Sports Science
40 Goal-Scoring, High-Flying, Medal-Winning Experiments for Kids
Chapter One
Getting in
the Zone
Starting Right
You may not realize it, but your muscles are not the most
important part of your body when you are doing a sport.
Believe it or not, the most important part is your brain! The brain
is part of your nervous system. The nervous system consists of
your brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Nerves are special cells that
communicate by using electrochemical impulses. An electrochemical
impulse uses chemicals to send an electrical signal. So, the
nervous system is an elaborate communication system that collects
information and sends messages throughout your body. Your brain
alone contains more than 100 billion nerve cells.
Sensory nerves collect information about your environment. They
then change this information into sensations such as hot, cold,
touch, pressure, and pain. They send this information to your brain,
which then decides how to react. Once your brain decides on the
appropriate response, it sends messages to other nerves called
motor nerves, which direct your muscles to move.
The activities in this section will help you investigate how y ... read full excerpt from Sports Science: 40 Goal-Scoring, High-Flying, Medal-Winning Experiments for Kids ebook
