Knowledge and understanding - Physical factorsSpeed

Speed is the ability of your whole body, arm or leg to move from one point to another as quickly as possible. Examples of this could be a sprinter moving their whole body, a cricketer moving their arm to bowl the ball or a goalkeeper taking a goal kick.

Positive impact

In rugby, a player with good leg speed can kick the ball further during a penalty kick. This means they can kick from further away from the posts and this means the opposition are much more careful about not giving a penalty away in their own half of the pitch.

A tennis player with good arm speed can swing the racket faster, increasing the power of the shot. This gives their opponent less time to react to the ball and less chance of a successful return.

Negative impact

In squash, slower whole body speed means a player will take longer to cross the court to various shots and this will result in less chance of a successful return.

A swimmer with a slower leg kick in the front crawl means their legs will sink a little bit more in the water which increases drag. The swimmer will have to use their arms more, which will increase the tiredness of the stroke as the race goes on.