Tag Archive: speed training

1. 10 Fitness Tips and Myths for Rugby: Simon Worsnop

   13th May 2014 8:55 am 11 Comments

   

   Top level rugby is a complex multi faceted sport.

   Rugby union has more individual position specific requirements than rugby league.

   At top level training will need to reflect this e.g. static strength and neck strength requirements in scrimmaging forwards that are not required to such an extent in rugby league. 

   Why have I said at “top level”? This is because this specific type of training should only be a small fraction of training time once a player has achieved basic fitness across a wide range of attributes.  

   Too much icing and not enough cake: players/coaches wanting the latest fancy programme/psychobabble/technology/diet etc before they have adequate rugby and fitness skills.

    The Top Ten Myths

   1. All singing all dancing circus programmes e.g. doing dumbbell curls whilst standing on a “sit fit” will NOT improve performance. Choose multi joint exercises and WORK HARD; this will make you strong. Work on your individual weaknesses using predominantly dumb bell and body weight exercises.
   2. Liberal use of the word “strong”. Field athletes are strong, weightlifters are strong; some elite rugby players are now becoming strong but many are NOT STRONG. A simple formula used by old timers for strength was 3,4,5 i.e. bench 300lb, squat 400lb, deadlift 500lb.
   3. Liberal uses of “world class” and “fit” etc see above.
   4. Lat machines are for people who are too fat to do pull ups.
   5. Excuses for poor physique e.g. “he’s young, he’s got puppy fat”- NO “he is FAT, probably caused by a combination of POOR DIET, LACK OF EXERCISE, WEAK WILLPOWER and POOR EDUCATION”
   6. There is nothing wrong with drinking lots of beer and eating Kentucky Fried Chicken, pork pies etc so long as you only want to watch sport and not participate.
   7. Moaning about being tired; players used to work for 8 hours down the pit catch a bus to training arrive back home at midnight and get up for the next shift at 6am!! 13 year old swimmers do 60 minute sessions at 5am!!  
   8. Wanting to run before we can walk, i.e. “can you do a minimum of 8 pull ups, 20 twenty press ups and 50 lunges plus 50 body weight squats and 30 crunches rest for a minute and repeat three times?” If not, why are asking for an advanced programme?
   9. Lack of general fitness; see point above plus can you overhead squat with a dowel, can you overhead lunge with a dowel, can you run at least 1300m in 5 minutes? If not you are OUT OF SHAPE in some form or another.
   10. “Off -feet conditioning”; this is often used as an excuse to avoid hard work. Players do not get fit for rugby on stationary bikes!!!

   Simon Worsnop is the Fitness Coach for the England Under-20s squad (Rugby Union)

   Read “How to take charge of your fitness training”

2. Blog Festival Thanks

   8th March 2010 4:09 pm Leave a Comment

   Thanks to everybody who contributed to the blog festival. The last 2 weeks have shown me that the busy coaches are often the ones who find the time to do a little bit extra. I hope all the readers have found at least one or two useful snippets of information.

   
   

   There is a mantra quoted to me previously “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”

   
   

   Thanks for all the feedback  from clients and colleagues too.

   
   

   I have updated the course schedule for 2010, with a CPD day for exisiting strength and conditioning coaches, and another level 1 and level 2 course and qualification set up for later in the year.

3. Jack Lalanne Guest Blog

   7th March 2010 10:40 am 1 Comment

   To finish off the blog festival, Jack Lalanne has kindly sent this quote:

   “Anything in Life is Possible, if YOU Make it Happen!”Jack is now 95 years old and still training regularly see the interview I did with him on his 93rd birthday here

    

4. Managing Parents: Dave Rotheram

   5th March 2010 12:08 pm 2 Comments

   

   I have recently completed a case study on the parental expectations of coaches of elite rugby league players.

   The parents of the England Youth (u16) squad completed a questionnaire about their child’s involvement in the sport and parental expectations of the coaches their children work with. 

   Some interesting observations and the implications:

   Our elite players participate at school, community club, scholarship club and National level. On average they are coached by over 6 coaches per week. In some cases this led to conflicting information and potential conflict with other coaches, however parents had strategies to cope with this.

   When asked about the qualities coaches should possess the highest two responses were that coaches should be approachable and have good communication skills.

   Interestingly, subject knowledge was the 3rd most popular response.

   Governing bodies now derive much funding from the public purse to grow their sports.  This generates competition between sports. We must be mindful of the expectations of parents when planning and delivering our programmes.

   Do you have a strategy for dealing with the parents of your athletes??
   
   Dave Rotheram: RFL National Player Performance Manager, assistant coach Scotland.

    

5. Student Athlete Support: Nick Beasant.

   24th February 2010 3:39 pm 2 Comments

   

   Over the past decade, performance sport within the higher education sector has grown and developed at an ever increasing rate.  New government initiatives, National Governing Body partnerships, a focused strategic steer from BUCS and an institution’s own desire to develop both their sporting status and their own athletes have all moved the sector into a competitive and attractive marketplace for applicants.

    

   Institutions will have their own target sports and performance programmes, all driven by differing factors such as geography, infrastructure and funding.  However, many sports specific leads, coaches and service deliverers all face similar issues when dealing with the challenges faced by balancing sport and academia within an HE environment.  Creating and managing a support network for athletes which develops their understanding of what is required to produce both academic and sporting excellence is vital.

   At an institution which aspires to be ranked top 10 both academically and within the BUCS arena, it is recognised that athletes continually need to be supported in their sport-education life balance.  Tackling this includes offering detailed inductions, development and exit strategies for all designated athletes as well as offering personal mentoring, workshops and web based resources to assist with ongoing issues.

    A flexible approach to study and gaining an institutional wide ‘buy in’ to support this is vital.  Establishing a liaison with departments to oversee academic flexibility and being able to manage the relevant procedures surrounding deferrals and referrals offers athletes the choice and the opportunities to compete at the highest level even though there is a non-negotiable commitment to academic progression and completion.

    There is of course the added challenge of prioritising sporting obligations to ensure that not only the athlete benefits, but so do the NGB or squad in their chosen sport along with the University, as all of these parties will go a long way to supporting the individual’s development towards success.

    Establishing athlete agreements which clearly detail where University priorities lay and what expectations there are for sportsmen and women will avoid potential conflict and confusion.  However, the need to work with a specific sport to understand its pathway, the individual athlete’s position within the pathway in addition to their tournament and events schedule will mean that communication can be clear and potential clashes flagged up and resolved.  Acknowledging that athletes gain valuable experience and exposure whilst away with international squads, or at national competitions, can mean that they return better players, with fresh ideas and will become  leaders in their chosen sports back in University competition.

    Ultimately, the importance placed upon treating sportsmen and women as student-athletes will go a long way to ensuring that they retain a realistic work/sport balance but will also be able to focus upon and achieve their sporting aspirations.”

    

   Nick Beasant- Sports Performance Manager at University of Exeter.