SPORT -- five principles of training
SPORT names five factors examiners expect when evaluating a programme. Specificity -- training matches the sport's demands, muscle groups and energy system. Progression -- training gets gradually harder as fitness improves. Overload -- the body is worked harder than normal, or no adaptation occurs. Reversibility -- fitness is lost if training stops or is cut back. Tedium -- unvaried training becomes boring and lowers motivation. Consider all five; naming one is rarely enough.
FITT -- four ways to apply overload
FITT gives the four variables a coach can change to apply overload. Frequency -- how often training happens (sessions per week). Intensity -- how hard a session is, often a percentage of maximum heart rate or the weight lifted. Time -- how long a session or component lasts. Type -- the kind of training, suited to the sport. Increasing any ONE creates overload, but it must be a genuine INCREASE on the previous programme, not just restating current figures.
Overload needs recovery, or overtraining
Overload works because the body adapts to a demand slightly above normal -- but adaptation happens during REST, not during the session. If frequency, intensity or time rise too fast, or recovery is cut short, the result is overtraining. Its dangers: overuse injury (e.g. stress fracture); a weakened immune system and more illness; psychological burnout (lost motivation); and a plateau or decline in performance. A good programme raises FITT gradually with planned rest.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Name the principle precisely
Naming a training principle with a vague paraphrase instead of the exact term is a recurring weakness. "Doing more" is not "progression"; "training hard" is not "overload"; "matching the sport" should be named "specificity". Use the precise SPORT or FITT term the mark scheme wants -- a correctly named, correctly defined principle secures marks that a paraphrase throws away.
Flagged w23 P11 Q5b
Overload vs overtraining
Overload and overtraining are easily muddled because both involve training hard. Overload is the deliberate, planned practice of working the body above its normal demand so it adapts and improves. Overtraining is too MUCH training with too little recovery, which harms performance instead. State which one is meant: overload is the goal, overtraining is the danger to avoid.
Show the INCREASE, not a bare number
Asked how a FITT variable creates overload, candidates just state a number -- "train three times a week" -- without showing it is an INCREASE on the previous amount (e.g. "up from two to three sessions a week"). A number alone does not demonstrate overload; the answer must show the change from a starting point. Always phrase a FITT change as a rise, not a fixed figure.
Flagged s22 P13 Q6a
Apply the FITT change to the named activity
FITT answers are often generic -- a change that could belong to any sport -- when the question names a performer or activity. Tie the increase to that activity: "a netball player raises intensity from 60% to 70% of maximum heart rate in her conditioning drills", not just "increase intensity". Applying the answer to the named activity is what lifts it into the top band.
Flagged s22 P13 Q6a
Progression vs overload
Progression and overload are related but distinct. Overload is working the body harder than it is used to -- the stimulus that forces adaptation. Progression is the way that overload is applied GRADUALLY over time, step by step, rather than in one big jump. Overload is what you do; progression is how you build it up safely. Do not use one word to mean the other.
More sessions alone may not overload
Increasing frequency does not guarantee overload. If a performer adds sessions but keeps the same distance, pace and intensity in each one, the demand per session has not risen -- the same stimulus is simply repeated more often. Genuine overload usually also needs intensity, time or type to rise over the weeks, or fitness can plateau despite the extra sessions.
More training is not always better
Students assume that training harder and more often always brings more fitness, without limit. It does not. Overload improves fitness only as a planned, gradual increase balanced with recovery, because adaptation happens during rest. Constant maximum training with little rest causes overtraining: performance stalls, injury and illness rise, and burnout sets in.
Use the exact SPORT/FITT term
Name the principle with the precise SPORT or FITT word -- "progression", "overload", "intensity" -- not a vague paraphrase like "doing more" or "working harder". The mark scheme credits the exact term, so a correctly named principle earns marks a loose description does not.
State the change as an increase
When describing how a FITT variable overloads a programme, state the change as a genuine increase from a starting point -- "intensity up from 60% to 70% of maximum heart rate" -- rather than a single number. A bare figure does not show that the training load has actually risen.
Apply it to a named physical activity
Link every principle to a named activity -- a swimmer, a footballer, a distance runner. A generic answer that could fit any sport is marked down, so name the performer and show how the principle changes THEIR training. Application is the most rewarded habit across Paper 1.
| Letter | Principle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| S | Specificity | Training must match the demands of the sport, muscle groups and energy system used |
| P | Progression | Training gets gradually harder over time as fitness improves |
| O | Overload | The body is worked harder than normal so it adapts and improves |
| R | Reversibility | Fitness gained is lost again if training stops or is greatly reduced |
| T | Tedium | Training that never varies becomes boring, which can reduce motivation |
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