when
it is under stress, which is when it has to go fast to get blood to your muscles that are working more quickly
than normal.
Kick the Can : Kick the Can is a great game to play as a class; it is a combination of tag and hide and seek, in
which the person who is “It” has to search for the other players. When a player is found, the “It” person calls
out the name of the hider and the two people race back to the can, which is in the centre of the playing field. If
the person who is “It” kicks the can first, then the hider must go to jail; but if the hider kicks the can first, then
he or she is safe and the person who is “It” must start again and try to find other hiders. If there are players in
jail when a hider kicks the can, these players are freed and allowed to find a new hiding place. Kick the Can will
help you improve your SportFit 30 metre sprint challenge score because you have to run really fast to try and
get to the can before the person who is “It”.
Bull Dog/Rat Rabbit
Octopus is a great way to improve your speed. During the game, you run a lot of short distances really fast, and
you get a break between each run. When you run short distances quickly, your muscles have to work hard, and
with each run they learn a little better how to make you go fast. Between each run, you get to rest for a few
seconds, allowing your muscles to build up more energy for the next sprint.

(3) Explosive Speed Challenge (30m Sprint)
Sprint or Speed Tests
Purpose: The purpose of this test is to determine acceleration, maximum running speed
and speed endurance, depending on the distance run.
Being able to run and accelerate quickly from a standing start is an
essential element of most team sports and many individual sports.
Speed is also important in sports that require short bursts of high
intensity activity such as hockey, athletics, baseball and tennis.
Why is it important?
When you move quickly, your heart has to work really hard; the more you practice, the better your heart will
perform and the healthier it will be. Think of it as lifting weights with your heart: as you do activities that
improve your speed your heart gets stronger and can move blood more easily around your body. Being speedy
also means that your legs can work hard and fast, and that they have a lot of power. Power helps to improve
your speed, so when you next try the SportFit 30 Metre station, you’ll probably improve your score!
How can I improve?
Jumping jacks : Jumping jacks teach your muscles how to contract quickly and powerfully: two things that
are needed to go fast. Also, when you do jumping jacks, your heart starts beating hard; since your heart is a
muscle it needs to be trained to go fast, so doing jumping jacks teaches your heart how to work properly when
you run fast or do any hard activity.
Sprinting : Sprinting for short distances is a good way to improve your power. Power is a combination of
strength and speed; when you sprint, your muscles have to work very hard and fast to move your body quickly.
If you do some sprints every other day for a month, you will become more powerful, and you will be able to
jump higher on your next SportFit Jump Challenge! Many sports have sprinting elements; for example, if you
play soccer, football, or baseball, you are probably sprinting at some point during the game.
Tag : When you play Tag, you run really fast to get away from the person that is “It”. All of this running gets
your legs moving quickly and your heart beating fast. If you play Tag every day at recess or lunch, your body
gets used to working hard and when you try out the 30m sprint at your next SportFit day, your time will
probably be quicker than before because your body has learned how to go fast.
Run upstairs : Running upstairs gets your legs working really hard and your heart beating very quickly. This is
great for improving your speed! It takes a lot of strength and power to get upstairs, so if you start taking the
stairs more often, your legs and heart will get stronger and this will help them work better when you run the
SportFit 30m sprint challenge.
Capture the Flag : Capture the Flag is a fun way to practice running fast. To chase or escape from opponents,
search for the flag, and free your team’s prisoners, you have to be quick and fast. The running, along with the
added excitement and fear of being caught gets your heart beating fast. This teaches your heart how to act when
it is under stress, which is when it has to go fast to get blood to your muscles that are working more quickly
than normal.
.
/British Bull Dog/: Bull Dog is a great way to improve your speed. During the game, you run a lot of short
distances really fast, and you get a break between each run. When you run short distances quickly, your muscles
have to work hard, and with each run they learn a little better how to make you go fast. Between each run, you
get to rest for a few seconds, allowing your muscles to build up more energy for the next sprint.

(4) Power Challenge (Vertical Jump)
The vertical jump measures an individual’s ability to jump explosively in the vertical
direction.
Explosive power is a major performance characteristic of numerous sports including ice
hockey, bobsleigh, figure skating, athletics, volleyball and basketball.
Why is it important?
Power determines how fast and how far you can move your body weight in a short period of time. Being
powerful means that you’ll be better able to lift heavy objects or move yourself quickly. As you become more
powerful, you’ll be able to jump higher, which means the next time your school does a SportFit Day you’ll
improve your score on the Vertical Jump station.
How can I improve?
Martial Arts Most martial arts are great ways to improve your power because the movements are fast and
explosive. When you practice regularly, your muscles learn how to move your body quickly and forcefully,
which are the two main components of power.
Gymnastics: Gymnastic routines often involve jumps, leaps, cartwheels, and throws, activities that require
you to propel your body quickly, and which take a lot of power to execute.
Jumping on a trampoline: To bounce on a trampoline you have to move your body and shift your weight to
send you upwards. When you push off the trampoline between jumps, your legs have to work hard to propel
you back into the air. It takes a lot of power to get your body to change direction against gravity.
Kicking a ball back and forth with a friend: Kicking a ball around is a fun way to work on your power. It’s
also a little easier than other activities that improve power because it involves propelling a ball and not your
body. Usually, when you kick a ball, your leg moves fast and hits the ball with a lot of force; the energy that
you use to move your leg transfers into the ball and sends it flying. That energy is called power.
Sprinting: Sprinting for short distances is a good way to improve your power. Power is a combination of
strength and speed; when you sprint, your muscles have to work very hard and fast to move your body quickly.
If you do some sprints every other day for a month, you will become more powerful, and you will be able to
jump higher on your next SportFit Jump Challenge! Many sports have sprinting elements; for example, if you
play soccer, football, or baseball, you are probably sprinting at some point during the game.
California Kick Ball: This game is a mix of soccer and baseball, and it’s a great way to improve your power!
Two teams set up in the same style as baseball, but the pitcher rolls a soccer ball toward the hitter instead of
throwing a baseball. The hitter kicks the ball as hard as he/she can and runs to first base. General rules are the
same as baseball, but the ball handling is similar to soccer. The combination of kicking the ball, running to the
bases, and running after the ball requires a lot of power. If you play this game once or twice a week, you will
become more powerful and you will improve your SportFit Vertical Jump station score!
Leap Frog: Leap frog requires that you push really hard and fast with your legs to jump over the person
crouched in front of you. With this movement, your legs generate a lot of power.

(5) Agility Challenge (T-drill)
Agility is the ability to change the direction of movement of the body quickly while moving
and remaining balanced.
Agility is an important component of many team and individual sports including ice
hockey, figure skating, alpine skiing, judo, basketball, and wrestling.
Why is it important?
Agility contributes to your daily wellbeing. It keeps you from tripping and slipping, and helps you to avoid
collisions. Agile people tend to be good at games like basketball, volleyball and soccer, as well as the SportFit
T-Drill station!
How can I improve?
Play Tag
Tag is also about agility. As you run around trying to avoid getting tagged, you are constantly changing
direction and running off quickly to a new place.
Skip rope: When you skip rope, your body is forced to change directions from going down to jumping up
according to your swing of the rope. If you are really good at skipping rope, you can try some jump rope tricks
to improve your agility even more!
Dodge ball: Agility comes into play in dodge ball as you deke out of the way of the balls. You depend on your
agility when you stop suddenly, jump sideways or backwards, and run back and forth on the court.
Crab soccer / Walking around on your hands and knees: Walking on your hands and knees face up forces
you to move your arms and legs faster than you do normally, as well as forces you to coordinate all of your
limbs so that you don’t trip over yourself. Because you are constantly shifting your weight over your hands and
knees, the joints have to move through a range of motions and your muscles have to work in a few different
ways to keep you going. The combination of quickness, range of motion and pull of the muscles contributes to
good agility.
Tap dance: Tap dancing relies almost entirely on agility. Tap dancers move their feet very quickly and in
different ways to create the sounds and rhythms of the dance.
Walk backwards or shuffling sideways: When you walk backwards or shuffle sideways your body uses your
joints in ways that are unfamiliar to your muscles. The muscles have to learn to contract in a different way in
order to support the change of balance of the body. As your muscles get used to the new pattern of movement,
they become better able to quickly change directions when you’re moving at high speeds.
Hacky sack: Hacky sack is a great way to improve agility as it’s a fun game that you can play either with others
or on your own. All of the kicking, jumping, twisting, and shuffling required to keep the sack off the ground is a
constant test of agility. And because the placement of the sack constantly changes during the game, you have to
move quickly to prevent it from falling.

(6) Muscular Endurance (Partial Curl-Ups)
Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to perform repeated contractions over a
period of time.
This quality is important in many athletic and sporting events, especially when the event
lasts for a period of time and requires the repetition of the same movements.
This is true in many sports such as speed skating, cross country skiing, ice hockey, figure
skating and snowboarding events.
Why is it important?
Partial curl ups give an indication of your core strength; your core is the area around your tummy and back.
There are a lot of muscles in this area and they are used almost constantly every day: they keep you upright,
they help you bend over, they help you twist, and they help you bend backwards. Try out some of the activities
listed on this site to improve your muscular endurance so the next time you try the Sport Fit Partial Curl Ups
station you’ll be able to do more than you did the first time!
How can I improve?
Doing Hula Hoop : To keep a hula hoop rotating around your mid region, you have to use your core muscles.
These are the same muscles that you use to do sit-ups
.
Tumbling/Somersaulting: A somersault requires you to keep your body in a tucked position; to stay in a
tucked position you have to contract and hold your core muscles to bend your torso forwards.
Boogie Boarding: Boogie boarding, which takes place on an unstable surface (water), helps improve your
muscular endurance as your core muscles have to work to keep you balanced and upright.
Swinging: When you swing you have to bend back and forth and pump your legs to get started. Your core
muscles do most of the work to move your body back and forth.
Tobogganing: Tobogganing is good for your core in a couple of ways. To stay on your sled while it’s moving
downhill, you have to contract your core so that you don’t fall off. Also, if you go over a bump, your core will
tense up a bit more to protect you from the impact of hitting the ground when you land.
Skateboarding: Your core muscles are very active when you skateboard because your body has to work to
balance and hold you upright on such an unstable surface.
Sitting at your desk and holding your feet off the floor: Even if you’ve got a bunch of homework you can
still work on your core strength by holding your feet off of the floor for a few seconds at a time while you’re
sitting at your desk. You’ll probably feel your stomach area tensing up as you lift your legs: that feeling is your
core muscles contracting. When you take your feet off the floor you change your centre of balance so your core
muscles have to work to keep you from tipping over.
Plank Hold: Hold yourself in the push up position and see how long you can stay there. To keep your body
from falling to the floor you have to use your core muscles, the same ones you use during the SportFit Partial
Curl Ups station. If you do a plank hold a few times per week for a few minutes at a time, the next time your
school does a SportFit Day you’ll probably be able to do more Partial Curl Ups than you did the first time!
Log Rolls: Lie on the floor and stretch out like a log with your arms above your head and your toes pointed.
Keep this position and try to roll in a straight line. You have to use your core muscles to keep your body from
flopping all over the floor.

(7) Flexibility Challenge (Sit and Reach)
Muscular Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move freely through the entire range of
motion.
Muscular flexibility is especially important for the athlete, aiding not only in performance
but also in the prevention of unnecessary injuries.
Why is it important?
Flexibility is the ability to bend and stretch your body in many directions. If your muscles can stretch and bend
easily, you are less likely to get injured than if your muscles are stiff and not stretched. It is important to
establish and maintain good flexibility to keep your joints limber, and so that you’ll be better able to perform
various activities, like the SportFit Sit & Reach station!
How can I improve?
Stretch: It’s easy to include stretching in your daily routine: try stretching in the morning and right before you
go to bed. Also, be sure to stretch after doing any physical activity. Examples of stretches include touching your
toes while keeping your legs straight; trying to touch your hands together behind your back; and laying down
and reaching your hands above your head and pointing your feet. Make sure to hold stretches in a position that
doesn’t cause pain, and hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds.
Yoga: All forms of yoga are good for flexibility. Yoga incorporates slow moving activity and poses that take
many of the body’s joints through their full range of motion. Make sure to do a beginners’ class if you are new
to yoga because the instructor will teach you the proper techniques and help you prevent injuries.
Clean your room and pick up your books, games and clothes: No place to stretch because your room is
messy? You can clean and work on your flexibility at the same time! As you clean your room, keep your legs
straight when you reach down to pick up your books, games, clothes, and any other stuff on your floor. Or,
reach up high to put a book away on the top shelf of your bookcase.
Hip Circles: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands on your hips. Move your hips
around in front of you, to the side, and to the back, like you are drawing a circle. Go slowly to prevent injury,
and switch directions after you have done 3 or 4 circles. When you rotate your hips, the muscles in the hips
loosen up to allow you to move through the entire motion. If you do hip circles regularly, the muscles will be
loose and relaxed more often, and you will be able to bend further on your next SportFit Trunk Flexion
Challenge!
Gymnastics: Gymnastics is a fun way to improve your flexibility. Many of the activities in gymnastics require
you to be bendy; things like somersaults, pike sits, straddle jumps, and flips and turns move your body and
joints through a wide range of positions. Gymnastics keeps you limber and your muscles loose: two things
needed for a good score for the SportFit Sit & Reach station!

(8) Balance Challenge (Stork Stand)
Almost all sports require good balance.
Static balance, the ability to remain balanced while not in motion, and dynamic balance,
the ability to maintain balance while moving, are components of individual and team
sports such as figure skating, cross country skiing, curling, badminton, wrestling and
gymnastics.
Why is it important?
Whether you’re out for a jog or just standing around with friends, your sense of balance helps to keep you
upright and stable. Your body works constantly to hold you in place; without practice your body gets tired
quickly and you’re more likely to fall over and hurt yourself. As well, balance helps to improve your posture
which is important for health and maintaining strong bones.
How can I improve?
Practicing balance every day can be easy and fun. Here are some activities you can do to improve your balance
and to help you hold your stork stand for a longer period of time the next time you do the SportFit Stork Stand
station!
Water-skiing or Inner Tubing: Water-skiing and inner tubing help you develop balance and stability because
you’re on an unstable surface, forcing your muscles to work constantly to hold you upright.
Playing on the Sand at the Beach : Running, playing soccer or Frisbee, or even just walking on a sandy
beach will help your balance because when on sand, the ground moves beneath your feet and makes your body
work extra hard to keep you from falling.
Hopscotch: Hopscotch is a great way to practice your balance. When you jump on one leg, your centre of
gravity (the point around which your body balances normally) changes, forcing your body has to readjust its
“thinking” so that it can use your muscles in new ways to keep you balanced.
Sit on an exercise ball while working at your desk or computer or watching TV: If you sit on an exercise
ball rather than a chair, you will gain a better sense of balance. Unlike a chair, the exercise ball is very springy
(made of rubber) and rolls about on the floor; therefore, you have to use your muscles to keep the ball in place.
As your muscles work to keep the ball stationary, they get stronger and are better able to support you.
Heel to Toe Walk: Walk in a straight line, and with each step make sure that your heel touches down
immediately in front of the toes on your other foot. As you walk like this, your centre of gravity is shifted and
you have to use the small muscles in your legs to keep you from falling over. These small muscles are the same
muscles you use in the SportFit Stork Stand station.
Pointer Stance: For this exercise you need to be face down on your hands and knees. Slowly lift one leg off
the ground and straighten it out behind you; make sure your leg does not go higher than your back. Once you
get your balance in this position, slowly lift the hand that is opposite to the leg that is raised. Extend your arm
forward so that you create a straight line from your lifted hand, down your back and out to your lifted toes. Hold
this pose for 30 seconds then switch sides. The pointer pose is a great way to improve your balance because
your muscles have to work to hold you upright when your arm and leg are raised.