Core 1
asylum seeker a person who seeks safety from
persecution or serious harm in a country other than
their own
chronically having a particular long-term illness or
condition
diagnostic a way of identifying the nature or cause
of an illness, disorder or problem
disadvantaged an influence which is negative on
the health or socioeconomic status of an individual
or a group
disenfranchisement removal from or loss of
engagement with
ethnic group refers to a group of people of the
same descent and heritage who share a common
and distinctive culture passed on through
generations; ethnic groups can exhibit such
distinguishing features as language or accent,
health determinants events, characteristics
or circumstances that can increase the chances of ill
health (risk factors) or good health (protective
factors)
health inequities unequal access to funding,
resources and services that result in reduced
opportunities to maintain good health
health sector that part of a society and its
economy, including government and nongovernment agencies, which provides health
services and products
health status overall level of health, when
disability, health determinants, life expectancy and
other influences are considered
heredity the transfer from one generation to the
next of a set of genetic characteristics
holistic a view of health that includes many
dimensions, social determinants and diverse
understandings
intersectoral characterised by cooperation
between people from different agencies,
industries and levels of government
life expectancy predicted years of life remaining
at a given time or age
marginalised to take or keep somebody or
something away from the centre of attention,
influence, or power
mass media any form of communication, such as
the press, television, radio and motion pictures
which reaches large numbers of people
median the middle number in a group of numbers
meditation a relaxation method used to calm
people down
migrant someone who chooses to leave their own
home to live in another country
mortality rates number of deaths (usually
presented per 100 000 population)
multiculturalism a term that describes the cultural
and linguistic diversity of a society
neoplasm a tumour or tissue containing a growth
osteoarthritis a common form of arthritis that
typically affects the spine, hips, knees and hands
osteoporosis the thinning of bone tissue and loss
of bone density
palliative alleviating pain and symptoms without
eliminating the cause
premiums the sum of money paid, usually at
regular intervals, for an insurance policy
quality of life an intangible measure of
the extent to which individuals feel well and
fulfilled by their lives; it includes both physical and
psychological aspects
racism prejudice or animosity against people who
belong to other races
social capital a resource produced when people
participate in health-promoting activities at a
community or individual level
sociocultural relating to or involving cultural and
social factors
Core 2
adenosine triphosphate compound used for
energy in muscle contractions
aerobic any reaction occurring in the presence of
oxygen
aerobic training threshold point at which the
body starts to achieve a training effect;
approximately 60% of maximum heart rate
alactacid system an anaerobic energy system
using creatine phosphate as a fuel to resynthesise
ATP
anabolic steroids drugs which increase muscle
strength by encouraging new muscle growth;
enables an athlete to train harder and longer at any
given period
anaerobic any reaction occurring without oxygen
being present
anaerobic metabolism breakdown of a substance
in the absence of oxygen
anaerobic threshold point at which the body
starts to produce lactic acid quickly; approximately
80% of maximum heart rate
anxiety a state that manifests itself in response to a
given stimulus or situation which may be perceived
as being threatening
arousal a physical and mental state of being alert
or aware of surrounding situations before or after
an event
ballistic stretching forcing a muscle by stretching
past the stretch reflex
biomechanical analysis provides valuable
information for analysing an athlete’s technique
and performance results, and for the prevention of
injuries
carbohydrate loading a strategy involving
changes to training and nutrition that can maximise
muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) stores prior to
endurance competition
cardiac output the amount of blood pumped out of
the heart per minute
creatine phosphate fuel used to resynthesise ATP
molecules in the ATP/PC system
cognitive relating to the brain and the ability to
learn
centring focusing attention in one spot
character the way a person feels, thinks and acts
that promotes moral strength, firmness
self-control and integrity
free fatty acids fat used by the body to produce
numerous ATP molecules
glucose a simple sugar which is a form of
carbohydrate
glycaemic index a scale used by dietitians to gain
a better understanding of the types of carbohydrates
athletes were ingesting and how quickly they were
digested
glycerol a compound used by the liver to produce
glycogen for cellular contraction
glycogen glucose that is broken down and
stored in the liver and muscle
glycogen sparing the preference of the body
to break down fats before the carbohydrates
are depleted
glycolysis process of converting glucose to
pyruvic acid
haemoglobin the level of oxygen carrying
component of blood in the body
kinaesthetic sense the system of the body
using the senses to give feedback to the athlete
about position and performance
lactic acid the by-product given off after glycogen
is broken down in the lactic acid energy system
lipolysis the process by which triglycerides are
broken down into free fatty acids and glycerol
lung capacity the volume of air the lungs can hold
mental rehearsal a method involving images an
athlete may form of skilled performance
minerals essential component of the body also
known as electrolytes and help in muscle
contraction and nerve transmission
mitochondria also known as the power house of
the body; it is where the production of ATP occurs
objective measures a measurement using
measurable data, such as time or distance, as
reference
onset blood lactate accumulation (OBLA)
the point at which lactic acid builds up in the blood
stream faster than the body can dispose of it
optimum arousal a point between performance
and arousal where performance is the best
oxygen debt the additional oxygen that must be
taken into the body after vigorous exercise to
restore all systems to their normal states
personal judging criteria a personal opinion or
idea a judge will use to appraise performance
personality a set of ideas that influence a person’s
behaviours or motivation
prescribed judging criteria a set checklist or
criteria distributed by a sports governing body that
a judge will use to appraise performance
progressive overload a situation where an
individual works past their normal limits in small,
increasing increments
resting heart rate the heart rate of the body at rest
resynthesise to rejoin together, such as ADP and
free phosphate to make ATP
reversibility the loss of training effects due to
activity stopping
short interval training enables the athlete to
improve the workload by combining heavy bouts of
fast running with recovery periods of slower
jogging
skill acquisition the learning of a particular skill
and storage to memory for future use
skill an athlete’s ability to choose and perform the
right techniques at the right time, successfully,
regularly and with a minimum of effort
somatotype the body shape of a person
specificity training training that involves
reflection of an activity in terms of muscles
and energy system used
state anxiety an unpleasant emotional arousal
in the face of threatening demands or dangers
strength training overload manipulation of
the number of repetitions, tempo, sets, force
applied and exercise types
stretch reflex a protective mechanism in the
muscle to prevent injury while stretching a muscle
stroke volume the amount of blood pumped out of
the heart per beat
subjective measures a measurement based on
personal opinion
trait anxiety anxiety that is general to all
populations
triglycerides a form of fat stored as adipose tissue
which provides protection for the body
visualisation seeing pictures in the mind of a
performance that will be undertaken
vitamins essential components of the body that
help with converting food into usable forms of
energy
weight training a form of isotonic resistance
training involving a manipulation of the number of
repetitions, sets, tempo, exercise types and weight
used to cause desired increases in strength,
endurance, size, and shape
Sports Medicine
cryotherapy a form of cooling as a means of
treating injuries, especially acute and chronic
injuries
hydrotherapy the use of hot or cold water to treat
injuries
modified rules modification to rules of a game in
sports to reduce excessive physical demand placed
on children from adult equipment and field sizes
rehabilitation a process to restore to health by
training and therapy, so that an athlete can return to
play or activity as soon as is safely possible
Improving Performance
diuretics a masking agent that can be used to
control weight or mask the use of other drugs
doping also known as using ergogenic aids;
the practice of using artificial substances or
methods to enhance athletic performance
drills specific activities that replicate the skills
used in a sport335336
elastic resistance bands inexpensive and
convenient resistance bands that can be used in
limited spaces
erythropoietin (EPO) stimulates the bone marrow
stem cells to make red blood cells, which increase
the delivery of oxygen to the kidney
physical features, family names and customs
human growth hormone (HGH) a hormone that
is naturally produced by the body in the pituitary
gland and stimulates the body’s synthesis of the
proteins that form bone and muscle tissue,
decreases body fat and increases testosterone levels
hydraulic resistance gives a fixed amount of
resistance throughout the entire exercise depending
on the speed of the movement
hypertrophy increase in size of muscle fibres
infrastructure the basis or framework on
which something is built
lactate threshold testing an innovative
method used to measure lactate levels during
training to accurately determine heart rate training
over-training a state of over-training or burnout
caused by inappropriate stress loads in training
programs on the athlete
zones and recovery
peaking a state of being in the absolute best
condition, physically, emotionally and mentally at
a specific time for an event or race
performance measures specific measures used
to evaluate a performance
periodisation an annual training plan separated
into three periods or phases: pre- season
(preparatory), in-season (competition) and offseason (transition)
pre-screening a process which provides
information about an athlete’s history, capabilities
and any pre-existing conditions
small-sided games practices that focus on
different aspects of team play through games, and
apply skills learned to team situations
supplementation an extra intake of a dietary
substance which may be lacking in a diet eg
vitamins, minerals or protein
tapering a gradual reduction in an athlete’s
workout demands in order to allow the body to
recover from the stress
ACRONYMS
IRSD Index of Relative Socioeconomic
Disadvantage; a scale used to describe
different levels of social status
NATSISS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Social Survey
NHMRC National Health and Medical Research
Council
OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development; the collective name for a group
of the world’s wealthiest nations who collect and
share social data for the purpose of improving the
lives of their populations