T5.1.2 Demonstrating improvement to achieve a personal best Quiz: KS3 Physical Education, Unit 5

The 20 questions

1. What is a personal best?

   • The average result that a performer has achieved across all of their competitions
   • The best result a performer has ever achieved in that activity
   • The best result that any performer in the same class has achieved this term
   • The result that a performer expects to achieve in the next competition entered

2. How does a performer show that a personal best has been achieved?

   • By asking the coach to write a message of praise on the training plan for the week
   • By changing their kit so that the new result looks different from the old results
   • By finishing a competition in the top three places, whatever their previous results
   • By recording a result better than all previous results

3. Which evidence best demonstrates improvement towards a personal best in the long jump?

   • A series of recorded distances over several sessions showing a steady rise
   • A photograph of the performer in a new kit standing next to the sand pit
   • A single jump that is very long, with no record of any other attempts for comparison
   • A verbal promise from the performer that they will improve by the next competition

4. A runner wants to set a realistic personal best target. What should they consider first?

   • The result of a race the runner watched on television without competing in it
   • Their current results and the rate at which they have improved over recent weeks
   • The colour of the shoes worn during the most recent race in the local park
   • The best time achieved by the fastest runner in the national championships each year

5. What is a SMART target?

   • A target that is written in a notebook and never measured against any result
   • A target that is set only by a coach and never changed during a training period
   • A target that is kept secret from the performer so that they work harder
   • A target that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound

6. A swimmer's personal best time for 50 metres is 30.0 seconds. Which new time would be a personal best?

   • 30.0 seconds, because matching the time shows that the swimmer is consistent
   • 29.6 seconds, because a lower time is faster
   • 31.2 seconds, because a longer time means the swimmer spent more time in the water
   • 30.4 seconds, because a higher time shows the swimmer has pushed harder

7. In a throwing event, a performer's best distance is 22.5 metres. Which result is a personal best?

   • 21.8 metres, because a shorter throw shows better control of the implement
   • 23.1 metres, because a longer distance beats the previous best
   • 20.0 metres, because a lower score means the throw was more accurate on the day
   • 22.5 metres, because repeating the same result shows the performer is consistent

8. Why is a personal best important in competitive sport?

   • It means that the performer no longer needs to train because the best result is kept
   • It allows the performer to skip the warm up before every race or competition
   • It shows the performer's own progress, which motivates them to keep improving
   • It decides the final placings in every competition without any need for other results

9. A performer improves in some aspects of a skill but not others. What is the best way to demonstrate overall improvement?

   • Wait for a single perfect performance before claiming any kind of improvement at all
   • Claim that the whole skill has improved without any evidence or recorded results
   • Only mention the aspect that improved most, and ignore any other aspects of the skill
   • Show that the key measures of the performance have improved across repeated attempts

10. A gymnast's routine score rises from 7.2 to 7.8 over four sessions. What does this demonstrate?

    • A decline in performance, since a higher number of marks means more faults were made
    • A random result that cannot be used as evidence of any progress in the routine
    • No change at all, because scores in gymnastics never change between sessions
    • Progress towards a personal best, since the score has risen across the sessions

11. Which action is most helpful in preparing to break a personal best?

    • Practising the parts of the skill that limit the result, with regular feedback
    • Changing the event entirely so that no previous result can be compared at all
    • Practising only the parts of the skill that the performer already does very well
    • Stopping all training for two weeks so that the body is fresh on the day

12. What is the purpose of recording results in a training diary?

    • To keep a record of the fees paid to the club for each term of the season
    • To list the names of the other competitors who are likely to beat the performer
    • To replace the need for any coaching or feedback during the training period
    • To track progress over time and spot new personal bests

13. A cyclist's average speed for a 10 km time trial has risen from 28 km/h to 30 km/h. What does this show?

    • An improved personal best, because a higher average speed means a faster ride
    • A fault in the timing equipment, since speed never changes for the same course
    • A change of bike, which cannot be used as evidence of any improvement by the rider
    • A slower ride, because a higher number means the cyclist covered more distance

14. Why should a performer celebrate a personal best even if they did not win the competition?

    • Because the medals are awarded for personal bests in all competitions in the UK
    • Because a personal best cancels out the need to train for the next competition
    • Because it shows genuine improvement against their own previous results
    • Because the rules say that a personal best always automatically wins the competition

15. Which set of results best shows a sustained improvement towards a personal best?

    • Five results in a row that each beat the one before, over several weeks
    • Two results taken on the same day in very different weather and on different courses
    • One excellent result followed by a long gap with no competitions or training at all
    • Several results that are all the same, with no change at any stage of the training

16. A performer sets a target to improve a time by 0.5 seconds in eight weeks. What makes this a good target?

    • It is specific, measurable and time-bound, so progress can be checked at the end
    • It has no end date, so the performer can keep working on it for the rest of the year
    • It is vague, so the performer has freedom to decide the result at the end of the period
    • It is impossible to measure, so the performer can focus on how they feel each day

17. Why is feedback from a coach useful when working towards a personal best?

    • It guarantees a personal best on the next attempt, whatever the performer does in training
    • It means the performer does not need to record any results during the training period
    • It replaces the need for the performer to train, because the coach does all the work
    • It helps the performer identify what to change and check that changes are working

18. Which of these shows that a personal best has been demonstrated, not just claimed?

    • A recorded result, verified under agreed conditions
    • A result that the performer compares only with the best result of a friend in the club
    • A result that was recorded on a phone in a training session without any witness
    • A performer's own statement that they felt faster than they did in the last race

19. A runner's time for 800 metres falls from 2 minutes 30 seconds to 2 minutes 25 seconds. What is the improvement?

    • 10 seconds faster, because the times are measured in minutes rather than seconds
    • No change at all, because both times are under three minutes long on the track
    • 5 seconds slower, which means the runner has lost fitness since the last race
    • 5 seconds faster, which is a clear sign of progress towards a personal best

20. Why should a personal best target be realistic?

    • So that the performer does not need to record any results during the training period
    • So that the performer stays motivated and can measure progress within a set time
    • So that the performer never has to train harder than they did in the previous season
    • So that the target can be set once at the start and never changed afterwards at all

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