Warm up: physiological and psychological
A warm up prepares the performer two ways, and a question often names one. Physiological reasons are about the body: raising muscle/body temperature, increasing blood flow, increasing range of movement, and so reducing injury risk. Psychological reasons are about the mind: mental preparation and focus, controlling arousal/anxiety, and familiarisation with the conditions. A question asking for one category credits only that one.
Warm-up phases: pulse raiser, stretch, skill
A warm up has three phases, and the ORDER matters. 1 Pulse raiser: light continuous exercise (jogging) that raises heart rate and muscle temperature. 2 Stretches: stretching the muscles to be used, increasing range of movement and lowering injury risk. 3 Skill-related/familiarisation: sport-specific practice (e.g. serves for a tennis player) rehearsing the exact actions. Pulse raiser must come BEFORE stretches -- stretching cold muscles risks a strain.
Cool down: lower the pulse, then stretch
A cool down follows activity and has two phases. 1 Gradual pulse decrease: light exercise (a slow jog into a walk) that lowers heart rate gradually; keeping blood circulating prevents blood pooling in the leg veins and the dizziness of stopping abruptly. 2 Stretches: gentle static stretching that helps remove waste products (e.g. lactic acid), reduces next-day soreness, and maintains flexibility. Together they aid recovery.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Use the reason category the question asks
The topic's definition trap. When a question specifies physiological OR psychological reasons, an answer from the other category scores nothing, even if true. Physiological = the body (temperature, blood flow, range of movement); psychological = the mind (focus, arousal control, familiarisation). Give reasons only from the category asked.
Flagged w22 P11 Q10b-c
Skill-related phase must fit the position
The skill-related/familiarisation phase is harder to exemplify than the pulse raiser or stretches, especially for a named position. A goalkeeper's is catching, diving or shot-stopping practice -- NOT the generic passing drill for an outfield player. Match the drill to the exact demands of the named position, or the mark is lost.
Flagged s23 P13 Q1b; s23 P11 Q14b
Cool-down benefits: name the mechanism
Cool-down benefits are often described too vaguely to credit -- "it helps you recover" or "it's good for you" earns nothing. Name the actual mechanism instead: the gradual pulse decrease prevents blood pooling by keeping blood circulating, and the stretches remove waste products and maintain flexibility. Precise mechanism, not a general impression.
Flagged w22 P11 Q10b-c
Answer the cool-down that's asked
Two slips when a cool down is asked. First, some describe warm-up content instead (e.g. pre-game stretches), not answering the question. Second, vague non-answers like "appropriate clothing" are given as a cool-down "phase" -- too vague for credit. Give the real phases: gradual pulse decrease, then stretches, applied to the activity.
Flagged s23 P13 Q1b; s23 P11 Q14b
Warm up has 3 phases; cool down has 2
Don't confuse the two structures. A warm up has THREE phases -- pulse raiser, stretches, then skill-related/familiarisation. A cool down has TWO -- a gradual pulse decrease, then stretches (no skill-related phase). Listing three phases for a cool down, or dropping the skill-related phase from a warm up, loses marks. Learn the counts and the order.
Which cool-down phase does what
Attribute each cool-down effect to the right phase. The gradual pulse decrease (phase 1) keeps blood circulating and prevents blood pooling in the legs. The stretches (phase 2) remove waste products and maintain flexibility. Mixing the two up -- stretches for blood pooling, the jog for waste -- loses the mark.
Pulse raiser comes first, not stretching
A testable wrong belief. Students assume a warm up starts with stretching, as it sounds like the natural start. The opposite is correct: the pulse raiser (light jogging) comes first, raising muscle temperature and blood flow. Only then should stretches follow -- stretching a cold muscle raises injury risk. Order: pulse raiser, stretches, then skill-related.
Apply phases to the named activity/position
Full marks need the right category and application. If it specifies physiological or psychological, use ONLY that one. Name each phase in order, and apply the skill-related phase to the named position (goalkeeper: shot-stopping). Don't repeat the stem.
Give the phases in the correct order
Order is examined, not just the list. For a warm up: pulse raiser -> stretches -> skill-related/familiarisation; for a cool down: gradual pulse decrease -> stretches. A wrong sequence (especially stretching before the pulse raiser) costs marks even when the phases are right.
Give each phase's purpose, not just its name
Higher "describe/explain" marks need each phase's purpose, not just its name: pulse raiser -> raises temperature; stretches -> more range of movement; pulse decrease -> prevents blood pooling; cool-down stretches -> remove waste products. Named-only answers stay low.
Questions often ask for reasons from ONE category only -- answer with only that category.
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