Download Preparation / Rehearsal Sprints

Preparation / Rehearsal
Sprints
Pre Competition / Training
By
John Anderson
Update your preparation exercises and
move into the 21st Century
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Why bother ?!
Do we need warm-up ?
If we do,
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What do we want it for?
How do we use it?
Does it work?
Benefits of Appropriate
Preparation
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Performance can be improved by an appropriate preparation
Increases speed of contraction and relaxation of warmed
muscles.
Dynamic exercise reduces muscle stiffness.
Greater economy of movement because of lowered viscous
resistance within warmed muscles.
Facilitates oxygen utilisation by warmed muscles because
haemoglobin releases oxygen more readily at higher muscle
temperatures.
Facilitates nerve transmission & muscle metabolism at higher
temperatures; a specific warm up can facilitate motor unit
recruitment required in subsequent all out activity.
Allows the heart rate to get to a workable rate for beginning
exercise.
Mentally focuses on the training or competition.
Challenge standard thinking !!
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Extensive search in libraries – no
internet !! 1968
No scientific evidence that passive
stretching was beneficial.
Don Halliday, 100m 1972 Olympic
Games used as guinea pig !!
Research and Empirical Evidence
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This shows overwhelmingly that
Passive stretching -:Does not prevent injuries
Does not influence the seriousness of
the injury.
Does not cause injury to heal quicker.
In other words, passive stretching has
no effect on the incidence or the
prevention of injury.
The Stretch Reflex
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This is the reflex contraction of a muscle when it is stretched.
Special sensory cells, called proprioceptors, monitor the state of
muscles
The stretch reflex protects a muscle from being over-stretched and
damaged.
Important ---- this protective mechanism can itself be damaging if a
muscle is lengthened suddenly, especially when cold.
A muscle will automatically and forcibly try to shorten, sometimes
rupturing itself !!!!!
Reference : The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science and Medicine
Research on Stretching cont
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Passive stretching will result in a decrease in the force
generating capacity of a tendon - -- lasting in some cases 60
mins !!
This has a negative influence on performance for those
activities which require high force levels. e.g.. Sprinting.
The protective mechanism (stretch reflex) can itself be
damaging if the muscle is lengthened suddenly especially
when cold. The muscle will automatically and forcibly try to
shorten even to the extent of rupturing itself.
Long Term Adaptations
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Some of the perceived gain in ROM following a
stretch could actually be due to stretch tolerance,
presumably from desensitising of proprioceptors.
This brings question marks to the theoretical
effectiveness of stretching to alter ROM and also
raises safety concerns. Could stretch tolerance inhibit
stretch reflex and allow damage to occur to
antagonist muscle tendon units (MTU’s) and joint
structures?
Rehearsal / Specificity
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ROM (range of movement) is crucial to good performance.
In sprinting this allows the application of force. Eg the foot
against the ground, to be applied much more efficiently and
thus bio mechanically more effective.
The most effective method of achieving optimum ROM is by the
process of repetition and specificity –
practice running fast !!!!
References for the previous
points
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Research based evidence as to why dynamic
warm ups are potentially an improvement to
static warm ups can be found in the Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research by
McMillan et al – the Effect on Power and
Agility Performance.
Herbert and Gabriel, University of Sydney,
(BMJ August 2003).
Benefits of Cool Down
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Aids in the dissipation of waste products, including
lactic acid.
Reduces the potential for DOMS
Reduces the chance of dizziness or fainting caused by
the pooling of venous blood at the extremities.
Reduces the level of adrenaline in the blood
Allows the heart rate to return to its resting state.
GENERAL PREPARATION
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Gentle start to activate the body
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Walk or jog 30 – 60 m x 2 – 3
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Variations of walking –
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High knees, high on toes over 30m x 2 - 3
Jogging with high knee raise x 2 -3
General exercises
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Spinners
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Scorpion
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Crab
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Leg Swings
Specific Rehearsal for Sprinting
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30 – 60m @ half speed x 2 – 4
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30 – 60m @ ¾ speed x 2 – 4
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30 – 60m flat out x 1 – 3
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Sprint Start – flat out, 30 – 40m x 1 - 3
PB
!!!!!!