The Place Kick in Rugby

Aim. The paper aims at studying the technical place kick in rugby, frontally to the try and at 40 meter distance. The relationship between the type of run with a predefined number of holds (1 to 4), the kinematics variables (the angle variation of the lower limbs, at the time of loading and at the moment of the impact against the ball), the average ball movement speed were assessed. Methods. Six men national athletes, took part in the study. All the kicks were video-recorded with two high speed (210 Hz) digital cameras, and processed with Dartfish 5.5Pro software. Results. According to the type of run, significant differences were reported on the run time (P<0.01) which correlated with the average ball movement speed (r=0.241; P<0.05). Conclusion. The analysis of the different types of runs lead to the definition of the best possible conditions for such a specific sport move, to be suggested during application or training for specialised athletes

Exercise-to-rest ratios in repeated sprint ability training in women's soccer

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of three different exercise-to-rest ratios in repeated sprint ability (RSA) training in women's soccer players, applying those which are usually adopted in male adult and young players, when performing three different sprinting modes (straight, shuttle, and sprinting with changing of direction). METHODS: Fifteen trained female soccer players (height: 1.65±0.06 m; weight: 59.3±9.0 kg; BMI 21.6±2.7 kg/m2; age: 23.3±5.9 years) participated to the study. In order to compare the different values of the time recorded, an index of fatigue (IF%) was used. Recovery times among trials in the sets were administered according to the 1:5, 1:3, 1:2 exercise-to-rest ratio, respectively. Blood lactate concentrations at the end of each set were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant differences among trials within each set (repeated measures ANOVA; P<0.05) were found, as evidence of fatigue over time, with an average decay of performance of about 5% but no significant differences were found in IF%, among the three different sprinting modalities when applying the investigated exercise-to-rest ratios (factorial ANOVA; P>0.05). Significant differences were found in blood lactate concentrations (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirm that the exercise-to-rest ratios considered in this study might be suitable to design effective testing protocols and training sessions aimed at the development of the RSA in women's soccer players, keeping the performances in the speed domain (IF% <7-8%) but inducing the fatigue processes sought with this kind of training method

Match analysis and temporal patterns of fatigue in rugby sevens

Granatelli, G, Gabbett, TJ, Briotti, G, Padulo, J, Buglione, A, D'Ottavio, S, and Ruscello, BM. Match analysis and temporal patterns of fatigue in rugby sevens. J Strength Cond Res 28(3): 728-734, 2014-Rugby sevens is a rapidly growing sport. Match analysis is increasingly being used by sport scientists and coaches to improve the understanding of the physical demands of this sport. This study investigated the physical and physiological demands of elite men's rugby sevens, with special reference to the temporal patterns of fatigue during match play. Nine players, 4 backs and 5 forwards (age 25.1 +/- 3.1 years) participated during 2 "Roma 7(s)" international tournaments (2010 and 2011). All the players were at the professional level in the highest Italian rugby union, and 5 of these players also competed at the international level. During the matches (n = 15), the players were filmed to assess game performance. Global positioning system, heart rate (HR), and blood lactate (BLa) concentration data were measured and analyzed. The mean total distance covered throughout matches was 1,221 +/- 118 m (first half = 643 +/- 70 m and second half = 578 +/- 77 m; with a decrease of 11.2%, p > 0.05, Effect Size [ES] = 0.29). The players achieved 88.3 +/- 4.2 and 87.7 +/- 3.4% of the HRmax during the first and second halves, respectively. The BLa for the first and second halves was 3.9 +/- 0.9 and 11.2 +/- 1.4 mmol center dot L-1, respectively. The decreases in performance occurred consistently in the final 3 minutes of the matches (-40.5% in the distance covered per minute). The difference found in relation to the playing position, although not statistically significant (p = 0.11), showed a large ES (eta(2) = 0.20), suggesting possible practical implications. These results demonstrate that rugby sevens is a demanding sport that places stress on both the anaerobic glycolytic and aerobic oxidative energy systems. Strength and conditioning programs designed to train these energy pathways may prevent fatigue-induced reductions in physical performance

Acute effects of two different initial heart rates on testing the Repeated Sprint Ability in young soccer players

Aim. The aim of this paper was to investigate the acute effects of two different initial heart rates intensities when testing the repeated sprint ability (RSA) performances in young soccer players. Methods. Since there are many kinds of pre-match warmups, we chose to take as an absolute indicator of internal load the heart rate reached at the end of two different warmup protocols (60 vs. 90% HRmax) and to compare the respective RSA performances. The RSA tests were performed on fifteen male soccer players (age: 17.9 +/- 1.5 years) with two sets of ten shuttle-sprints (15+15 m) with a 1:3 exercise to rest ratio, in different days (randomized order) with different HR% (60 & 90% HRmax). In order to compare the different sprint performances a Fatigue Index (FI%) was computed, while the blood lactate concentrations (BLa-) were measured before and after testing, to compare metabolic demand. Results. Significant differences among trials within each sets (P<0.01) were found. Differences between sets were also found, especially comparing the last five trials for each set (Factorial ANOVA; P<0.01), effect size values confirming the relevance of these differences. Although the BLa- after warmup was higher (36%) between 90% vs. 60% HRmax, after the RSA test the differences were considerably low (7%). Conclusion. Based on physiological information's this methodological approach (testing with initial 90 %HR.) reflects more realistically the metabolic background in which a soccer player operates during a real match. This background may be partially reproduced by warming up protocols that, by duration and metabolic commitment, can reproduce conveniently the physiological conditions encountered in a real game (e.g. HRmax approximate to 85-95 %; BLa->4 mmol/L-1)