Indoor Sport Services Training Guide

The fitness levels of both football and rugby players has increased in direct proportion to the rewards in the game and so has the rate of injury and illness. It is quite normal in any squad for 25 to 30% of team members to be sidelined through illness or injury. One of the reasons for this is that very hard training suppresses the immune system which means that athletes are not only more vulnerable to picking up illnesses but will suffer from the symptoms more than a sedentary person whose immune system is under less physical stress. The second reason is as players get fitter they get faster, increasing impact speed and also operating muscles right on their limits. In addition to this, players are expected to beinvolved in more games, further increasing the risk of injury. Rugby and football players are bigger and heavier and these factors combine to shorten the player's career. One way to reduce this problem is a smarter approach to training. Drills and set plays are an important part in the preparation of players, however, contact and impact during training should be kept to an absolute minimum. Professional football and rugby teams are businesses and any business that has 25 to 30% of its staff out of action has a serious problem.

In ball games, aerobic endurance underpins the entire performance. This is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to the working muscles and is known as aerobic capacity. A well developed aerobic capacity benefits games players in two ways; it ensures that the players can provide the required energy for the entire length of the game and also helps the body recover more quickly between bouts of intense activity. Games players need whole body aerobic fitness, not just individual muscle fitness, to perform. To raise the aerobic fitness level the entire body should be exercised and exercise on the Indoor Rower uses both upper and lower body muscles, therefore recruiting a very large muscle mass.

Quite often injuries sustained through contact are not to the primary mover of a particular joint but to the smaller muscles that support the joint, the fixators or synergists. Often training programmes fail to develop these muscles to the same extent as the primary mover. Cross-training has the affect of developing muscles other than the prime movers used in the given sport, thus reducing the likelihood of impact damage. With the high number of games that players are expected to cope with the games themselves should be considered as part of the training programme. This means that skills and drills can be reduced in other parts of the programme and replaced with a safer method of fitness training.

If the statement that aerobic fitness underpins the whole performance is true then it would make sense to follow the training programme of a rower. Rowers are generally recognised as athletes with amongst the greatest aerobic capacity. This is achieved with no risk of injury through impact, as training is weight supported and non-contact. A slightly modified programme currently used by rowers in preparation for their competitions would meet all the physical requirements of ball players.

The games player's season consists of pre-season, the regular season and post-season, followed by a four to six week transition period. The transition period is the time for complete mental and physical relaxation and can include holidays. A minimum level of activity should be maintained. This is time for reflection on the past season and to set goals for the next season. Pre-season should focus on developing strength and endurance, the baseline of physical performance. This also provides a chance to develop team cohesion. During the regular season, where two or more games a week are played, this will meet all the requirements of specific training. Non-specific training should involve immediate post-game blood washout to remove any muscle debris and allow meaningful training to resume as soon as possible. Continued focus on aerobic capacity and strength training should form the major part of the programme (90%), with the remaining 10% focusing on high intensity speed training. If there is only one competitive game per week one training session should involve game situation practices.

The post season involves representative matches and the most important aspect is team cohesion and strategic planning. During this time the physical requirements will largely be met through drills but should still be supplemented with cross-training. This is especially useful for blood washout after competition plus alternate endurance and speed sessions on the rowing machine.

Good aerobic training should consist of 30 to 60 minutes at 70 to 85% of maximum heart rate, e.g. three times 20 minutes.

Threshold training should involve 25 to 40 minutes at 80 to 85% of maximum heart rate e.g. five times five minutes to five times eight minutes with two to four minutes rest between intervals.

Speed training should involve six to nine minutes of short bursts, at 95 to 100% of maximum heart rate e.g. six times 90 seconds or 12 times 45 seconds.