Darrall-Jones, J

Jones, B

Till, K

Leeds Beckett Repository

Citation:Jones, B and Darrall-Jones, J and Till, K (2016) Strength & Power Characteristics of Young Pro-fessional Rugby Union Players. In: 39th Annual Conference of National Strength and ConditioningAssociation, 06 July 2016 - 09 July 2016, New Orleans, USA. (Unpublished)Link to Leeds Beckett Repository record:http://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/6678/Document Version:Conference or Workshop Item (Presentation)Conference posterThe aim of the Leeds Beckett Repository is to provide open access to our research, as required byfunder policies and permitted by publishers and copyright law.The Leeds Beckett repository holds a wide range of publications, each of which has beenchecked for copyright and the relevant embargo period has been applied by the Research Servicesteam.We operate on a standard take-down policy. If you are the author or publisher of an outputand you would like it removed from the repository, please contact us and we will investigate on acase-by-case basis.Each thesis in the repository has been cleared where necessary by the author for third partycopyright. If you would like a thesis to be removed from the repository or believe there is an issuewith copyright, please contact us on openaccess@leedsbeckett.ac.uk and we will investigate on acase-by-case basis.Introduction STRENGTH AND POWER CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG PROFESSIONAL RUGBY UNION PLAYERSBen Jones, Joshua Darrall-Jones, Kevin Tillb.jones@leedsbeckett.ac.uk           @23benjonesMethodsNSCA Conference 2016, 6-9 July 2016Rugby union requires athletes to have high levels of strength and power. Rugby union forwards and backs are involved in collisions, rucks and mauls,although forwards engage in more static exertions (e.g., scrums) and backs more running. Given the demands of rugby union, the development ofstrength and power in young players would appear a priority (Darrall-Jones et al., 2015).Thirty-nine young male rugby union players from a professional academy (U18, n=24 [forwards n=12, backs n=12; age 17±1 yrs, body mass 93.8±7.0 and78.7±6.9 kg]; U21, n=15 [forwards n=9, backs n=6; age 19±1 yrs, body mass 105.5±8.5 and 87.6±10.7 kg]) were tested at the beginning of pre-season.Testing took place over 2 sessions. Session 1 = countermovement jump (CMJ) and isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) on a force plate, with specialist rack forthe IMTP. Session 2 = 3 repetition maximum (3RM) assessments of front squat, bench press and prone row. Between and within squad positionaldifferences were assessed to determine if measures were greater (↑), similar (↔) or less (↓) than the smallest practical difference (SPD [0.2 x between-subject standard deviation]; Hopkins, 2004) based on Cohen’s d effect size (ES) principle.ResultsU18 forwards had likely ↑ prone row, very likely ↑ CMJ mean power and almost certainly ↑ IMTP, but very likely ↓ CMJ jump height than U18 backs.Similarly, U21 forwards had very likely ↑ front squat and IMTP, and likely ↑ CMJ mean power, but likely ↓ CMJ jump height than U21 backs. For U21s, bothforwards and backs had almost certainly and very likely ↑ front squat, almost certainly ↑ bench press, very likely ↑ prone row, almost certainly and very likely↑ CMJ jump height and mean power and IMTP.Rugby union backs had ↑ CMJ jump height whereas forwardshad ↑ power and isometric strength, which may representtheir positional requirements. U21s had ↑ strength and powerthan U18s, suggesting younger players should continue tofocus on strength and power. The longitudinal change andrelationship to match performance requires further research.Coaches working with young rugby union players shouldfocus on developing strength and power in all players.When a sufficient base is achieved, it may be beneficialfor backs to focus on power, and forwards to focus onstrength, while considering the complex nature of rugbyunion, ensuring both have adequate strength and power.Leeds Beckett University, Institute for Sport, Physical Activity & Leisure, Leeds, UKConclusions Practical ApplicationsReferencesDarrall-Jones J, Jones B, Till K. (2015) Anthropometric and Physical Profiles of English Academy Rugby Union Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29 (8) 2086-96.View publication stats

Strength & Power Characteristics of Young Professional Rugby Union Players

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Strength & Power Characteristics of Young Professional Rugby Union Players

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