Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ISSN 1757-5834
EDITORIAL PANEL
Raphael Brandon MSc, ASCC
Clive Brewer MSc, BSc(Hons), ASCC, CSCS
Marco Cardinale PhD, ASCC
Dave Clark MSc, ASCC
Paul Comfort MSc, ASCC
Audrey Duncan PhD, ASCC
Mike Favre MSc, ASCC
Duncan French PhD, ASCC
Jon Goodwin MSc, PGCHE, ASCC, CSCS
Greg Haff PhD, ASCC, FNSCA, CSCS
Liam Kilduff PhD
Jeremy Moody PhD, ASCC
Phil Moreland BAppSci, AssocDip, ASCC
Jeremy Sheppard PhD, CSCS
Narelle Sibte BAppSci, Grad Dip, ASCC
Alan Sinclair MSc, ASCC, CSCS
Gil Stevenson BEd (Hons), ASCC
Margaret Stone MSc, ASCC
Michael Stone PhD, ASCC
Mark Simpson MSc, ASCC
Graham Turner MSc, BEd (Hons), ASCC
COLUMN EDITORS
Graeme Close PhD, ASCC
Nick Ward MSc, CSCS
INSIDE
A FIELD-BASED, FITNESS-TESTING
BATTERY FOR RUGBY LEAGUE
page 4
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
page 11
Legacy has been a buzz word throughout the preparation for the
Olympics. While this is predominantly focused on facilities and the effect
on sports participation in the future, we must also hope that one of the
legacies of the Games will be an increase in the perception of the crucial
role that strength and conditioning plays in developing elite performance.
While S&C has come a long way in a relatively short time, we are still far
away from a position where a S&C coach is an expected and well
rewarded part of all elite performance teams. Undoubtedly, the financial
recession has hit the number of roles available, as well as the rewards
provided for these roles. However, as part of the legacy of the Games it
would be hoped that the benefits of effective strength and conditioning
programmes will become obvious, not just to coaches but to the general
public, and perhaps more importantly, to the employment decision-makers
who are responsible for hiring strength and conditioning coaches.
Hopefully the UKSCA will be able to play a role in the future development
of the profession, and in highlighting the crucial role that strength and
conditioning plays in elite sport, and that this will lead to increased
recruitment and appropriate remuneration of skilled practitioners in the
UK, who have invested heavily in their education and professional
development.
One of the aims of the Journal is to provide a number of articles that
challenge conventional thinking, and also cover new areas of S&C
application. In this edition we have again produced articles that address
this aim. Dan Cleather has written a thought provoking piece on the
squat, and how it can be viewed as a balance challenge. This takes an
original view on an exercise that remains a key component of many
strength and conditioning programmes. Some of the ideas presented
should enable us to look at the exercise in a different way. Surfing has
not been a common topic in the field of strength and conditioning, but given the explosive nature of many of
the activities in the sport, effective strength and conditioning programmes can undoubtedly play an important
role. John Metcalfe for UCLan and John Kelly from the University of Chichester, have produced an excellent
paper outlining the potential application of S&C in surfing. Performance testing remains an important role of the
S&C coach, and Paul Coneyworth and his team of authors have written a paper outlining a suitable test battery
for rugby league.
In the Five People You Meet in Heaven column, Howard Gray, S&C coach at East Tennessee State University, has
interviewed a true giant in the field of strength and conditioning; Meg Stone. Meg has been at the forefront of
the field for many years and remains one of the most respected coaches around. She has set so many firsts in
the industry, and her thoughtful insights into aspects of strength and conditioning make for a must read for all
involved in S&C. The Performance Nutrition column in this edition, again delivers in its aim of keeping our
membership up to date with the latest development in this rapidly changing area. Phillip Bell and Glyn
Howatson, both from Northumbria University, expand on a previous Journal article looking at the role of
antioxidants. They cover in great depth the potential for a particular source of antioxidants, namely tart cherry
juice. We hope that members will find that the issue has something of interest, and we will continue to work to
further develop Professional Strength and Conditioning in the coming year.
Ian Jeffreys
Editor
th
ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
15-16 SEPTEMBER, 2012
www.uksca.org.uk
A Field-Based Fitness
Testing Battery for
Rugby League
Paul Coneyworth MSc, ASCC, Nick Ward M.Kin. (Exercise and functional fitness),
BA (Hons) Sport Studies, CSCS, ASCC and Anthony Turner, MSc, ASCC.
Introduction
Rugby league football originated in the north of England in the 1890s and
is now played globally. Participating nations in the southern hemisphere
include Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa, with
only the British Isles (England, Scotland, and Wales), Ireland, and France
representing the Northern Hemisphere. Currently, little data exists
regarding the physical demands of professional rugby league, with
evidence being solely represented through sub-elite10 and junior players.18
This knowledge however, is fundamental when designing strength and
conditioning programmes and specific to this article, fitness testing
batteries.
Paul Coneyworth is the Lead Strength
and Conditioning Coach at Highgate
High Performance Tennis with
previous experience within
professional Rugby League
Anthropometry
Anthony Turner is a Strength
& Conditioning Coach and a Senior
Lecturer and Programme Leader for the
MSc in Strength & Conditioning at
Middlesex University, London.
The measurement of an athletes body composition helps regulate nonfunctional mass. Rugby league players have been shown to have a higher
body mass than other team sports, such as soccer and Australian rules,34
with elite players having a higher percentage of body fat than sub-elite
players.23 This however, should not be considered a desirable characteristic
as a higher percentage of body fat adds non-functional weight, reducing
acceleration (by increasing inertia), increasing energy expenditure32 and
negatively affecting power to body mass ratio, thermoregulation and
aerobic capacity.18
Gabbett, Kelly and Pezet23 reported no significant difference between first,
second and third grade players when comparing height, body weight and
skinfold thickness. Thus currently, the ability to generalise playing level
via anthropometric values appears improbable. Furthermore, elite junior
starters are suggested to have greater skinfold thickness (millimetres)
than non-starters (68.5 13.6 vs. 64.3 17.6 respectively). The large
standard deviations are suggestive of discrepancies between players, and
may be indicative of other attributes predetermining elite status in the
current game. Nevertheless, in the opinions of the authors, this is still an
important determinant of performance.
Because the direct assessment of body composition (e.g., DEXA scanning)
can be impractical for testing large squads of players, indirect methods
Table 1. Physiological and anthropometric characteristics of first-grade, second-grade, and third-grade rugby league players.23
Variable
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
(n=26)
(n=40)
(n=20)
Age (y)
23.7 4.3
24.4 5.0
17.8 1.5
16.3 6.7
14.3 7.3
9.4 4.3
92.2 11.4
88.9 9.0
81.5 20.2
Height (cm)
179.0 7.3
180.1 5.2
177.6 7.9
44.0 10.1
40.3 11.8
37.4 15.9
2.06 0.18
2.12 0.19
2.09 0.26
3.36 0.23
3.44 0.22
3.44 0.27
5.83 0.31
5.92 0.35
5.96 0.38
Agility
5.90 0.19
6.25 0.52
6.25 0.48
Vertical Jump
50.7 9.8
45.2 8.4
44.3 11.9
46.9 5.8
45.6 5.7
45.6 7.6
Aerobic Capacity
The metabolic conditioning of a team sports player
serves a crucial role in defining and ultimately limiting
their contribution in a game.26 Rugby league places a
significant demand on aerobic metabolism and duly
requires high levels of aerobic fitness.18,21,32 A rugby
players fitness level is suggested to be indicative of
playing level,3,17,19 with match intensity increasing
linearly with playing standard.17 Furthermore, this is
linked to their ability to exhibit high levels of skill under
pressure and fatigue.20,23 Gabbett, Kelly and Pezet23
reported that professional rugby league players have a
VO2max of 46.9ml/kg/min (Table 1), whereas Coutts et
al.,10 reported a higher VO2max value of 57.9 3.6
ml/kg/min. Furthermore, matches are played with a
mean intensity of approximately 81.1 5.8% of
VO2max, which is close to lactate threshold (LT), or
8090% of HRmax.
It is apparent therefore, that the aerobic capacity of a
rugby league player should be adaquately developed to
withstand the rigours of competition and consequently
be assessed during a macrocycle. The gold standard
test for assessing aerobic fitness is the direct
Table 2. Skinfold sites and the associated error used for the determination of body fat percentage.1
Method
Sites
7 Site formula
3.5%
3.8%
3.5%
3.9%
3.6%
3.9%
3 Site formula
3 Site formula
Table 3. Protocol and parameters for the triple 120m shuttle (T120S).27
Name of Test
Protocol
T120S
drops to chest
Agility
Rugby league players require a substantial amount of
agility during a game and this parameter has been
found to differentiate between rugby league players at
national league and third division levels.5,20 Sassi et
al.,37 applied the term agility to describe any dynamic
sporting action that involves a change in body position
or change of speed in a given direction. Although
adequately defined, recent research suggests that a
sport-specific stimulus should also be evident.38
Nevertheless, it seems negligible to discount closed
agility drills (i.e. Illinois agility run, t-test, hexagon
agility), as these may be effective in facilitating a
programme of multi-directional speed. Furthermore,
incorporating a sport specific stimulus requires
specialist equipment and additional resources
(including more S&C coaches) and is thus often
impractical.
To date, no specific rugby league agility test is
universally advocated. However, previous literature
within rugby league and team sports have frequently
utilised tests such as the Illinois agility test,18,20 L- run,17
t-test35,37 and pro-agility test.24,30 However, not all of
these tests replicate the biomechanical requirements.
For example, the t-test and L-run profoundly rely on
linear acceleration, speed and changes of direction
(COD) in the frontal and sagittal plane only.
Conversely, the pro-agility and Illinois agility (Table 4)
have aspects of all planar motion (frontal, sagittal and
transverse), which is imperative within all facets of
rugby league and team sports as a whole. A significant
positive of the pro-agility is its ability to replicate
game-play as the fast turning, twisting and sprint is
not too dissimilar from a teams scramble defence in
which quick sharp cutting movements are required to
chase down the opposition. Tominaga et al.,39 also
suggested the pro-agility test was able to differentiate
between playing positions of team sports athletes, thus
further highlighting the tests validity.
Secondly, the Illinois agility test is a combination of
linear acceleration and cutting movements. The
constant motion of the Illinois agility is replicable to a
defensive line in which a 10m deficit from the play-theball is upheld. However, limitations are apparent as the
test requires the athlete to step/turn off their left foot,
thus it may be prudent to change the start and finish
Table 4. Testing protocol for the pro-agility and Illinois agility tests.
Name of Test
Pro-agility test
(5-10-5)
Illinois Agility
The athlete starts in the middle of two 5m cones. Then on either an auditory
stimulus or their own volition, the athlete would run to their left (5m), touching
the cone with their right hand, following this a sprint to the far right cone (10m),
touch with their left hand, then back to the start.25
The player starts on their chest and on command would rise and sprint 10m,
turn and return to the starting line. After returning to the starting line, they
would swerve in and out of four markers, and then back through them to the
starting marker. Another 10m sprint would then be completed to the
penultimate cone and then to the finish.20
Reactive Strength
Table 5. Battery of field and gym tests, listed in order with suggested rest intervals
Test
Rest Intervals
N/A
Pro-agility (5-10-5)
SJ
CMJ
1RM Squat
1RM Bench Press
T120S (RSA)
N/A
%1RM
Predicted Reps
100
95
93
90
87
85
Sequence of testing
The sequencing of tests can determine the success or
failure of a battery36 and thus, a high content validity
and precise timing between tests and repetitions is
imperative.7 General guidelines to implementing a
fitness testing battery include performing non-fatiguing
tests first and testing highly skilled tasks (agility,
explosive ability) before fatiguing tasks (endurance).25
The National Strength and Conditioning Association
(NSCA) suggested the following order: resting and
non-fatiguing (heart rate, body composition, flexibility
and jump tests), agility, power and strength, sprints,
local muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity and
aerobic capacity tests.25 Using this data, along with the
needs analysis and described tests herein, a suggested
battery of fitness tests for rugby league players is
proposed in Table 5.
Conclusion
In summary of the needs analysis conducted herein,
and based on experience of applying scientific concepts
within practical settings, Table 7 identifies a rugby
league relevant (and realistic) fitness testing battery
for pre- and in-season phases. The pre-season battery
can help devise S&C programmes, while the in-season
battery is aimed at monitoring progress.
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Test
Pre-Season
In-Season
Anthropometry
Yes
No
Pro-agility
Yes
Yes
Linear Speed
Yes
Yes
SJ
Yes
CMJ
Yes
Yes
RSI
Yes
Yes
1RM Squat
Yes
Yes
T120S (RSA)
No
No
Yes
No
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Tart Cherry
Juice and
Recovery from
Exercise
Phillip G. Bell MSc and Glyn Howatson PhD
Introduction
Optimum recovery from strenuous training bouts is high on the agenda
for athletes, especially those competing at elite levels where performing
on multiple occasions in a short period of time or consecutive days is
commonplace. Strenuous exercise, particularly when eccentric biased,
results in muscle damage at the myofibrillar level as a result of
mechanical stress. As a secondary response to this damage,
inflammation and oxidative stress appears around the damaged area,
causing varying levels of pain and loss of function that might last for
several days. Additionally, oxidative stress and inflammation can occur
when there is no mechanical stress, for example in cycling where the
muscle actions are almost exclusively concentric.
Several techniques aimed at improving recovery have been
investigated, these include; exposure to hot and cold water
immersions,1,12,18,26 application of specialised clothing,15,17 manual
massage,23 and a wide range of nutritional strategies.13,14,27,29 Currently,
there is a great deal of interest in the suggestion that antioxidant
supplementation may reduce the extent of damage and accelerate
recovery time by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation associated
with the exercise bout. Antioxidants are biologically available; 1)
exogenously (mainly through oral ingestion), and 2) endogenously
(produced by the body itself). The primary sources of exogenous
antioxidants are through the various dietary fruits and vegetables which
provide a range of antioxidant compounds in varying quantities.
Recently, there has been growing interest in so-called functional foods.
These are foods that can provide some medicinal or health related
benefits. Cherries are one such food that have received a great deal of
media attention, and are used in elite rugby union, football and
numerous Olympic sports. Specifically, tart cherries have been
purported to contain high levels of numerous phytochemicals that have
the potential to be of benefit in recovery following strenuous exercise.
This article will focus upon the rationale behind the use of tart cherries
Food
Anthocyanin content
(mg.L-1)
9117
Blackberry
1150
Blueberry
825-4200
Grape (Red)
300-7500
Sweet cherry
20-4500
Strawberry
150-350
Cranberry
600-2000
contractions.24,28,40 Despite the studies on human
participants,11,25 using the contralateral limb as a
control, the result of this adaptive effect may still have
confounded the results. This is due to possibility of the
repeated bout occurring in both the ipsilateral AND
contralateral limb, which has been recently
demonstrated in the literature on more than one
occasion.28,46
Research carried out by Howatson et al27 has attempted
to address these issues and provides further evidence
to the beneficial effect of TCJ on recovery from
damaging, strenuous exercise.27 This study used
marathon runners who consumed a TCJ blend 5 days
prior to, and 2 days following, the completion of the
London marathon. It was found that isometric knee
extensor strength recovered faster following TCJ
supplementation in comparison to a placebo, although
in contrast to the previously mentioned research, this
study utilised an independent groups design and
therefore, does not suffer the same limitations in the
previous studies.11,25 Several biomarkers were also
assessed pre and post run, including markers of
protein oxidation (PC) and lipid peroxidation
(thiobarbituric acid (TBARS)). Results demonstrated
that the TCJ group showed significantly lower levels of
TBARS at 48 hours following the marathon. However,
no differences were found between groups for PC.
Despite no difference in PC, the identification of
lowered lipid peroxidation lends further weight to the
mechanistic theory of antioxidants having a role in
attenuating performance decrements. Further to this,
total antioxidant status (TAS) was found to be
significantly higher in the TCJ group as opposed to the
placebo group. Perhaps the most compelling results
were those relating to inflammation; there was around
a 50% reduction in interleukin-6 (a pro-inflammatory
cytokine) immediately post-exercise (Figure 2) and
significant reductions in C-reactive protein (C-RP) in
the following days with TCJ supplementation.
It appears as though improvements in recovery
following mechanically induced oxidative stress3,14 and a
combination of mechanical and metabolically induced
oxidative stress27 can be initiated through the
supplementation of TCJ. What appears to be missing in
the literature is research investigating a purely
metabolically induced oxidative stress protocol and how
TCJ affects subsequent exercise performance.
Attenuations in plasma TBARS and inflammatory
Longitudinal Supplementation
The question as to whether TCJ or any other
antioxidant supplement should be used as a regular
supplement is a valid, but not straightforward point to
address. The ability for an athlete to recover quickly
and perform the next day is often essential, especially
at an elite level where training and competition might
involve damaging or strenuous exercise on consecutive
days. The use of antioxidant supplementation may
therefore present a means of accelerating recovery due
to the aforementioned actions that antioxidants exhibit
upon damaging ROS, free radicals and inflammation.
However, it has been suggested that inhibition of ROS
and the inflammatory response associated with
strenuous exercise may result in a reduction in training
adaptation and a down-regulate endogenous
antioxidants production.6,20,21
An important enzyme associated with inflammation is
cyclooxygenase (COX) and exists in two forms, COX-1
and COX-2. Cyclooxygenase is increased in the
presence of inflammation34,45 and as a result, research
has focussed upon dampening the COX responses to
reduce inflammation. Reducing the activity of the
cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2) enzymes through
an anti-inflammatory mediator can reduce
prostaglandin production. This signalling cascade is an
important process in protein expression, therefore,
inhibition could result in lower skeletal muscle protein
synthesis.34,41. COX-1 is an enzyme found in most
tissues and plays a major role in the synthesis of
prostaglandin,34 therefore reducing its action may not
be desirable in training athletes because of the
implications for muscle hypertrophy or re-modelling.
Conversely, COX-2 is produced in the presence of
inflammatory enzymes. Consequently, agents that can
inhibit or dampen COX-2 is of most interest to
researchers and practitioners due to its specificity to
the inflammatory process.34
Soltow et al.45 investigated anti-inflammatory
supplementation in exercising rats by using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), specifically
ibuprofen, to inhibit inflammation. The ibuprofen
supplemented rats had a 50% reduction in skeletal
muscle hypertrophy in comparison with their placebo
fed counterparts.45 Results of a study investigating
human participants found reduced protein synthesis
with NSAID (ibuprofen or acetaminophen) following a
single damaging exercise bout when compared to a
placebo.47 However, it has also been reported that
inhibition of the specific COX-2 enzyme does not affect
protein synthesis following resistance exercise in
Clinical Use
The properties of TCJ open the door to investigating it
as a supplement for those suffering from a number of
pathologies. In particular, chronic inflammatory diseases
such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and spondylitis may
benefit from the anti-inflammatory properties of TCJ.
Recent literature investigated the effect of sweet Bing
cherries upon plasma urate levels.30 High levels of
plasma urate and uric acid are strongly associated with
gout. The authors found that plasma urate and
inflammation indices, C-RP and nitric oxide (NO), were
significantly reduced in healthy females following
Conclusions
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
References
1.
2.
3.
18.
19.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
Squatting is a balance
skill: An alternative
technical model
Dan Cleather, PhD
Lead Summary
This article presents a new perspective on the squat skill. It is argued
that a key skill when squatting is the ability to maintain balance
throughout the movement and it is suggested that many technical errors
can be understood as inappropriate attempts by the athlete to maintain
balance. In addition, a description of the correct technical model is
framed within the understanding of squatting as a balance skill.
The purpose of this article is to present an alternative approach to the
analysis and coaching of the squat lift. This is principally based upon the
profound insights that can be garnered by a consideration of the stability
demands of the exercise. It is the authors opinion that a lack of detailed
understanding of the subtler aspects of squat technique can compromise
the ability of coaches to rapidly teach effective, safe and deep squatting.
Instead, many coaches consider that an athletes inability to squat well is
a consequence of anatomical limitations (be they structural or
functional), and that engendering good squat technique is often a long
and arduous process. In this article, it is suggested that in many cases,
the impediment to rapid acquisition of the squat skill is due to poor
coaching11 and a fixation upon these perceived anatomical limitations.
The purpose of this article is not to describe a detailed technical model of
the squat lift for the beginning coach this has already been well
established.112 Instead, this article assumes a degree of familiarity with
the exercise and addresses itself to a consideration of the finer aspects of
the technique.
The analytical crux of this article is a consideration of stability during
squatting, and the contention that squatting is a balance skill. In particular,
the stability of the squatting athlete is analysed by considering the
instantaneous projection of the athletes centre of mass (PCOM) on their
base of support (BOS). Elementary physics tells us that the closer the
PCOM to the edge of the BOS, the less stable the athlete. If, at any time,
the PCOM traverses outside of the BOS, the athlete is likely to fall, due to
their inability to impress significant horizontal forces or accelerations during
the squat lift. These concepts are depicted in Figure 1.
Dan is a lecturer in strength and
conditioning science at St Marys
University College. Prior to this he spent 6
years working as a strength coach for the
English Institute of Sport. He began his
career gaining experience within the US
collegiate system.
Dan has a PhD in Bioengineering from
Imperial College London and is particularly
interested in using musculoskeletal
modelling techniques to understand
functional anatomy.
Dan also served as the Director of
Finance and Administration of the
UKSCA for 4 years.
A key coaching cue that has been suggested within the literature is to
instruct an athlete to initiate the lift by sitting back.4,12 It is the authors
opinion that this is a fully appropriate coaching cue, although this is by
no means unanimous within the coaching literature.2 It is informative
however, to consider the movement of the PCOM of the athlete as they
progressively push their hips backwards during the initiation of the squat.
If all other things remain equal as the depth of the squat increases, and
the athlete sits back, the PCOM moves to the rear of the BOS decreasing
the athletes stability. Ultimately, if they continue this movement the
PCOM will move outside of the BOS and the athlete will fall backwards. It
is common to see athletes who have been coached with an emphasis on
sitting back who squat with excellent spinal posture (also generally due
to good coaching), but who cannot achieve any appreciable depth. This is
because the imperative to continue sitting back makes it mechanically
impossible to achieve any extra depth without taking their PCOM outside
of their BOS support (Figure 2).
Figure 1a.
Figure 1b.
Figure 1c.
Figure 2.
This author contends therefore, that the main reason for technical
errors within squatting is a lack of ability of athletes to solve this
balance challenge. How can more depth be achieved while
maintaining the PCOM within the BOS? There are a variety of poor
strategies that are employed to solve this problem, which will be
presented first, prior to a description of the authors opinion as to
the correct movement solution.
By far the most common approach to maintaining balance is to
knee bend. This refers to an excessive anterior translation of the
knees relative to the ankle joint. It is immediately obvious how
knee bending allows an athlete to maintain stability, as the action
of knee bending clearly creates a forward shift of the athletes
mass (Figure 3). In fact, it is common for the uncoached athlete to
adopt a knee bending movement strategy from the initiation of the
squat lift, and the author believes that this is a consequence of the
need to maintain stability and could be construed as a natural and
justifiable self preservation instinct. To initially sit back and move
the PCOM backwards would decrease the athletes stability and so
they prefer to knee bend, thereby keeping their PCOM relatively
central. However, from the point of view of good squat technique
this adaptation is poor, not only for the reasons outlined above, but
also because the point at which an athlete knee bends, tends to
signal the bottom of the achievable depth. This is because the
degree to which the athlete is able to use this strategy to keep the
PCOM within the BOS is limited by the range of motion (ROM) at
the ankle. Once the athlete has reached the end of this range, they
cannot achieve additional squat depth by employing this movement
strategy. This has led to the perception that ankle ROM is a major
restriction to squat depth a belief that will be challenged below.
Figure 3.
Figure 4b.
Figure 5a.
Figure 5b.
Figure 5c.
Figure 5a and Figure 5b. In these figures the athlete uses his ability to externally
rotate the hip to allow the pelvis to travel forward, moving the PCOM forward and
maintaining balance.
Figure 6.
References
Figure 6. Squat techniques that allow the athlete to
counterbalance the backwards movement of their hips can
make squatting easier for the beginning athlete.
1.
Land-based
conditioning for
UK-based surfers
John Metcalfe BA (Hons), MSc., Ph.D., ASCC and
John Kelly BSc (Hons), MSc.
Introduction
John Metcalfe
John is a senior lecturer at the
University of Central Lancashire.
His research interests are in factors
affecting performance in adventure
sports. He is also a mountain bike
coach and author of Mountain Bike
Fitness Training (ISBN:
1840188588) and Dividing the
Great (ASIN: B005U0OHTA).
John Kelly
John is a senior lecturer at the
University of Chichester. His research
interests are in autonomic function
and performance enhancement in
adventure sports.
UK STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ASSOCIATION
UKSCA | Issue 25 | SPRING 2012 w: www.uksca.org.uk e: info@uksca.org.uk 23
Exercise
Rationale
References
24
1,9
shoulder and extend the right hand to touch the right heel. This
should be repeated to the left side.
Swim strokes with tubing lying on a stability ball
The athlete should lie prone on a stability ball with feet on the
floor, vertebrae hyperextended and head looking forward. With
elastic tubing (or paddle-specific Power Stroke cord) suitably
anchored in front, the athlete should take hold of the handles and
perform an alternating paddling motion.
Exercise
Rationale
References
Squat thrusts
24
Surfing-specific exercises
Like most sports, surfing requires triple flexion and
extension movement patterns and demands that the
body is orchestrated in a coordinated and powerful
Figure 1: Example periodised plan for surfing. AR = Active Rest; SC = Surf Camp.
Month
Mesocycle
Jan
AR
Feb
Mar
Base Fitness
Apr
Strength
May
Jun
Power
Jul
SC
Aug
Specific
Sept
Oct
Nov
PeakFitness
Dec
AR
Exercise
Rationale
Ys and Ts
The athlete should lie prone with arms extended out to form a Y
with the torso. The thumbs should be pointing vertically upward.
The scapular should be drawn together and the arms raised whilst
maintaining the thumb position. For the T, the athlete should do
exactly the same only create a T with the arms and torso.
Rotator cuff stretch
The athlete should kneel on the floor, sit on the heels and lower
the chest to the thighs. The arms should be extended above the
head in a pronated position. The athlete should extend one arm
even further and supinate the palm. This should be repeated for
the other side.
Soleus stretch
The athlete should stand with one leg in front of the other with
both knees flexed. With the focus on the back calf the bodyweight
should be moved forwards whilst maintaining the back heel on the
ground.
manner. As such, Olympic lifts and ballistic exercises
(squats, power cleans, power snatches, split jerks,
presses, rows and pulls) should form the basis of a
surfers training plan. In addition to working the
muscles over the full range of motion and helping
prevent injury, these exercises also enable the athletes
to maximise their return on their efforts,7 thus freeing
up time and energy to devote to other aspects of their
technical surf training. This is an important aspect, as
technical mastery of the relevant surfing skills is the
most important contributor to surfing performance18
and competitive success is entirely based on the
qualitative assessment of wave-riding ability.13 Whilst
these fundamental exercises are integral to a surfers
training programme, it is not the purpose of this article
to review them as they are detailed extensively
elsewhere.3,7,10 Rather, this article will review surfspecific exercises and practices that have been
purported to enhance performance.
Surf-specific exercises
Surfboard riding occurs in one of the most unstable
sporting environments and thus, requires core
stability and balance. As such, functional exercises
that enhance neuromuscular responses to an unstable
environment, such as those performed on balance
boards and stability balls, have been proposed to be
key aspects of surf training.1 Such exercises are
summarised in Table 1.
It should be noted however, that a surf board is only
relatively unstable when stationary or slow moving
and becomes increasingly stable with increasing
velocity. As such, the board is at its most unstable
during the initial power strokes, pop-up and dropping
down the wave, but once moving along the wave face
it becomes increasingly stable. During the wave riding
aspect, the surfers movements become less reactive
to the unstable board and more proactive in
preparation for the anticipated changes of the wave
face. This stable platform at speed provides a further,
albeit anecdotal, rationale for the inclusion of the
Olympic and ballistic exercises highlighted earlier.
In the absence of ideal surf conditions it follows that
movement specific exercises should be included in the
land-based sessions. Emphasis should be placed on
force-length, force-velocity and force direction and also
1,24
Periodisation
Whilst fickle at the micro level, swells tend to follow
seasonal variations with an increased probability of
favourable conditions during autumn and early
winter.6,26 This, coupled with competitions and
scheduled international surf-camps, means
periodisation of training in order to develop optimum
performance has been purported to be relevant to
surfing.9 Figure 1 details a hypothetical periodised
plan for a surfer aiming to reach peak condition
during autumn/early winter in order to take
advantage of the ideal surf conditions
During the Base Fitness mesocycle, aerobic power and
muscular endurance should be developed. This can be
achieved through freestyle swimming, swimming and
rowing ergometer training and low-level free-surfing
(when conditions allow).17,18 High repetitions (15+)16 of
squats, presses, rows, pulls and the surf-specific
exercises detailed above should also be included. In
the strength mesocycle the goal is to maintain the
aerobic power of the surfer whilst developing
strength. The selection of exercises should remain
similar to the subsequent cycle, but repetition
maximum range should be 10-12.16
The power phase should also include power cleans,
References
6.
Surfing injuries
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Conclusions
The unpredictable nature of the surfing environment
provides a challenge for the strength and conditioning
coach, both in terms of exercise selection, and being
able to get the surfer in peak condition at a specific
point in time. It would appear that the strength and
conditioning coach must incorporate a high degree of
flexibility into both the training and the planning in
order to adapt to the ever changing biological and
environmental conditions. This task is made all the
more difficult due to the relative lack of empirical
research and highlights that surfing performance
continues to be a research need.
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Introduction
I first worked with Meg Stone as a masters student at ETSU a few years
ago, and was very lucky to return to the organisation in 2010 after a
period of time in the UK. Megs depth of experience in the field of strength
and conditioning means that, in addition to being a fantastic coach and
leader to learn from, she is the perfect resource to refer to or bounce
ideas off. Chances are that any situation or issue that we face in our job as
practitioners, she has been through it too many times to recall. This Q&A is
an effort to give readers a little insight into these experiences and her
views on moving the industry forward.