Components of Motor Fitness for the Athlete

Components of Motor Fitness for the Athlete

There are three main components of motor fitness that athletes specialize in which are stamina, coordination, and agility. Each component work together to aid to the ability of the body to exercise physical demands; the more efficient the body functions, the higher the level of fitness it will achieve. A combination of all three factors allow an athlete to increase their athletic performance.

Stamina is the ability to sustain physical activity or sport over a prolonged period of time. In order to build stamina, it requires physical training and mental focus. There are many benefits to building one’s stamina; which are decreases the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure and stress, produces higher energy level, decrease chance of early fatigue, as well as burn fat more rapidly.2 There are many other benefits to increasing one’s stamina; however, those are the most predominant effects on the body.

Coordination is the ability to move various body parts simultaneously while under control, smoothly and effectively. A good skill level of coordination involves having an equal, yet strong combination of the previously discussed components of fitness; strength, endurance, and flexibility. There are two main types of coordination; hand-eye and foot-eye coordination. Hand-eye coordination uses fine motor skills to create an action such as catching a baseball, hitting a tennis ball, or hit a golf ball. On the other hand foot-eye coordination also uses fine motor skills to elicit a desired action such as kicking a soccer ball or performing a standing or running long jump.1 The major benefit of perfecting one’s coordination is the advancement in athletic performance as a whole.

The other important concept of motor fitness is agility. Agility is the ability to quickly change body position or direction of the body. It is influenced by one’s coordination discussed in the previous text. There are seven components of agility which includes a few of the major components of fitness; Strength, Power, Acceleration, Deceleration, Coordination, Dynamic Balance, Dynamic Flexibility. Benefits of increasing one’s agility includes neuromuscular adaptation, improved athleticism and cardiovascular endurance, as well as injury prevention and decreased rehabilitation time1.

All three components stamina, coordination, and agility helps to increase one’s physical fitness and athletic capabilities. Each concept connects together because each depends on the other in order to reach one’s optimum fitness capacity.

1Nagasaki, H., Itoh, H., & Furuna, T. (1995). A physical fitness model of older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 7(5), 392-397.

2Rohmann, R. (2013, October 21). How to Increase Cardio Stamina. Retrieved 2016, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/184665-how-to-increase-cardio-stamina/.