Which term best describes the physical attributes that affect our sporting potential?

• A. Skill
• B. Gross motor ability
• C. Ability
• D. Motor abilities

Answer: (C)

Think about the overall capacity that determines how well someone can perform in sport before any training or technique is added. Ability is the general term for the inherent physical attributes—speed, strength, endurance, balance, coordination—that shape our sporting potential. Skill refers to what you can do with those attributes after learning and practice, so it isn’t the underlying capacity itself. What you train and refine in practice builds on ability, not replaces it, and terms like motor abilities or gross motor abilities describe specific parts of that capacity rather than the whole picture. So, ability best describes the physical attributes that affect how far someone can potentially go in sport.