High Resistance Circuit Training - a good option for team sports?

Most team sports (soccer, basketball, handball…) can be considered as aerobic-based anaerobic activities in which, during a game, players are required to perform high-intensity actions such as jumping, sprinting or shuffling (Caprino, 2012; Castagna, 2007; Hermassi, 2011). Therefore, performance in team sports depends on both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism but also in high levels of muscular strength and power. This means that in order to prepare any team or player for competition it is necessary to develop a complete strength and conditioning program.

The problem many coaches face is: “How can I work on tactical and technical aspects of the game during the week, and still find time to develop maximal strength, power, aerobic and anaerobic capacity? I don´t want my players to spend all day in the workout room!”. There are two usual solutions to this problem, each one presenting its own problems:

Should my soccer team train in the way the top level teams do?

 

"Some coaches and athletes seem to forget that training is the stimulus and that the cellular adaptation occurs during rest between training sessions."

In high level soccer teams, due to the high number of games in a short period of time (2 games in 3 days) athletes do not have enough time to train. The vast majority of their time is spent on recovery modalities. Using techniques to reduce the fatigue effects on players' performance in order to recover faster and get ready for the next game.

Hamstrings injuries (introduction)

Hamstrings injuries (introduction)

Hamstring muscle strain injuries are common in sports that require maximum effort sprinting and acceleration. It has been reported that hamstrings injuries alone account for 16-29% of all injuries reported in soccer, Australian Rules football and rugby. Furthermore, a significant amount of playing and practice time is lost after hamstring injury (18 days on average) and the risk of re-injury is very high.

Every muscle has a length in which is able to do its maximum strength. The length-tension relationship plays a very important role in the function of skeletal muscle. To create a length-tension curve force levels are plotted against each muscle length. 

Related to hamstrings the curve is torque (force*distance) for every angle (as bigger is the angle more lengthened is the muscle).

From this information, can be determined three regions, the ascending limb, the optimum length and the descending limb.

It has been known for some time that the descending limb is a region of instability and because of it muscle strain injuries are thought to occur when activated muscles are lengthened to grater than optimal lengths.

How to train in snowboarding. Introduction

Snowboarding is a popular recreational sport in winter, but it is also an elite sport. Due to its rapid increase in popularity not only at an amateur level but also as an elite sport, snow sports athletes and coaches are more concerned about the optimal development of their performance on the slopes as in the training.

Snowboarding environment is hard. Riders are exposed to training in cold environments and at high altitudes due to the need for the technical side of the sport. Bringing all together, elite snowboarders need to have good aerobic fitness, anaerobic capacity as well as good balance and power production capacity (Bakken et al. 2011; Bosco 1997; Creswell & Mitchell 2009; Neumayer et al. 2003; Platzer et al. 2009; Szmedra et al. 2001; Veicsteinas et al. 1984).

Rider: Yibrán Mateo

Snowboarding training periodization should be planned in advance and it can be split into transitory period (time after competitive period and before starting the new periodization), preparatory period (dry-land and on-snow) and competitive period. During the transitory period, the athlete should disconnect from snowboarding and take part in other activities such as surfing, running, or whatever he/she likes. The preparatory period's aim is to get the athlete fit and in a good shape, getting him/her ready to face the competition season. It is very important to bear in mind that our athletes are people and each one is different, so, what it is valid for one might be not as valid for another one, this means that we should individualize their training programs according to their needs.

Rider: Yibrán Mateo

HAPPY RIDING!

Diego Jaén MSC

Snowboarding Instructor Level 1

Optimising Performance II (The Force-Velocity Relationship)

The alternative method for optimising performance over a long season; which I spoke briefly about in my previous blog, is a much more individualised concept. It is a new idea which has been developed from the theory that every athlete has their own unique and individual force-velocity balance (makes sense really because of genetics, nutrition and how everyone responds differently to exercise and training etc).

What do I mean by everyone has their own force-velocity balance?

Everybody’s muscles have the ability to produce both force and velocity; force is required to move loads, whether it is climbing up a stairs (lifting your body weight) or it is bench-pressing 120kg; both require certain

amounts of force.

Optimising Performance

A question that often pops into athletes’ and even coaches’ minds is what aspects should my athlete be training right now to maximise his/her performance?

Approaching the beginning of a season or nearing competition time, it is often in the back of an athlete’s mind what exactly he/she needs to focus his/her training on to see the optimum results on the field: “Should it be endurance so I can last longer than my opponent?” “Should it be maximum strength so I will be stronger than my opponent and able to push him/her off the ball?” “Should it be speed, so my opponent cannot catch me or keep up with me?” “What should I train?” Too often, for some reason or another, athletes tend to focus on maximum strength approaching competition time and even sometimes throughout a season. This is not at all recommended as strength will begin to plateau after a few weeks or a couple of months, maximum. Also, focusing on maximum strength throughout a season can sometimes have negative effects on performance, as central and neural fatigue can onset amongst other undesirable factors like over recruitment of slow twitch fibres and possibly even injury.

Approaching competition time, hypertrophy is not required (for most sports). Although it will improve strength, it will probably decrease relative strength and result in a loss of speed in the athlete

Πρόληψη τραυματισμών στις γυναίκες

Τα τελευταία χρόνια υπάρχει αύξηση στον αριθμό των γυναικών που ασχολούνται με τα ομαδικά αθλήματα από μικρή ηλικία. Είναι αποδεδειγμένο ότι οι γυναίκες που παίρνουν μέρος σε ομαδικά αθλήματα έχουν 4-6 φορές περισσότερες πιθανότητες τραυματισμού στην άρθρωση γόνατος σε σχέση με τους άντρες. Αυτό οφείλεται στις απαιτήσεις των ομαδικών αθλημάτων όπως είναι άλματα, αλλαγές κατεύθυνσης ,ξαφνικές επιβραδύνσεις, συγκρούσεις . Η αυξημένη πιθανότητα πρόκλησης τέτοιου είδους τραυματισμών στις γυναίκες σε σχέση με τους άντρες εξαρτάται επίσης από παράγοντες όπως ορμονικοί , ανατομικές και εμβιομηχανικές διαφορές.

 

Ωστόσο υπάρχουν αρκετές ασκήσεις η κάθε μια με διαφορετικό τρόπο δράσης. Οι περισσότεροι τραυματισμοί συμβαίνουν κατά την προσγείωση ή αλλαγή κατεύθυνσης και χωρίς επαφή. Η αρχή ενός προγράμματος πρόληψης τραυματισμών είναι η εκμάθηση σωστής τεχνικής εκτέλεσης ασκήσεων, προσγείωσης, αλλαγής κατευθύνσεων και σταματήματος-επιβράδυνσεων. Με την εκμάθηση σωστής τεχνικής προσγείωσης οι δυνάμεις που ασκούνται στο πρόσθιο χιαστό και στο γόνατο είναι αρκετά μειώμενες.