How do tactics and composition turn fitness and skills into effective performance?
Tactics and composition as an area of the physical factor: how tactics outwit an opponent in games and how composition structures a performance activity, the strengths and weaknesses they target, and how good and poor tactics affect performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on tactics and composition as a physical factor, covering how tactics outwit an opponent in games, how composition structures a performance activity, and how good and poor tactics or composition affect performance.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain tactics (in games) and composition (in performance activities) as an area of the physical factor, and how good and poor use of them affects performance. These questions reward an understanding that fitness and skills are only as effective as the plan that uses them.
The answer
What tactics are
What composition is
How tactics and composition target strengths and weaknesses
How good and poor use affects performance
Examples in context
A volleyball team and a trampolinist show the two sides of this area. The volleyball team uses tactics: serving to the opponent's weakest passer to disrupt their attack, and setting quick middle attacks to beat a slow block. When these are read correctly they win points cheaply; when forced, they hand the opponent free points. The trampolinist uses composition: ordering a routine so that the hardest skill comes while still fresh, linking moves fluently for the execution score, and choosing a difficulty level that is ambitious but reliable. An over-ambitious routine that breaks down scores less than a slightly easier one performed cleanly. In both, the plan or structure converts fitness and skills into a result, which is why the SQA treats tactics and composition as a distinct area worth real marks.
Try this
Q1. State what is meant by composition in a performance activity. [1 mark]
- Cue. The selection, order and linking of movements to create an effect and meet the required criteria.
Q2. Explain how effective tactics can have a positive impact on performance. [4 marks]
- Cue. Exploiting an opponent's weakness with your strength wins easier points, controls the contest and conserves energy.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 20214 marksExplain how effective use of tactics can have a positive impact on performance.Show worked answer →
A -mark explain question rewarding developed cause and effect.
Effective tactics exploit an opponent's weakness and a performer's strength. In badminton, recognising an opponent has a weak backhand and repeatedly playing to it forces weak returns that can be attacked.
Develop the impact: targeting the weakness wins easier points, controls the rally and conserves energy, while moving the opponent around the court tires them, all of which raise the chance of winning. The marks come from the explained outcome.
SQA Higher 20236 marksDescribe the tactics or composition you used in your activity and explain how they affected your performance.Show worked answer →
A -mark describe-and-explain question, roughly half description and half explanation.
Describe the tactics or composition, for example a basketball fast-break tactic to attack before the defence is set, or a gymnastics routine composed to include required elements and link them fluently.
Then explain the effect: the fast break created numerical advantage and easy baskets when it worked, but when poorly timed it lost possession; the composed routine balanced difficulty and execution to score well, but an over-ambitious element risked errors. Marks come from linking the plan or structure to the outcome of performance.
Related dot points
- The physical factors that impact on performance, including their three areas of fitness, skills and tactics, and the positive and negative effects each can have on performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the physical factors impacting on performance, covering the three areas (fitness, skills and tactics or composition) and the positive and negative effects each can have on a performer.
- Fitness as an area of the physical factor: physical fitness components (endurance, strength, speed, flexibility), skill-related fitness components (agility, balance, coordination, reaction time, power), mental fitness, and how strengths and weaknesses in fitness affect performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on fitness as a physical factor, covering physical fitness components, skill-related fitness components, mental fitness, and how strengths and weaknesses in fitness affect performance in named activities.
- Skills as an area of the physical factor: the qualities of a skilled performance, the classification of skills (simple to complex, open and closed), the stages of learning (cognitive, associative, autonomous), and how skill quality affects performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on skills as a physical factor, covering the qualities of a skilled performance, the classification of skills, the cognitive, associative and autonomous stages of learning, and how skill quality affects performance.
- Decision-making as a feature of the mental factor: how a performer selects the most appropriate response under time pressure, the influence of experience and information processing, and the impact of good and poor decision-making on performance.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on decision-making as a mental factor, covering how performers select and time responses, the role of experience and information processing, and how strong and weak decision-making affect performance in named activities.
- Approaches to developing performance, including how a performer selects approaches that match the factor and the stage of learning, principles such as progression and specificity, and examples of approaches for the physical, mental, emotional and social factors.
An SQA Higher Physical Education answer on the approaches to developing performance, covering how to select approaches that match the factor and stage of learning, principles such as progression and specificity, and examples for each of the four factors.
Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Physical Education Course Specification — SQA (2019)